Protecting bone health is so important for everyone. This includes young people, considering most of us reach about 90 percent of our peak bone mass by early adulthood (ages 18-20)!

Bone loss is inevitable, especially for women wanting to stay one step ahead of osteoporosis after reaching menopause. Unfortunately, women account for roughly 80 percent of all Americans who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Bisphosphonate drugs like alendronate (Fosamax) are typical treatments prescribed for osteoporosis, but taking them comes with risks ranging from the uncomfortable (heartburn and ulcers) to the severe and rare (thigh fractures and bone death).

If you face a low risk of fractures, your doctor may recommend that you stop taking a bisphosphonate drug after three to five years.

So, what do you do to protect your bones, especially if you’re healthy?

Multi-strain probiotics make a difference!

We’ve learned in previous reports that probiotics have emerged as a healthy way to protect your bone health, and a far safer one than bisphosphonate drugs.

A recent study appearing in The Lancet Rheumatology examined how a multi-strain probiotic can tip the scales to protect women in the early stages of menopause from lumbar spinal bone loss.

Swedish researchers from Sahlgrenska Academy monitored more than 230 women who were assigned to take a multi-strain probiotic containing proprietary strains of Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus plantarum or a placebo every day for a year. (Both are among the 10 strains contained in EndoMune Advanced Probiotic.)

No surprise, postmenopausal women who took a probiotic experienced no bone loss compared to the placebo group.

Although this group of researchers remained wary about women ditching bisphosphonate drugs for probiotics altogether, the benefits were very obvious and measurable. Despite this, patients are always on the lookout for safer ways to prevent health problems before they occur.

Probiotics made with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic are uniquely formulated to make that difference.

References

The Lancet Rheumatology

National Institutes of Health

Rheumatology Network

WebMD

Mayo Clinic

National Osteoporosis Foundation