Module: Functional and biochemical imbalances
Assignment: Osteoporosis: A Functional Medicine Approach
WORD COUNT: 2134
Student Number: 6045
Date: 6th December 2012
Skills and areas for development that were targeted in this assignment :
Thorough research of the topic using a variety of sources.
Submission of this work as a requirement of the NTDC is a declaration, by the student identified by the student number above, that:
This is all your own work, except where clearly cited and referenced.
This work, whether in entirety or in part, has not been submitted previously to meet the requirements of another assessment of the NTDC or another course.
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This is likely to be due to it the effect that it has on the assimilation of nutrients, already seen to be vital to bone health, as well as increased levels of PTH (Gropper, 2009, p465).
Defence and repair (inflammation, oxidative stress)
Research shows that inflammation is a contributory factor to osteoporosis. Older women have been shown to have increased inflammatory markers and a higher risk of fractures. Pro-inflammatory cytokines are shown to regulate bone metabolism, interleukin-6 is thought to promote osteoclast activity and tumor necrosis factor α stimulates bone resorption and reduces bone formation (Tartibian et al., 2011).
Increase in osteoclast activity associated with osteoporosis is thought to lead to increased free radicals and lipid peroxidation (Chavan et al., 2007). Research suggests reactive oxidative species (ROS) suppress bone production and stimulate bone resorption (Baek et al., 2010). In post menopausal women it is suggested that reduced oestrogen makes bone vulnerable to oxidative damage (Cervellati et al., 2012).
Structural and barrier integrity (muscular, …show more content…
Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry, 22: 101-105.
Daroszewska A (2012) Prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in women: an update. Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine, 22: 162-169.
Dickson GM (2011) Osteoporosis in men. Journal of Men’s Health 8: 72-82.
Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA (1996) Protein consumption and bone fractures in women. American Journal of Epidemiology, 143: p472-479.
Ghiron LJ, Thompson JL, Holloway L, Hintz RL, Butterfield GE, Hoffman AR, Marcus R (1995) Effects of recombinant insulin-like growth factor-I and growth hormone on bone turnover in elderly women. Journal of Bone Mineral Research, 10: 1844–1852.
Griel AE, Kris-Etherton PM, Hilpert KF, Zhao SG, Corwin RL (2007) An increase in dietary n-3 fatty acids decreases a marker of bone resorption in humans. Nutritional Journal, 6: 2-8.
Gropper SS, Smith JL, Groff JL (2009) Advanced nutrition and human metabolism. 5th edn., Belmont, Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Jenkins WJ, Kemnitz CP, Tortora GJ (2010) Anatomy and physiology: from science to life. 2nd edn., Hoboken, John Wiley and Sons,