Bone Care Vegan Health Supplements

Your bones are the foundation of our body. Your adult skeleton is made up of 206 bones, which support your body and allow you to move. They protect your brain, heart, and other organs from injury. Looking after your bones protects your whole body and it’s important to make sure they’re strong and cared for.

Having strong, healthy bones is important at any age. However, in older age, the health of our bones requires more attention. Our bone density is weakened, and this can lead to breaks and fractures, it can also lead to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease that increases the risk of fractures. Osteoporosis is often referred to as the 'silent disease' because, although almost 3 million people in the UK are estimated to have osteoporosis.

Early warning signs of low bone density are subtle, and you might not see them until they become a problem.

There are usually no warnings that you have poor bone health, weakened bone density or that you have developed osteoporosis. It is often only diagnosed when a bone is fractured, after even minor falls. Wrist fractures, hip fractures and spin fractures are the most common types of breaks that affect people with osteoporosis.

Once your bone health begins to diminish, there are still ways to look after your bones. One of the most effective ways to rebuild bone density is through exercise. Activities that use weight-bearing exercises, such as weightlifting or brisk walking, can be hugely beneficial. They help to stimulate the cells that build bone, which are called osteoblasts. These can help to improve bone density over time.

A healthy balanced diet can also help you build healthy bones from an early age and maintain them throughout your life. It’s also wise to increase calcium and magnesium if you want to strengthen bones, as they can help support bone strength and bone density. You can do this through your diet or by taking supplements with calcium.

Good sources of calcium include:

• Milk, cheese and other dairy foods.

• Green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and okra, but not spinach as it reduces calcium absorption.

• Soya beans.

• Tofu.

• Plant-based drinks (such as soya drink) with added calcium.

• Nuts.

• Bread and anything made with fortified flour.

• Fish where you eat the bones, such as sardines and pilchards.

It is recommended that adults take in a total of 1,000 to 1,500 mg of calcium daily, this includes both food and supplement sources, to maintain healthy bones. Most people get at least 500-600 mg of calcium in their diet a day, so it is generally recommended to get the other 500 to 1000 mg in the form of a supplement.

• Whole grain cereals.

While magnesium offers numerous health benefits, it's vital to be cautious about dosage. High doses can lead to diarrhea. To prevent this, split your daily intake into smaller portions and take them with meals throughout the day.

A study published in the journal Osteoporosis International found that adding vitamin K2 to vitamin D3 with calcium reduced the lifetime probability of at least one fracture in postmenopausal women by 25 per cent, while adding vitamin K1 to vitamin D and calcium reduced it by 20 percent.

Adults need 10 micrograms (400 International Units or IU) of vitamin D a day. It's difficult to get all the vitamin D we need from our diet, and we get most of our vitamin D from the action of the sun on our skin.

From late March/April to the end of September, you can make vitamin D from sunlight by having short daily periods of sun exposure without sunscreen. However, everyone should consider taking a supplement such as a daily vitamin D3 supplement during the autumn and winter when we cannot make vitamin D from sunlight.

For healthy muscles and bones, you need calcium, vitamin D and protein: calcium keeps our bones and teeth healthy. vitamin D helps our bodies to absorb calcium.

What is Phytodroitin™?

Phytodroitin™ is a plant-origin alternative to chondroitin. We studied the structure of Chondroitin and after extensive research, development and efficacy testing, we created this 100% non-animal alternative. It is a structural component of cartilage and provides much of its resistance to compression.

Chondroitin is a widely used ingredient in bone care supplements due to its ability to build and help prevent the breakdown of cartilage. Yet due to being sourced from animals such as sharks, it isn’t suitable for vegans and that makes many bone supplements unsuitable for those following a vegan lifestyle.

We created Phytodroitin™ as a 100% plant based alternative. We worked with university specialists to ensure it still gave the same benefits whilst being suitable for a vegan lifestyle with no animal byproducts.

Glucosamine is found naturally in your body. It plays an important role for your joints, including ligaments, tendons, cartilage and synovial fluid. It is often found in shellfish, which isn’t suitable for vegans. With an ongoing overfishing crisis, we found a more sustainable alternative for vegans.

A fungus called Aspergillus Niger gives our supplements the same bone-strengthening properties without the environmental and animal impact.

Don’t worry, it is safe!

Aspergillus niger is mostly harmless and is typically found within soil and water. Working with scientists, we’ve unlocked its properties to help make a vegan bone supplement that supports bone density and strengthens against breakages.