Vitamins That Heal Broken Bones

Charlotte Gerson, woman of 90 and daughter of the founder of dietary approach for treating cancer — Dr. Max Gerson — fell down and broke her pelvis. She thought it would be a death sentence, bearing in mind that most old people die soon after they break their hips. But she decided not to give up. She drank eight to ten freshly squeezed carrot juices blended with apple daily. Do we need to say — it worked.

Vitamin C And Proteins

According to physicians, the first stage in mending a broken bone is to get some extra energy. We get the energy by taking appropriate amounts of food (meeting our daily caloric needs). Since our bodies are now doing more hard work, we need more energy too. The amount of food varies between the usual amount of calories and three times more than usual for severe fractures like femur or pelvic fracture. Body needs extra protein to start rebuilding the bone, so make sure you eat plenty. Food rich in proteins is very good in rebuilding the tissue. Protein rich foods include dairy products, meat and tofu — and yogurt, cottage cheese and peanut butter as vegetarian options.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 deficiency can result in slower healing and more frequent fractures. It also regulates vitamin K effects on bones. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in 2004 published a research where random people were given a placebo or a supplement that consisted of vitamins B6 and C, proline, and lisine. Fractures in the group taking the vitamin supplement healed in 14 weeks, three weeks sooner than the placebo group healed. The study involved 131 patients suffering from tibial shaft (shin-bone) fracture.

Vitamin D And Calcium

Vitamin D is important for many bodily functions, but it's absolutely necessary to maintain a good bone health. It helps the digestive organs to absorb calcium, a mineral needed to form a new bone. It can directly stimulate cells responsible for making the bone. Some good sources of vitamin D are fortified dairy products, eggs, fish, and liver.

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Foods high in calcium are dark and leafy greens, fortified juices and dairy. Calcium is absorbed with the help of D vitamin. Medical Center of the Ohio State University and many other scientists and researchers suggest getting vitamin D through sunshine. Twenty minutes of direct sunshine per day is enough for our bodies to absorb enough ultraviolet rays and transform them to vitamin D, but they recommend more exposure in case of broken bones. Sardines and salmon are also high in D vitamin. Most people don't get enough sunshine and don't eat enough fish. Supplementing your diet with vitamin D and calcium is essential for faster healing.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K has a big effect on collagen and bone tissues. It's crucial in biochemical processes binding calcium to the bone. It is also essential for proper formation of bone protein called osteocalcin. It reduces the loss of calcium in urine.

Foods That Can Have Negative Impact On Bone Healing

Bone Healing Phases

• Inflammation Stage — Immediately after bone fracture, blood clots form, allowing the infusion of fresh inflammatory-cleaning cells. These repair cells are now in the fracture. They start building new bone tissues and cartilage.
• Reparation — About fortnight after the bone fracture, proteins made by cartilage and bone-building cells start merging into a new bone structure, which hardens as bones merge together between 6 and 12-week period.
• Remodeling Stage — New bone substance starts to mature and becomes a strong lamellar bone.

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons has stated that three to six months is often needed for a broken femur (thigh-bone) to heal. Any delay means future medical complications. Eating healthy foods and making sure your body is in optimal nutritional shape is crucial to avoid future complications. Broken bone does not hurt when fixed, but it can be frustrating to wait several months for bones to heal, especially for children or athletes. Fracture healing is a long and complex process of new tissue production. It requires a lot of cell work. It requires amino acids, antioxidants, and numerous other nutrients.

After a bone fracture, our bodies instantly start self-restoration. However, we can do a lot to speed up and make the process more comfortable. Healthy living with many vitamins and nutrients has been proven to strengthen the skeleton and reduce the chances of future fractures. Just like vitamins when included in the healing process may do wonders, bad food can slow recovery down.

What Slows Bone Healing

Too much alcohol, carbonated soda or caffeine can interfere with the process of healing. It is recommended not to consume alcohol in high doses during bone healing. Alcohol — including even 'milder' versions like beer — apparently affects the ability to regenerate bone cells known as osteoblasts. Because our bodies need to build these cells again, you may want to ease with the glass if you're a chronic drinker. Also, alcohol inhibits ossifiable matrix production — bone cells that become harder after a fracture. Alcohol interferes with signals between the broken bone and the brain and thus affects the bone matrix production. The more you drink — slower the progress.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2006 published a study conducted on 2.500 men and women. Researchers recorded how much soda people consumed, and measured bone mineral levels afterwards. They found that women — surprisingly no men — who consumed 12 ounces (less than half liter) of soda daily had much lower bone density than women who didn't.

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So, improving nutrition aids in numerous conditions and healing processes. It is extremely important to eat well-balanced, real food diet if possible, not only when injured, but make it a lifetime thing. It's also important to take supplements since broken bones require more energy and nutrients than we can ingest with our regular diets.