Boron helps to keep bones and joints healthy

Osteoporosis is defined as “a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and micro-architectural deterioration with consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture.”¹ Osteoporosis is not a life-threatening disorder but still affects many people by causing pain, disability, and diminished quality of life.² Degrees of skeletal response to boron are modified by other nutritional variables that include calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and boron.

Being directly linked to bone metabolism,³ boron might help reverse the effects of osteoporosis. Boron plays an important role in osteogenesis, and its deficiency has been shown to adversely impact bone development and regeneration⁴. Boron also beneficially impacts vitamin-D utilization. Boron is not found alone in nature and is abundant in nature as boric acid (BA) and borate. Boron was determined to induce mineralization of osteoblasts by regulating the expression of genes related to tissue mineralization and the actions of key hormones (17β-estradiol [E₂], testosterone, and vitamin D) involved in bone growth and turnover³. Boron can be obtained in the diet through the consumption of fruits, vegetables (potato and avocado), legumes, nuts, eggs, milk, wine, and dried foods.⁴   The daily requirement of boron has yet to be defined, but daily multivitamin and mineral supplements contain between 3 mg and 9 mg.⁵

Boron supplementation has been shown to markedly reduce urinary excretion of both calcium and magnesium and to increase serum levels of estradiol and calcium absorption in peri- and postmenopausal women. A study⁶ conducted in postmenopausal women (n = 12) who had been put on a low-boron diet (0.25 mg/d for 119 d) were supplemented with 3 mg/d of boron during two 28-day trials. In one trial, magnesium intake was low; in the other, magnesium intake was adequate. With boron supplementation, the women’s daily urinary excretion of calcium was reduced by 44%. The reduction in calcium loss resulting from boron supplementation was 52 mg/d when the women were low in magnesium and 22 mg/d when magnesium levels were adequate. Another study showed that boron levels, along with those of lead and zinc, were reduced in patients with osteoarthritis of the hip when those patients went for hip replacement⁷.

Thus, Boron may affect bone metabolism, especially in conjunction with other minerals and vitamin D, with which it appears to have complex, interdependent relationships and should be considered as one of the important trace elements while supplementation in patients of osteoporosis.

Feel free to reach us for queries admin(at)youngatbones.com

Connect with us on:

facebook – twitter – LinkedIn – Instagram

References

1. NIH Consensus Development Panel on Osteoporosis Prevention D, and Therapy. Osteoporosis prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. JAMA 2001; 285:785-95.
2. National Osteoporosis Foundation. Clinician’s Guide to Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis. Washington DC: National Osteoporosis Foundation, 2010.
3. Hakki SS, Bozkurt BS, Hakki EE. Boron regulates mineralized tissue-associated proteins in osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1). J Trace Elem Med Biol 2010; 24:243-50.
4. Nielsen FH. Is boron nutritionally relevant? Nutr Rev 2008; 66: 183-91.
5. Nieves JW. Skeletal effects of nutrients and nutraceuticals, beyond calcium and vitamin D. Osteoporos Int 2013; 24: 771-86.
6. Nielsen FH, Hunt CD, Mullen LM, Hunt JR. Effect of dietary boron on mineral, estrogen, and testosterone metabolism in postmenopausal women. FASEB J. 1987;1(5):394–397
7. Helliwell TR, et al. Elemental analysis of femoral bone from patients with fractured neck of femur or osteoarthrosis. Bone 1996;18:151-157.