Silica Micro Plant Powder/Diatomaceous Earth and Osteoporosis
Human beings are born with a pretty good supply of silica in their body and since only trace amounts are needed for good health, this supply along with a supply from food sources lasts a pretty decent amount of time. When the average lifespan of humans was about 40 years, there was no cause of concern of the body depleting its generous supply. However, life spans often double that amount now, and with modern agricultural and processing methods less silica is present in the foods we eat, thus the human body can now deplete its original supply by about age 35.
When plants absorb the silica in the soil, it does not saturate the plant entirely. Instead it is mostly concentrated in the parts that unfortunately most often get removed during processing. For example, in grains it is present in the outside of the grain. This exosperm and the germ of the grain are removed before grinding the grain into flour. This process leaves the grain devoid of all the minerals, including the silica. Calcium, on the other hand, is still a large part of the American diet – between fruits, green leafy vegetables and dairy, we consume more calcium per person than people in other countries, yet our country’s citizens fall victim to osteoporosis more than any other country. It would therefore seem that more is involved in preventing or treating osteoporosis than simply taking a calcium supplement can address.
Since silica works with calcium to maintain healthy bones, it stands to reason that a deficiency in silica can lead to health concerns such as osteoporosis. Unfortunately, silica is often overlooked by people looking to stave off or treat osteoporosis. Plenty of media attention has gone into touting the need for a calcium supplement, but little has been said about how calcium needs silica in order to do its job effectively. More importantly, without enough silica in the body, supplemental mineral calcium can actually have a result the complete opposite of the desired effect – it can actually pull calcium out of the bones and increase the rate of bone loss, thus leading to brittle bones. In some cases, calcium supplements have also done harm in other ways, such as increasing the risk of kidney stones. It is also interesting to note that bone has more silica in it than it does calcium as it constitutes the collagen environment of the bone – take away or reduce the silica, and there is nothing to take its place.
Osteoporosis sufferers have reported that adding food grade silica supplements to their regime resulted in them experiencing less joint pain than they had previously experienced. This may be in part because silica does not just strengthen bones but also makes them more flexible, because silica works to help the body build collagen. Additionally, silica also promotes anti-inflammatory responses in the body. Furthermore, on those occasions when a bone break did occur, these same people reported that their fractures healed at a faster rate than would have otherwise been the case – silica’s anti-infecting properties and stimulation of the immune system aid in the healing process.
Professor Adolf Butenant first proved the importance of silica in 1939 and additional studies were done at Columbia University in the 1970’s which further explained that silica must be continually present in the human body. As people continue to live longer lives than previous generations, it is likely that the importance of maintaining proper levels of essential nutrients, such as silica, will be studied in even more depth.
Silica Micro Plant Powder/Diatomaceous Earth and Osteoporosis by Troy A Shanks
