The Bone-Building Secret Even Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About

There’s a common misconception that doctors know everything – at least, everything about health. But the truth is, sometimes doctors are woefully ignorant of key health insights. This medical ignorance is particularly noteworthy in the area of nutrition.

Of course, the Osteoporosis Reversal Program is based on nutrition, and specific nutrients and foods are highlighted throughout as especially good for bones. These are the Foundation Supplements and Foundation Foods, and one very important category of these vital nutrients is polyphenols.

There’s an entire section in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program dedicated to plant polyphenols and their role in bone health. There are literally thousands of helpful polyphenols, but there is one that stands out as especially powerful to help you build your bones.

This is the bone secret your doctor won’t tell you! We’ll talk about why in a moment, but first, let’s take a look at these…

Phenomenal Polyphenols

Free radical damage (oxidation) in the body can cause excessive bone resorption; but the antioxidant-rich polyphenols reduce the rate of bone resorption caused by oxidation. Research along these lines clearly indicates that polyphenols play a significant role in stopping the progression of osteoporosis, and even from preventing the onset of osteoporosis to begin with. Here is how it works.

Free radicals decrease the rate of bone formation in the body. They do this by crippling osteoblasts, which are bone-building cells. In addition, free radicals stimulate osteoclasts, which tear down bone. So in a very direct way, free radicals decrease bone density.
Among the polyphenols present in plant foods, a class of polyphenols known as flavonoids, are of particular interest regarding bone health.

How Some Flavonoids Help Build Your Bones

Some flavonoids are among the polyphenols that have estrogenic effects on the body, thereby staving off the effects of low estrogen on bone. But unlike hormone replacement therapy (HRT), plant-based polyphenols are natural substances that do not override natural body processes. They are not a synthetic substitute for estrogen, in other words, and they are not actual hormones. Rather, they bind to estrogen receptors and do not upset the natural hormonal balance in the body.

And there’s one flavonoid that does this particularly well, and the best part is that it’s present in good quantities in many alkalizing every day foods. It’s called…

Apigenin: the Flavonoid That Stands Out

Among the many polyphenols that help your bones, apigenin is a flavonoid that stands out. In a Korean study,¹ apigenin was shown to increase the growth of osteoblasts (the bone-building cells). This flavonoid also increased the collagen content in bone cells. In addition, apigenin stimulated the activity of alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme that plays a role in bone mineralization.

As its name implies, alkaline phosphatase performs best in an alkaline environment, so following a pH-balanced diet as described in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program is a great way to set the stage for bone-health success.

Foods That Contain Apigenin

If you’re following the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, you’re already familiar with the Foundation Foods listed in the book. Many of the foods that contain high levels of apigenin are also Foundation Foods.

Foods high in apigenin include:

• Parsley*
• Celery* (particularly green celery hearts)
• Apples*
• Oranges*
• Bell peppers*
• Herbs and spices such as coriander, licorice, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and tarragon.
• Beets*
• Brussels sprouts
• Cauliflower*
• Kohlrabi*
• Lettuce*
• Rutabagas
• Spinach*

*Foundation Food

There are so many ways you can combine and serve these healthful foods! Chopped apples and celery can be tossed into a spinach and lettuce salad, for example, or you can make a pan of tasty roasted cauliflower and rutabagas topped with minced parsley.

So as you can see, getting more apigenin is easy when you follow the nutritional guidelines in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program. It’s yet another way that the Program is a truly integrative osteoporosis treatment.

Why Won’t Your Doctor Tell You About This?

Your doctor is not going to recommend apigenin to treat osteoporosis. Why not? Quite simply, because he or she doesn’t know about it. Nutrition is an area of health where doctors tend to be ignorant. It just isn’t part of mainstream medical training.

Thankfully, you have an edge – the Osteoporosis Reversal Program will arm you with information you won’t get from a visit to your doctor’s office!

So enjoy the flavorful Foundation Foods with the knowledge that you are doing something proactive to increase your bone strength and health.

Till next time,

References

¹ Choi, E.M. “Apigenin increases osteoblastic differentiation and inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced production of interleukin-6 and nitric oxide in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells.” Die Pharmazie. 2007 Mar; 62(3):216-20. Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17416199