Sep 5, 20225 min read

Restore Oral Integrity

Boron deficiency may be under-appreciated as a cause of bone loss and tooth decay.

Boron is a mineral or trace element that is found in food and the environment but at highly variable concentrations. Dr. Jorge Flechas studied boron levels and showed that in countries like Turkey and Israel where boron levels in the soil and water are high, incidences of arthritis were very low. Contrast that to Jamaica where there is almost no boron in the soil and water. There, arthritis is rampant.

Read on but consider supporting Dr. Mercola who took a lot of heat but is proving to be correct. He offers a well-formulated bone support product.

Here is a scientific paper on boron and bone health: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0946672X20301425

Pivotal role of boron supplementation on bone health: A narrative review

Background Boron is a trace element that plays an important role in numerous biological functions, including calcium metabolism, growth and maintenance of bone tissue. However, there are still no precise indications regarding a possible role of boron supplementation, and its amount of supplementation, to maintain bone health. So the aim of this narrative review was to consider the state of the art on the effectiveness of boron supplementation (alone or with other micronutrients) on growth and maintenance of bone in humans through control of calcium, vitamin D and sex steroid hormone metabolism in order to suggest a daily dosage of boron supplementation.

Main findings This review included 11 eligible studies: 7 regarding the supplementation with boron alone and 4 regarding supplementation with boron and other nutrients. Despite the number of studies considered being low, the number of subjects studied is high (594) and the results are interesting.

Conclusions The studies considered in this narrative review have evaluated the positive effectiveness on bone, in humans, through control of calcium, vitamin D and sex steroid hormone metabolism, considering a dietary supplementation of 3 mg/day of boron (alone or with other nutrients); this supplementation is demonstrably useful to support bone health (in order to prevent and maintain adequate bone mineral density), also considering the daily dose of 3 mg is much lower than the Upper Level indicated by European Food Safety Authority in the daily dose of 10 mg.

Health Effects of Boron

Borax and boric acid have basically the same health effects with good antiseptic, antifungal and antiviral properties, but only mild antibacterial action.

Boron is essential for the integrity and function of cell walls and for the way signals are transmitted across membranes. It is distributed throughout the body with the highest concentration in the parathyroid glands followed by bones and dental enamel. It is essential for healthy bone and joint function, regulating the absorption and metabolism of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus through its influence on the parathyroid glands. It has been suggested that boron is to the parathyroids what iodine is to the thyroid gland.

The parathyroid glands are small endocrine glands in the neck that produce parathyroid hormone. Humans usually have four parathyroid glands which are located on the rear surface of the thyroid gland. The parathyroid glands control the amount of calcium in the blood and within the bones. The main function is to maintain the body’s calcium levels within a very narrow range, so that the nervous and muscular systems can function properly. Parathyroid hormone controls calcium and phosphate homeostasis, as well as bone physiology.

Boron deficiency causes the parathyroid glands to become overactive, releasing too much parathyroid hormone which raises the blood levels of calcium by releasing calcium from bones and teeth. This then leads to arthritis, osteoporosis and tooth decay.

Boron also affects the metabolism of steroid hormones, and especially the metabolism of sex hormones. It increases low testosterone levels in men and oestrogen levels in menopausal women. It also has a role in converting vitamin D to its active form, thus increasing calcium uptake and deposition into bone. It also may improve thinking skills and muscular coordination.

Boron and Bone Health

Boron plays an important part in supporting healthy bones since it is involved with calcium and magnesium metabolism and vitamin D.

In a study of postmenopausal women, a boron-deficient diet was consumed for 119 days, followed by 48 days of boron supplementation. On the boron-depleted diet (0.25mg boron/day), the participants demonstrated increased urinary loss of both calcium and magnesium. On the boron-supplemented diet (3mg boron/day) however, they showed less urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium, as well as increased levels of two hormones associated with healthy bone mass.

From this study, adequate boron intake is essential to preserve the body’s stores of bone-building calcium and magnesium.

The researchers also studied the women during periods of both adequate magnesium intake and magnesium deficiency. Boron helped to preserve the essential stores of calcium and magnesium in the body. While the magnesium-depleted diet was associated with an increased loss of calcium in the urine, boron supplementation significantly reduced urinary loss of both calcium and magnesium. The researchers observed that boron deprivation produced changes similar to those seen in osteoporosis, and adequate boron status helped prevent calcium loss and bone demineralisation in postmenopausal women.

https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1096/fasebj.1.5.3678698

Thus boron has important applications in helping women preserve bone mass and in preventing osteoporosis following menopause.

Boron may help to alleviate the detrimental effects of vitamin D deficiency on calcium metabolism. Vitamin D is crucial to bone health because it helps to support calcium absorption.

People in an environment that is boron rich and who consume boron-rich foods have been shown to have less joint disorders. It is suggested that deficiencies of boron could contribute to the development of osteoarthritis.

Boron from Food.

Boron occurs in various forms in fruits (especially dried), vegetables, legumes and nuts. The actual amount varies, linked to the soil content of boron. The amount of boron is rather low, so that it is relatively easy to develop deficiency of boron.

Dosage of Boron

Ideally, boron should be obtained from the foods listed above.

If taken as a supplement, 3mg-6 mg of boron daily is recommended for bone health. A higher dose, up to 9 mg per day, is suggested in the management of osteoarthritis. Commercial supplies generally come in 3 mg capsules.

The following is an economical way of obtaining a therapeutic source of boron:

Dissolve a teaspoonful of borax (5-6 grams) in one quart of water. This is your stock solution. A standard dose is one teaspoonful (5ml) of stock solution. This contains 25-30mg of borax and provides about 3mg of boron. Take one dose daily with drink or food.

Boron Improves Oral Health

Boron helps keep teeth and gums healthy by reducing inflammation and improving bone and tissue repair. An interesting study from 2013 found boron helps the tooth building cells in such a way it is believed that boron could be used in bone and tooth tissue engineering. This is not proven with sufficient studies at this point. There are studies indicating the boron supplementation changes enamel structure. Importantly, boron supports bone health including the bones of the jaw that support the anchoring of the teeth.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23575901/

"Although the boron treatments did not affect teeth structure, strength, mineral density and micro-hardness, increasing boron intake altered the mineral composition of teeth, and, in moderate amounts, had beneficial effects on surrounding alveolar bone."

This was a study in rabbits. Finding studies on boron and tooth enamel in humans is all but impossible.

https://bit.ly/3RbDTVo

Here is a link to some products with boron that support bone health:

AlgaeCal: https://bit.ly/3KxCSov First order is at a 20% discount

AlgaeCal Plus is a plant-based “superfood” calcium source naturally containing all 13 known essential bone supporting minerals (calcium, magnesium, boron, copper, manganese, silicon (silica), nickel, selenium, strontium, phosphorus, potassium, vanadium and zinc).

The marine algae naturally digests these minerals right from the ocean, in amounts similar to your bone’s composition. Magnesium, vitamins D3, C and K2, and boron are all added to the organic, milled powder in proper amounts to complete the multi-nutrient complex needed to nourish your bones.

Mercola Bone Support: