Why Do I Need Fosamax If I Take Calcium?
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The importance of taking calcium for strong healthy bones has been widely touted. Children are encouraged to drink milk. Adults, especially women, are bombarded with commercials for calcium supplements. It would be logical to assume that getting plenty of calcium is enough to prevent osteoporosis. But while calcium is a critical raw material for the building of bones, in many cases extra calcium is not enough.
Bone: A Living Tissue
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Not only does bone provide the support and protection for the soft tissues, it is a living tissue itself. Bone marrow, the interior part of the large bones, is where new blood cells are produced. Bone tissue, like all living tissue, is continually being renewed.
Turnover of bone tissue relies on two types of bone cells: osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Osteoclasts break down the older bone tissue and return the minerals to the blood stream. This process is called resorption. At the same time, osteoblasts gather the raw materials from the blood stream and build the bones back up again. During the childhood and young adult years, bone is built up at a higher rate than it is broken down. After the age of thirty, and especially after menopause in women, bone resorption outpaces bone formation. When the bone density decreases lower than normal, it is known as osteopenia. Osteoporosis occurs when osteopenia has progressed to a point that a person has a higher risk of fracture.
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Fosamax and Other Bisphosphonates
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Fosamax is part of a family of drugs known as bisphosphonates. Bisphosphonates block the production of an enzyme that osteoclasts need to survive. The presence of fewer osteoclasts slows down resorption, or the breakdown of bone, and gives the bone-building osteoblasts more time to maintain bone density.
Just as calcium supplementation is often not enough to treat osteoporosis, drugs like Fosamax cannot increase bone density if the patient is not getting enough calcium. Bisphosphonate drugs, combined with adequate calcium, are an effective treatment for osteopenia and osteoporosis that has been shown to reduce the risk for fractures.
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