Current osteoporosis research projects include:

• The Children's Bone Health Initiative
  We are currently in the developmental stages and soliciting funds for an important public awareness campaign focused on children's bone health. For more details on this important public awareness project, and to review our request for project funding, see The Children's Bone Health Initiative.

• Key Bone Building Nutrient Research
  Recently The Osteoporosis Education Project has recognized the need for a comprehensive rethinking of, and a public awareness campaign about, the bone health importance of two key nutrients. These nutrients are Vitamin D and Vitamin K. New hot breaking, little known research on both vitamins offers to alter the way we treat and prevent osteoporosis. Currently we are soliciting funding for this important education project. If you are interested in helping us fund, or have ideas on how we might fund, any of our current osteoporosis research please see Support OEP.

Vitamin D  

New research from around the world now documents that obtaining an optimum amount of vitamin D might well be the simplest and most cost-effective way to protect bone health. New studies suggest that this optimal amount of vitamin D is much higher than the minimum levels needed to prevent patent vitamin D deficiency diseases. The same emerging body of research also documents widespread vitamin D inadequacy and deficiency.

 

Dr. Susan Brown, in collaboration with The Osteoporosis Education Project, is conducting a comprehensive Vitamin D Research and Awareness Project. The first publication of this project is the article, “Vitamin D: Startling New Research Findings on an Old Bone Builder.” In this important article Dr. Brown summarizes the new vitamin D research. Further, she details how and why to have your own vitamin D level tested.

 

A second element in our current Vitamin D Research and Awareness Project concerns an ongoing meta-analysis of scientific studies on vitamin D and fracture reduction. The results of this meta-analysis should be available by midwinter 2007. By signing up for our Better Bones E-Newsletter you can guarantee that you will be notified as soon as this publication is available.

 

Currently the third element of the Vitamin D Research and Awareness Project concerns the preparation of additional reports documenting the importance of adequate vitamin D levels for the prevention of a variety of degenerative diseases ranging from 16 types of cancer to diabetes and heart disease, depression, and autoimmune disease.

Vitamin K 

Vitamin K has long been used as a successful therapy for osteoporosis in Japan. In that country, a high-dose formulation of a synthetic form of vitamin K₂ has been shown effective at significantly reducing the incidence of both hip and spinal fractures. 

 

Now in United States dietary vitamin K in nutritional doses is becoming recognized as one of the most under-appreciated key bone-building nutrients. Several studies have linked higher vitamin K intake with increased bone mineral density. Further, in addition to its bone-building effects, vitamin K also plays a central role in the prevention of arterial calcification. As it appears, vitamin K works to attach calcium molecules to bone and to prevent calcium from accumulating in the arteries.

 

At this time Dr. Susan Brown and The Osteoporosis Education Project are particularly interested in the bone-building potential of the natural form of vitamin K known as MK-7. In nature MK-7 is found in the Japanese fermented soy product known as “natto.” In Japan, populations consuming regular amounts of natto experience better bone health and it is likely that supplementation with natural MK-7 will bring similar benefits to Western populations. Currently Dr. Susan Brown is developing research protocol to look at the impact of natural MK-7on bone resorption among those experiencing high bone breakdown.