Why Strontium Is Not Advised For Bone Health?

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Why Strontium Is Not Advised For Bone Health?

Strontium is a mineral that looks and acts like calcium. It is primarily found in the bones. However, this silver-yellowish metal is not radioactive and, hence, sometimes used in medicine. While some alternative medical practitioners endorse the use of this mineral as a remedy from mineral bone loss, or osteoporosis but it is not advised for bone health.

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Why Strontium Is Not Advised For Bone Health?

This mineral is found in water and food. If taken orally, it gets absorbed in small amounts by the body particularly in areas where bone remodeling is going on. However, overuse of this supplement led to cases that indicated that there were negative for bone mineralization. The reason why strontium is not advised for bone health is that there is not much research or conclusive evidence to back this claim.

Why Strontium Is Not Advised For Bone Health?

For this reason, taking strontium may or may not have an adverse effect on one’s health and caution must be taken before taking this supplement.

Can strontium have a positive effect on health?

As mentioned earlier, there is not much research that backs the claims that strontium has a positive effect on health. However, it is possible that it may be used effectively to treat the following conditions:

  • Osteoporosis: Limited research suggests that taking strontium can help reduce the risk of arthritis in the spin from becoming worse. Also, it may help relieve pain, loss of cartilage, and stiffness for those with arthritic knees.
  • Bone thinning: A few research studies indicate that taking strontium orally may help increase bone density and lower the risk of fracture in people with a history of osteoporosis. It is an approved supplement in Europe but it has not been approved by the FDA in the US.

While the use of strontium may present the possibility of some positive effects on bone health as it is not definitive. For instance, studies related to the healing of bone fractures in the elderly suggest that the intake of this supplement did not improve their condition. Also, another claim that it could help reduce the intensity of itching is also not definitive. Additionally, there is no conclusive evidence is its ability to help cure dental cavities.

What dosage is safe to consume?

One of the most important points that one needs to keep in mind while taking strontium is the appropriate dosage. If not, it can be counterproductive. The dosage of this supplement taken as prescribed for some of the conditions is as follows:

  • Osteoarthritis: 1 or 2 grams taken every day for a maximum period of 3 years.
  • Osteoporosis: 0.5 to 2 grams is safe to take for 10 years. However, the dosage must not be increased.
  • Bone pain: It is administered intravenously to reduce pain caused by cancer.

Why strontium is not often prescribed?

One of the foremost reasons why strontium is not often prescribed is because of a number of drug interactions. For this reason, one needs to be very careful while taking this supplement along with other medications. Some of the medication that strontium reacts with include, and is not limited to, the following:

  • Antacids: Antacids are often used to control and decrease the amount of acid in the stomach, which can lead to a decrease in the absorption of this supplement. For this reason, strontium supplements must not be taken with antacids.
  • Estrogens: Estrogen has been noted to quickly decrease and removes strontium from the body. As a result, the body may have too much strontium that is removed which may have potential side effects.
  • Androgens: Like estrogens, androgens to decrease the rate at which the body removed strontium.

What are some of the side effects reported after taking strontium?

For the most part, strontium is safe to take in a small amount which is found in food. It can be estimated that 0.5 to 1.5 grams is safe for intake every day. Also, one must be cautious that taking high doses of strontium may cause bone damage, and hence it must be taken with caution. Also, there is not much research on the effectiveness and safety of taking strontium dietary supplements and hence self-medication must be avoided.

When not to take strontium?

Strontium supplements must be avoided in the following situations:

  • Pregnancy: While it may be safe to take trace amounts of strontium in the food or when used in toothpaste. However, intake of strontium-89 may not be safe while breastfeeding since it may cause harm to the infant.
  • Cardiovascular disease: For those with a preexisting cardiovascular disease that causes poor circulation in the brain or stroke must avoid taking strontium.
  • Kidney problems: The kidneys drain strontium and those who have poor kidney function may not be able to do so. For this reason, supplements of the supplement must be taken with caution and must be avoided completed in cases of advanced kidney disease.
  • Paget’s disease: Paget’s disease is a disease of the bones where the bones absorb a higher amount of strontium.
  • Blood clotting disorders: Strontium may cause blood clots and those with known blood clotting disorders need to be careful about their intake of this supplement. It is strongly advised that those with blood clotting disorders should not take supplements of this supplement.
  • Peripheral arterial disease: It is not advisable to take this supplement when there is a preexisting peripheral arterial disease.
  • Heart disease: For those with heart disease it is best to avoid strontium.

When it comes to strontium the results of research studies are quite conflicting on the use of strontium as a supplement. For this reason, strontium citrate or strontium chloride is prescribed more often as a dietary supplement. The long-term effects of the uses of strontium have not been documented and its impact on the bones to has not been studied in a systematic manner.

Also, the risk that if strontium does not help in strengthening the bones it may lead to increased bone density as it weighs more than calcium. As a result, this can lead to a number of other complications. For this reason, it is advisable not to take strontium for bone health since there is not enough evidence that backs the case that it is good for bone health.

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Dr. John Augustine received his BA from Harvard College magna cum laude in 1987 and his Ph.D. and MD degrees from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1992 and 1993. He was then an intern and resident in Internal Medicine at the Yale-New Haven Hospital from 1993-1995. From 1995-1998, John was a clinical associate at the National Cancer Institute. He joined the faculty of the Duke University Medical Center in 2008 as Chief of Rheumatology at the Durham VA Hospital, a position he held until the end of 2017. He served as Chief of Rheumatology and Immunology at Duke from 2003-2008. He has conducted basic and translational research in the field of autoimmunity. He was focusing on the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the immunological properties of nuclear macromolecules, including DNA. More recently, he has investigated the immune activities of HMGB1, a nuclear protein with alarmin activity, as well as microparticles. These studies have provided new insights into the translocation of atomic molecules during cell activation and cell death and the mechanisms by which cell death can influence innate immunity.

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