Men vs women: Surprising facts about bone loss

Do you remember the nursery rhyme about Jack and Jill? Jack fell down and Jill came tumbling after. Well, if Jack and Jill both broke a hip when they fell, do you know who would be more likely to die from the injury?

Broken hips typically happen when bones lose their density and become weak. We usually think of this happening in postmenopausal women.

But bone loss is also an overlooked problem for men. In fact, men are suffering from the problem at a rapidly increasing rate.

And what’s worse, men are twice as likely to die after a hip fracture! That means Jack is two times more likely to die from his broken hip than Jill is.

Fortunately, men and women don’t have to suffer from bone loss. That’s because there’s a mineral that can stop bone loss before it starts. And no, it’s not calcium, magnesium, or strontium.

When you’re deficient in this mineral – regardless of whether you’re a man or woman – your body will give you some signs that your bones are in trouble.

I’ll tell you about those signs in a minute. But first, let me tell you why men need to be just as concerned about bone loss as women.

The reason men have fewer fractures when they’re younger is because they have bigger bones and muscles. But that doesn’t mean they’re immune from bone problems – especially as they age.

In fact, men over 65 lose bone mass at the same rate as women over 45. And there’s one big reason for this – hormones. When men and women age, their hormone levels drop.

You probably know that this drop in hormones causes all kinds of problems. These include lower sex drive, reduced muscle tone, and sagging skin.

But it also causes bone loss. And the reason it causes bone loss is because lower hormone levels cause your pH to change.

How to Protect Your Bones

Fortunately, researchers found a simple way to fix your pH, and at the same time boost your bone mass. What is it? It’s the mineral potassium.

Researchers recruited 201 men and women over the age of 65. They divided the participants into two groups. The first group took a placebo. And the second group took potassium citrate daily.

After 24 months, the researchers measured the bone mass of each participant using a DEXA scan. They also measured the participants’ pH levels.

The researchers found that potassium completely neutralized the excess acid production. But the placebo group's pH remained acidic. They also found that the potassium group had lower calcium excretion after just six months.

But that's not all — and this is where it gets really amazing.

After two years, the group taking the potassium saw the density of their lumbar spine increase by 1.7% on average. That’s the equivalent of 2 years’ worth of bone loss!

All of their other bone parameters improved as well. And it continued to improve even after they stopped taking the potassium.

They also tested the bones in the leg, specifically the tibia and radius. Sure enough, the patients taking potassium saw each bone increase in density by an average of 1.3% and 2.0% respectively.

Those who didn’t take the potassium saw their bone density decrease!

What's more, both sexes had significant decreases in fracture risk, as measured by FRAXX (Fracture Risk Assessment Tool). And none of the participants experienced any side effects from the supplement.

How to Know if You Need More Potassium

Potassium is a wonderful nutrient. It’s a great remedy for a lot of ailments. And your body will tell you if you need more of it. Signs that you’re deficient include:

• Constipation
• Muscle weakness
• Fatigue
• A general feeling of malaise
• Sciatic pain going down your right leg

And if your deficiency is severe, you might also begin to experience some of these symptoms:

• Muscle twitches
• Muscle cramps
• Muscle weakness
• Paralysis
• Abnormal heart rhythms or palpitations
• Kidney problems
• Loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting
• Bloating and constipation
• Fatigue
• Tingling or numbness
• High blood pressure
• Fainting

If you have any of these symptoms, try taking some potassium and see if it helps. But don’t take just any potassium. The potassium used in the study was potassium citrate. This form is widely available in many health food stores and on the Internet. And it won’t hurt your stomach at higher doses like other forms can.

Finally, there’s some confusion about how much potassium to take. The daily requirement for adults is about 3,000-5,000 mg daily. Most of that should come from your diet. But few people get that much every day.

So here’s what I suggest. Get some potassium powder, which comes in doses up to 550 mg. Take a dose and see if your symptoms go away. If they don’t go away, keep taking a little more until they do.

Don’t worry about taking too much; one of the studies gave doses of over 19,000 mg! The kidneys are really good at processing potassium – even high levels. So if your kidneys are healthy, you should be fine taking high doses.

But, of course, as with everything else, you should consult with an integrative physician if you have any doubts about your kidney health.