Bone is a living, growing tissue.  Throughout your lifetime, old bone is removed (resorption) and new bone is added to the skeleton (formation).  During childhood and teenage years, new bone is added faster than old bone is removed.  As a result, bones become larger, heavier, and denser.  Bone formation continues at a pace faster than resorption until peak bone mass (maximum bone density and strength) is reached around age 30. After age 30, bone resorption slowly begins to exceed bone formation.  Bone loss is most rapid in the first few years after menopause but persists into the postmenopausal years.²

Osteoporosis develops when bone resorption occurs too quickly or if replacement occurs too slowly.  Osteoporosis is more likely to develop if you did not reach optimal bone mass during your bone building years.³

The biggest cause of osteoporosis is an insufficient dietary amount of calcium.⁴  When the body doesn't get the proper amount of calcium from our diet into the bloodstream, the bones surrender calcium to maintain the amounts needed in the blood for other bodily functions. Increased amounts of phosphorus from sources such as carbonated beverages, fast foods, and preservatives can contribute to calcium deficiency by lowering available blood calcium. Surveys show few people consume the necessary amounts of bone building nutrients in their diet.

The Greatest Vitamin in the World has not only included the most absorbable form of chelated calcium⁵,

we have also decided to include Ipriflavone into our formula. Ipriflavone is known to assist the body in maintaining bone density with post menopausal women who already have low bone density levels.⁶ Ipriflavone is found in natural foods but only in trace amounts. The research is strong and that's why we made the decision to add this into our formula. Ipriflavone now has clinical support that shows it actually assist the body in increasing bone density, and is considered to be the most promising nutrient for the management of bone health.⁷ Here is the results of three of the many double blind placebo controlled studies on this great nutrient.^8,9,10

The studies were performed with a special form of ipriflavone trade named "Ostivone".  The Greatest Vitamin in the World does not skimp on putting a inferior form of ipriflavone in the formula.  Make sure when you look for an ipriflavone product "Ostivone" is on the label.

New research out also shows that Conjugated Linoleic Acid "CLA", like the form we have in our formula, helps improve bone biology according to a study published by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2000.¹¹

With the loss of bone density being such a silent killer in our country, please make sure that your diet supports the body's ability to minimize the loss of bone density as you age. The time to prevent serious fractures is prior to the years when bone density loss occurs. As you educate yourself about your health and the critical importance of giving the body the proper vitamins and micronutrients it needs, you start to look at daily nutrients as a necessary and important way of life.

1. http://www.nof.org/ (National Osteoporosis Foundation)
2. http://www.osteoporosis-treatment.net/
3. Ibid.           
4. http://www.nof.org/            
5. Ashmead, H. DeWayne. The Metabolism of Amino Acid Chelates. Albion Laboratories, Inc. Clearfield, UT. p.10.
6. Gennari C, Agnusdei D, Crepaldi G, et al. Menopause 1998;5:9-15.
7. Head KA. Ipriflavone: an important bone-building isoflavone. Altern Med Rev 1999;4:10–22
8. Nozaki M, Hashimoto K, Inoue Y, et al. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 1998; 62:69-75.
9. Gennari C., et al.
10. Gambacciani M, Ciaponi M, Cappagli B, et al. Maturitas 1997;28:75-81.
11. Watkins, Bruce A., Seifert, Mark F.. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 19, No. 4, 478S-486S (2000).