Prevent Osteoporosis with Pinolenic Acid

Osteoporosis affects your bones and is associated with a variety of symptoms including low bone density, porous bones, a loss of height, back pain caused by vertebrae collapse or injury, and frequent fractures. Natural aging and a decrease in bone cell production can lead to Osteoporosis. Menopausal and postmenopausal women can develop the condition due to a decrease in estrogen production. The use of Pinolenic Acid supplements may help alleviate some of the symptoms associated with osteoporosis.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Visit with your doctor to be diagnosed with osteoporosis. Tests will be performed that will check your bone density levels. Your doctor may recommend that you have a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry which will examine your wrist, hip, and spine for symptoms of osteoporosis. You may also require a CT scan or an ultrasound to look at the structure of your skeleton.

Hormone therapy is a traditional treatment of osteoporosis, which uses estrogens and progestrones to rebalance your hormones and to promote bone growth and reparation. Your doctor may prescribe bisphosphonates to hinder the breakdown of your bones and to preserve bone density. Raloxfene is another medication offered to help prevent the damage caused by osteoporosis; this medication mimics estrogen and slows down the reduction of bone density. You might also be prescribed a nasal spray calcitonin, a medication that replicates a hormone produced by your thyroid. The latter is offered to lower bone reabsorption and to hinder bone loss. Teriparatides help reduce the risk of fractures, stimulates bone growth, and the medication is provided via injections in your abdomen. Tamoxifen is also a synthetic hormone offered to treat osteoporosis, because it reduces the risk of developing fractures.

Pinolenic Acid

In Count Down Your Age: Look, Feel, and Live Better Than You Ever Have Before, authorsFrederic J. Vagnini and Dave Bunnell argue that pinolenic acid is a fatty acid derived from pine nuts. Pinolenic acid encourages the production of cholecystokinin, a hormone that helps to keep your appetite suppressed. When pinolenic acid is consumed at a dosage of 3 mg daily before breakfast, it decreases hunger by 29% and lowers food intake by as much as 36%.

Pinolenic acid is a form of polyunsaturated fatty acid derived from Korean pine oil as well as the maritime pine seed oils. These oils have cholesterol lowering agents, and they cause appetite diminishment. In Nutrition and Bone Health, Michael F. Holick and Bess Dawson-Hughes explain how fatty acids help to reduce bone loss that might be induced in women after an ovariectomy. When ovaries are removed, estrogen levels are diminished, and bone density can be affected; fatty acids like pinolenic acid may regulate T cell function and cytokine production in your blood. In Cytokine Interactions and Their Control, A. Baxter and Russell Ross explain that there are a number of skeletal disorders associated with abnormal cytokine levels in the body, including osteoporosis.

Pinolenic Acid Consumption

Take three 1000 mg capsules of pinolenic acid two times a day 30 minutes before a meal. The consumption of pinolenic acid may cause gastrointestinal upset. Talk to your doctor first if you are nursing or pregnant before consuming this supplement.

REFERENCES:

Mayoclinic.com on Osteoporosis.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/osteoporosis/DS00128

Count Down Your Age: Look, Feel, and Live Better Than You Ever Have Before; Frederic J. Vagnini, Dave Bunnell; 2007.

Cayman Chemical for information on Pinolenic Acid.

http://www.caymanchem.com/app/template/Product.vm/catalog/10008654/a/z%3Bjsessionid=0EEC61FE3BB15E81FA3A9CC32DA6CB97

Nutritionand Bone Health; Michael F. Holick and Bess Dawson-Hughes; 2004.

Cytokine Interactions and Their Control; A. Baxter and Russell Ross; 1991.