Bone health
Key bone health minerals — strontium
by Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD
Strontium is a mineral that naturally exists and is present in small amounts in
our food and water. Strontium has a high affinity for bone and is thought to play
a critical role in bone health. It tends to migrate to the sites where active remodeling
is taking place and promotes mineralization of the bones and teeth.
There are about 320 mg of strontium in the body, with 99% of this located in the
bones and teeth. The typical daily diet is thought to contain from as little as
1 mg to more than 10 mg strontium.
This stable mineral form of strontium found in food and water should not be confused
with the radioactive form of strontium that is produced by nuclear reactors or by
explosion of nuclear weapons.
In the periodic table you will find strontium below
calcium, and it belongs to the same chemical family as calcium and
magnesium. In fact, because of its similarities, strontium is capable
of replacing a small proportion of calcium in the calcified crystals of bone and
teeth. As it appears, strontium adds strength to these tissues, making them more
resistant to breakdown. Strontium also appears to draw extra calcium into the bone.
Dietary strontium is consumed in very small, milligram quantities and is considered
a natural and beneficial bone nutrient. It is found in most plant foods, dairy foods,
Brazil nuts, and again, naturally in drinking water. Very high-dose (several hundred-milligram
dose) synthetic strontium ranelate (Protelos) has been developed in Europe as a
prescription osteoporosis medication
and is used for the purpose of both halting bone breakdown and enhancing new bone
formation.
Click here to return to 20 key bone health nutrients.
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Related to this article:
References & further reading on the
20 key bone-building nutrients
Last Modified:
04/18/2011
Principal Author: Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD