Mineral water and calcium in bones

[Guest guest]

Last December we had a discussion about the possibility that drinking

distilled water, which has no mineral content, could contribute to

osteoporosis (Message 16646). The following abstract reports that

mineral water with a high calcium concentration can aid in " the

reduction of age-related bone loss " . Although the trial was for

70-year old women with low calcium intake, it provides experimental

clinical support for our previous conclusions based on chemical

equilibrium and the solubility constant of calcium phosphate.

Tony

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Osteoporos Int. 2005 Mar 3; [Epub ahead of print]

Consumption of a high calcium mineral water lowers biochemical

indices of bone remodeling in postmenopausal women with low calcium

intake.

Meunier PJ, Jenvrin C, Munoz F, de la Gueronniere V, Garnero P,

Menz M.

Many postmenopausal women have a calcium intake far below the

recommended amount and, in addition to attempting to improve their

diet, need a calcium supplement. The aim of the study was to assess

the effects of the consumption of a high calcium mineral water (HCaMW)

on biochemical indices of bone remodeling in postmenopausal women with

low Ca intake. A 6-month randomized double-blind placebo-controlled

trial was designed to assess the effects of a daily consumption of 1

liter of a HCaMW (596 mg Ca/l) on serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and

biochemical markers of bone remodeling in postmenopausal women with a

dietary Ca intake lower than 700 mg/day. The placebo group drank 1

liter of a mineral water with a low calcium content (10 mg/l). One

hundred eighty healthy women were recruited (mean age: 70.1+/-4.0

years); 152 completed the 6-month trial. The changes from baseline of

biochemical indices after 6 months consisted of a significant 14.1%

decrease of serum PTH, osteocalcin (-8.6%), bone alkaline phosphatase

(-11.5%), serum (-16.3%) and urine (-13.0%) type-1 collagen

C-telopeptide in the HCaMW group compared to the placebo group, where

all biochemical indices increased after 6 months. The additive effect

of a small vitamin D supplement (400 iu/day) was also evaluated. In

women receiving vitamin D in addition to HCaMW, the decrease in bone

indices was not found to be greater than in women drinking only the

HCaMW. A daily supplement of 596 mg of Ca through the consumption of 1

l of HCaMW was able to lower serum PTH and the indices of bone

turnover in postmenopausal women with a low Ca intake. This could

contribute to the repair of calcium deficiency and to the reduction of

age-related bone loss in this population.

PMID: 15744450