Osteoporosis and low bone mineral density affect millions of Americans. The majority of adults in North America have insufficient intake of vitamin D and calcium along with inadequate exercise. Physicians are aware that vitamin D, calcium and exercise are essential for maintenance of bone health. Physicians are less likely to be aware that dietary insufficiencies of magnesium, silicon, Vitamin K, and boron are also widely prevalent, and each of these essential nutrients is an important contributor to bone health. In addition, specific nutritional factors may improve calcium metabolism and bone formation. It is the authors’ opinion that nutritional supplements should attempt to provide ample, but not excessive, amounts of factors that are frequently insufficient in the typical American diet.
In contrast to dietary insufficiencies, several nutrients that support bone health are readily available in the average American diet. These include zinc, manganese, and copper which may have adverse effects at higher levels of intake. Some multivitamins and bone support products provide additional quantities of nutrients that may be unnecessary or potentially harmful.

The purpose of this paper is to identify specific nutritional components of bone health, the effects on bone, the level of availability in the average American diet, and the implications of supplementation for each nutritional component.

Summary:
Bone health is an extremely important topic in healthcare today. Millions of Americans are suffering from low bone density resulting in a high number of spine and other bone fractures. This article gives a good general overview of nutrients critical for strong bones. It also talks about the benefit of exercise to strengthen bones.

Source:
Essential Nutrients for Bone Health and a Review of their Availability in the Average North American Diet
Charles T. Price*, Joshua R. Langford and Frank A. Liporace
The Open Orthopaedics Journal, 2012, 6, 143-149 143 Open Access. Orlando Health, 1222 Orange Avenue, 5th Floor, Orlando, Florida 32806, USA Abstract