In every moment of our day, we use our bones in some way. Bones give our body structure so we can sit, stand and move around freely. In fact, the bones in your fingers are helping you read this right now! Because of this, our bones play an essential part in our overall health and daily routine. It’s important that we continue to nourish them as we age with the nutrients they need to maintain their function. While we often think of calcium for strengthening our bones, zinc is a key player in supporting our bone health as well.
Let’s jump into the importance of zinc for bone health and why it’s significant as we age.
Bone health through the years
Our bones play a major role in our daily lives. They are pieced together in a way to give our bodies structure, shield our organs from impact to prevent damage and store minerals that we need to use.
As we grow older, bone health becomes a common concern. Our bones begin to lose density as malabsorption tends to increase with age. While the risk of osteoporosis increases for everyone with age, it is more prevalent in women. If you’ve lost some of your adult height or have a hunched back, these could be signs of osteoporosis.
Zinc for bone health
Zinc has multiple roles when it comes to our bones, including bone formation, mineralization and more.
Bone formation
Zinc is required in the body’s process to produce proteins that are needed to build our bones. By supporting collagen production, zinc allows for healthy bone formation.
Bone mineralization
Bones need minerals to build strength and density. Zinc activates minerals like alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin to form hard tissues for size and durability.
Bone metabolism
Our bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding for renewal. Zinc supports the activity of the bone cells required for this process to promote a healthy turnover rate and formation.
Hydroxyapatite formation
Zinc helps regulate the size and shape of hydroxyapatite crystals, a mineral that influences the strength and density of bones. Proper formation of hydroxyapatite crystals allows for stronger structure to help maximize bones’ stability and durability.
Bone mineral density
Zinc plays an important part in helping us maintain our bones’ integrity. A common measure of our bone health is bone mineral density (BMD). This test measures the mineral content in our bones to determine their strength and resilience.
Studies have shown that seniors who have osteoporosis and a zinc deficiency were able to increase their BMD through a higher zinc intake.
Maximizing bone health with zinc
To maintain healthy bones, try incorporating more food sources rich in zinc into your meals. Oysters contain the highest amount of zinc per serving, but if that doesn’t fit into your diet, beef and chickpeas are great options as well.
If you’re looking for an extra boost through supplementation, CanPrev’s Zinc Bis-glycinate 25 offers 25mg of zinc per capsule. For a stronger yet gentle option, CanPrev’s Zinc Bis-glycinate 50 delivers 50mg of highly absorbable zinc.
We rely on our bones to help us take on the day every day, so it’s vital we treat them with care. By providing them with the minerals they need and ensuring they’re well taken care of, our bones can continue to stay resilient.
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