Quite frequently women write me to ask: what is strontium and why do you include it in your Better Bones Builder product?
Well, there’s a short answer and a long answer to that question. Here’s the short answer: Strontium is an element very much like calcium and naturally present in our food and water. A common diet might contain anywhere from one to more than 10 mg of strontium per day. The reason it’s in the Better Bones Builder is that the elemental form (that is to say, the non-radioactive version found in nature) has been shown to promote formation of healthy teeth and bones. So it makes sense to include dietary doses of strontium in comprehensive bone-building formulas such as our Better Bones Builder supplement, because low-dose strontium is a companion nutrient that works with calcium and other minerals to promote bone health.
Now let’s get to the long answer. Where confusion sets in is when people hear about strontium being used by itself to build bone. What most people don’t realize when they read about strontium as “the” solution for bone health is that such talk isn’t referring to dietary doses of elemental strontium — most often, it’s referring to the extremely high-dose strontium that has been developed and patented as a drug therapy for osteoporosis in Europe. This drug, known as Protelos®, contains 680 mg of elemental strontium in 2 grams of strontium ranelate, a synthetic salt that combines strontium with ranelic acid.
Elemental strontium is different
Elemental strontium is a natural part of the earth’s crust and is very different from “strontium 90” which is a hazardous radioactive nuclear fallout product from aboveground nuclear testing. All strontium used in bone-building health products is elemental strontium.
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One goal of Protelos is for a small number of strontium atoms to displace calcium atoms in bone. For this effect it is necessary that the strontium drug be taken at least two hours apart from calcium. (This is not necessary for lower dose strontium that is used as a nutrient aiding the development of healthy bones.) Unlike lower doses of strontium, a higher dose may come with side effects like nausea, diarrhea, and, very rarely, memory problems and venous clots. Nonetheless, high-dose strontium osteoporosis therapy has a much better safety record than the bisphosphonate drugs used the U.S. and Canada.
Although Protelos is not available in the U.S. or Canada, we can purchase equally high dose natural forms of strontium as strontium citrate or strontium carbonate — but I hasten to add that you shouldn’t start taking high doses of strontium (or anything else!) without consulting your doctor first! Keep in mind that high-dose strontium is a bone drug, and, as with all bone drugs, it should only be used when there is a clear high risk of fracture. High risk is defined as a 20% likelihood of a major osteoporotic fracture over the next 10 years.
Some clinicians suggest that strontium citrate (or carbonate) is as effective as the strontium-based drug, but further research needs to be done. Similar to bisphosphonates, we do not know the long-term impact of high-dose strontium on bone and fracture risk. Currently, clinical trials of strontium ranelate have only extended to five years, and the fracture risk efficacy at five years is substantially less than that at two or three years. We do know that high-dose strontium is the safest of all osteoporosis drugs, although not the most potent. So it’s worth talking to your doctor about using strontium if you are at high risk for fracture.
I hope this helps clear up the confusion when it comes to strontium. I will be writing more on strontium in the future, so stay tuned!
Best wishes to everyone.
We created the Osteo Blast blog as our forum to express opinions and educate the public about natural means of supporting and improving bone health and overall wellness. As part of this forum, we sometimes discuss medical issues and medications, and their effects on bone health in general. However, we cannot advise readers about specific medical issues in this forum. If you wish to obtain advice from Susan E. Brown, PhD, about your specific bone health and nutritional concerns, please visit our Consultations page. Other specific medical questions should be referred to your healthcare provider.