Protein and the Bones
Thanks to excellent marketing, most people know they should take care of their bones to prevent fractures. A lot of the attention has gone to “getting enough calcium,” through food and preferably supplements. Interestingly, I heard an exercise specialist talk about doing a dissection on an 85-year old woman. “There were calcium deposits everywhere,” she said, “in the muscles, in the joints, in the shoulders — everywhere.” Perhaps, it would seem to me, too much calcium has its drawbacks too.
There is a fallacy in focusing on calcium alone to prevent fractures. Bones are composed of a latticed protein grounding or collagen matrix, which comprises about 35% of the bone and which gives it its flexibility. This matrix is laid down first, and then traps the mineral salt calcium phosphate, also known as hydroxyapatite, which occupies about 65% of the bone mass and which gives the bone its strength. In addition to the calcium salts, the bones are also the depositories of other minerals needed by the body, including magnesium, sodium, potassium, and others. The main component, then, to prevent fractures, is the bone’s flexibility, given by the collagen matrix, rather than the calcium.