Strontium citrate

[Jeaniem130]

Has anyone tried strontium citrate to build bone?

[Met00]

I've taken it for a couple of years, during which time my spine improved but not my hips! However, I only took a low dose, so the improvement in my spine may be as a result of exercises that targeted it specifically - I'm now focussing on hip exercises! I'm currently taking a break from it, but intend to start again soon, again just a low dose. If you take the full dose, it should definitely build bone density and, if it works like strontium ranelate (prescription med) it should also improve bone strength. However, see my reply to your other post about it not being suitable for anyone with existing heart problems or high blood pressure.

[SjRinKS in reply to Met00]

I'm curious what specific exercises you do for your spine? Thanks

[Met00 in reply to SjRinKS]

I focussed on upper body exercises using weights and resistance bands. It may be that the strontium improved my spine score but not my hip, or it may have been a combination, but I'm now doing exercises for both spine and hip.

[FearFracture in reply to SjRinKS]

Back extensions are great for your spine. You can do them on the floor or most gyms have a piece of equipment that you can use. I have just recently added them to my exercise program so I can't personally report numbers to show that they helped me but I have found several articles indicating they are a great option for ppl with osteoporosis; however, like with all exercises start out easy and if necessary ask your doctor. Note, I do NOT mean hyper extension exercises. health.clevelandclinic.org/...

Also, my current lumbar t-score is -3.7 (that's from my July 15, 2021 DEXA scan) and I have no problem doing the back extension exercises but I also have no fractures and I am 53. I have not tried adding any weights when I do them. I just do the floor version at home but I intend to start going to a gym so I can use the machine to get more range.

Have you added the strontium citrate to your daily supplements? I was considering adding it but after reading Mark's reply and looking up americanbonehealth.org/medi... I think I am going to hold off on it.

I did recently add 250 MG of Lysine and 5 + prunes a day and 14 - 28 almonds a day.

[Mark_ABH]

Hi Jeaniem,

Are you in the United States? If so, you wouldn't be able to get strontium ranelate, which was never approved here. Strontium citrate is a different chemical.

American Bone Health advises against using the strontium compounds available over the counter in this country, strontium citrate and strontium chloride, for bone health. I invite you to read why here: americanbonehealth.org/medi...

Taking strontium supplements for any period of time is likely to make future bone density tests inaccurate. (Strontium may remain in the bones for as long as 7–10 years after the last dose.) Strontium has a chemical similarity to calcium and will replace calcium as the mineral in bone. Because strontium atoms are heavier than calcium atoms, swapping some of the calcium atoms with strontium atoms will make the bone mineral density appear to increase. This is not the same as making new bone.

[Met00 in reply to Mark_ABH]

More recent analysis in the UK has shown that strontium doesn't increase the risk of cardiovascular events - see Cardiovascular safety of strontium ranelate section here: link.springer.com/article/1.... It's also believed that strontium only replaces some of the calcium in the bones, whilst at the same time attracting additional calcium and building bone density. I can't find a reference to that, but have also read that, to be cautious, you should halve any increase in bone density that follows strontium supplementation. That still gives an improvement in density but, more important, strontium has been shown to improve bone strength. It is also thought to build new bone rather than increasing density by holding on to old, poor quality bone, as happens with most other osteoporosis medication.

There are also concerns about the health impact of calcium supplementation, yet doctors continue to prescribe this routinely for bone health!

[AnnieW55]

I have just read the below (taken from Inspire.com an American osteoporosis forum) and this information has been mentioned several times over the last couple of years that I have been reading around the subject. I’ve just seen the admin reply below too which says pretty much the same thing.

“Strontium will undermine the ability to get an accurate reading from DEXA scans. Basically, DEXA technology can't tell the difference between strontium & calcium mineralization in the bones, and because strontium is a heavier element than calcium (with more than double the atomic weight) -- the net result is an inflated reading.

Strontium citrate may or may not be helpful in preventing fractures; no good research evidence on that, unfortunately. Strontium ranelate was shown through clinical trials to reduce fracture risk, but that is not available in the US.”

[Met00 in reply to AnnieW55]

Some limited studies do exist, which provide some evidence that strontium citrate is likely to work in the same way as strontium ranelate, increasing not only bone density but also bone strength. Here is a link to one such study: hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2.... And a couple of articles referencing other studies: aor.ca/strontium-citrate-de... ; prohealth.com/library/stron...

[Arcadia10]

Have a look at this thread on HealthUnlocked on strontium citrate: healthunlocked.com/boneheal... I've reproduced my own reply to this thread below:

I used strontium citrate (SC) for 3-4 years after being diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2012. My doctor didn't try to push me onto any of the osteo drugs, instead telling me to do my research and make up my own mind. What I read about the side effects of bisphosphonates was enough to make me look at alternatives, like SC, as discussed in Lara Pizzorno's excellent book "Your Bones". My bone density improved significantly in my spine, less so in my hip, but still an improvement without prescription drugs.

Here are my DEXA results:

9/07/2012 - prior to using SC

AP spine (L1-4): T-score -2.2; Femoral neck (left): T-score -3.1; Total hip (left): T-score -3.1

11/07/2013 - first year on SC

AP spine (L1-4): T-score -1.9; Femoral neck (left): T-score -3.3; Total hip (left): T-score -3.3

27/11/2014 - second year on SC

AP spine (L1-4): T-score -1.9; Femoral neck (left): T-score -3.2; Total hip (left): T-score -3.2

9/12/2015 - third year on SC

AP spine (L1-4): T-score -1.9; Femoral neck (left): T-score -3.1; Total hip (left): T-score -2.8

31/01/2017 - no SC

AP spine (L1-4): T-score -2.3; Femoral neck (left): T-score -3.1; Total hip (left): T-score -2.8

1/02/2018 - no SC

AP spine (L1-4): T-score -2.3; Femoral neck (left): T-score -3.4; Total hip (left): T-score -3.1

For various reasons, I stopped using SC in 2016 and you can see the deterioration in my bone density. My spine appears to have benefitted the most from using it (3.6% increase in the first year) and declined immediately I stopped using it. My hip seems to have been slower to respond. In March 2018 I was scared into having Prolia injections (another story!).

So speaking from personal experience, I had a good result. My GP was jumping for joy! I intend to go back onto SC once I've got off Prolia safely (in progress). The thing to remember, which Lara Pizzorno emphasises in her book, is to take more calcium than SC. Apparently older research in animals shows that if SC intake exceeds calcium intake over a long period of time, the animals developed bone deformities. However, I read somewhere in one of the online forums that a woman and her mother both reversed their osteoporosis after taking SC for a few years, then stopped using it, so maybe once the goal has been achieved, one can stop using it or cut down on the dosage to avoid any potential bone issues.

There is an old account on the Inspire website from someone who reversed her osteoporosis and that of her mother by using strontium citrate: inspire.com/groups/national...

As pointed out by AnnieW55 above, the use of strontium citrate is a contentious subject in terms of whether or not it actually increases bone density as measured by a DEXA scan, or whether the reading is, in fact, false. Apparently using strontium citrate causes one's actual bone density to be over-read by the scanner by about 10%, but that's still an increase and a very small over-read (eg. my bone density in my spine increased by 3.6% in the first year which is actually 3.273% allowing for the margin of error - still a great result!)

[karmel]

I tried it for a very short time and it caused a lot of digestive issues. I found that silica was one of the other ingredients, which my gut is not able to tolerate. I think I will start a thread asking others if they have issues with certain (op) supplements.