Potassium Bicarbonate And Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a serious medical condition that is the result of chronic bone loss as you age. According to MedlinePlus, nearly 50 percent of women and 25 percent of men over the age of 50 will suffer a fractured bone as the result of osteoporosis. Potassium is an elemental mineral that is a major component of your bone makeup and structure. There is some evidence suggesting that potassium and the blood buffer, bicarbonate, may be useful for reducing bone loss in individuals with osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Causes and Risk Factors

The structure of your bones is constantly being rearranged by alternating processes called bone resorption and bone building. While these processes are more active during your developing years, they continue to occur as an adult. Excessive bone resorption results in porous, brittle bones that are characteristic of osteoporosis. One of the primary causes of osteoporosis in women is the decline of estrogen levels that occurs at menopause. Additional contributing factors may include chronic diseases like chronic kidney disease and rheumatoid arthritis, anti-seizure and steroid medications, and vitamin D deficiency. Other risk factors include insufficient dietary calcium, smoking, alcoholism and a family history of osteoporosis.

Conventional Osteoporosis Treatment

During the early stages of osteoporosis, you may not be aware of any symptoms. However, as the disease progresses, you may experience bone pain, particularly in your back or neck, a shortening of your height or increased hump in your posture, or you may develop bone fractures without much effort. According to MayoClinic.com, osteoporosis is treated with a variety of medications, including bisphosphonates, hormone-like drugs calcitonin and teriparatide, and estrogen receptor modulators like raloxifene. Additionally, physical therapy and estrogen-replacement therapy may be considered, depending upon the severity of the disease.

Potassium Function

Potassium is considered an essential mineral because it cannot by produced by your body, and you need to get if from your diet. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, potassium has several functions, including its role in nerve communication, muscle contraction, enzyme cofactors and skeletal structural support. Potassium deficiency, called hypokalemia, may be caused by excessive alcohol consumption, use of diuretics and excessive vomiting or diarrhea. Hypokalemia may result in a number of serious symptoms, including constipation and abdominal pain, muscle pain and weakness, general fatigue and potentially fatal heart arrhythmias.

Bicarbonate Function

The measurement of the acidity of a liquid environment is called pH. The proper pH of the human body is approximately 7.4; large deviations from this value can cause great harm to your tissues and organs. To maintain a proper pH, your body employs compounds called buffers that control the pH levels right around 7.4. According to the Biology Project at the University of Arizona, bicarbonate is one of the three major blood-buffering components; the others consist of phosphates and proteins.

Osteoporosis, Potassium and Bicarbonate

In a clinical review published in the January 2008 issue of "The Journal of Nutrition," Dr. Susan A. Lanham-New discusses the potential benefits of potassium-rich and bicarbonate-rich diets in improving bone health. One highlighted study analyzed 23- to 74-year-old men and women that followed potassium-rich and bicarbonate-rich diets emphasizing fruits, vegetables and dairy products for one month. At the end of the study period, the participants showed a significant decrease in bone turnover, or bone resorption. This and other studies suggest there may be benefits to taking potassium bicarbonate to slow or reduce the bone-damaging effects of osteoporosis. However, as Dr. Lanham-New notes, these studies are premature and long-term trials are needed to determine the effects of potassium and bicarbonate on osteoporosis.