Down to the bone
Understanding boron's role in human health
March 2001

For many years, fringe medicine has urged us to take boron supplements to help stave off one of the afflictions of old age - osteoporosis. This is a condition far more common in women than men where bones lose calcium, weaken and become easily susceptible to fracture. Also, vertebrae may compress, causing the spine to deform.

What happens when osteoporosis strikes is well-known to doctors.

Healthy bone is immensely strong for its size and weight. It's made of mineralized calcium bound up in an organic matrix. Despite its hardness, bone is a living tissue, as anyone who has broken one will testify.

Throughout life, cells called osteoblasts in our bones continually generate bone tissue; and other cells, osteoclasts, reabsorb bone in response to mechanical stress and physiological demands. Our bones are far from being as biochemically stable as they seem.

The problem comes later in life, when factors controlling our bone maintenance equilibrium go awry and loss overtakes replenishment. By the age of 70, a woman will probably have lost a third of bone mass; by 80, as much as 40 percent.

Principal among these factors are diet and the intake of vitamin D, but more importantly the reduction of estrogen after the menopause. Both biochemicals are vital to the generation of bone. Estrogen helps in the transfer of calcium and other important trace bone minerals like magnesium and phosphorus from the bone's blood supply. Vitamin D is active in absorbing calcium from digesting food into the blood and converting it back to hard mineral in the bone.

So, where does boron come in? Experimental evidence is that estrogen and vitamin D functions are profoundly influenced by tiny amounts of boron - and don't work properly without it. Studies have shown that if there is enough boron in the diet of post-menopausal women, their reduced estrogen activity can to some extent be taken over by boron. For women on hormone replacement therapy, boron also seems to enhance its benefits. There is also strong evidence that boron is responsible for converting vitamin D to its 'active' form, and so, is instrumental in this aspect of bone maintenance.

Major sources of boron for humans are fruit and vegetables, coffee and wine, breads and cereals - or most foods that derive from plants. Boron has long been known to be essential for plant life, and there is growing evidence that this may be true for us, as well.

Current research points to boron's being the equivalent of a biochemical helper in bone health, rather than a front-line soldier. But scientists also cite evidence that boron somehow prevents calcium from being excreted, plays a part in the correct balance of other minerals, and helps the body to avoid osteoporosis in the first place. It certainly seems to be central to the biochemical equation.

Boron may also have a role in another debilitating bone condition - arthritis. Arthritis is almost unknown in Israel, where levels of boron in the soil - and therefore in foods - are high. In Jamaica, however, it's the reverse situation: boron levels are low and arthritis rates are correspondingly high. That boron may have a role in the prevention or modification of arthritis is supported by research done with arthritis-susceptible rats by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. From this research, USDA scientists hypothesize that boron may modulate the immune system and protect against inflammatory disease. However, much work must be done before scientists can say that boron can help reduce the human suffering caused by arthritis.

Until the final results come in, the best approach to building strong bones and reducing arthritis is to eat a healthy diet, rich in plant-based (and boron-rich) foods - a piece of medical advice that has never gone out of style.