Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is fundamentally a problem of deficient tissue renewal driven by impaired mitochondrial respiration, not simply a lack of calcium deposition. 2 Peat argued that the lower collagen content of aged bone demonstrates that the core defect parallels sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, and is linked to other degenerative processes such as male baldness and Alzheimer's disease. 2 A high level of respiratory energy production, characteristic of youth and maintained by thyroid hormone, is required for proper bone maintenance. 1 The accumulation of factors that impair mitochondrial respiration leads to a reliance on stress hormones, which progressively reshapes the organism and exacerbates the underlying energy deficit. 1

The hormonal environment governing bone health is dominated by the antagonism between protective, pro-metabolic substances and catabolic stress mediators. Peat identified prolactin, serotonin, parathyroid hormone, and adrenaline as central drivers of bone loss, all of which rise under conditions of stress, hypothyroidism, and estrogen dominance. 3 Prolactin directly mobilizes calcium from bone, and estrogen promotes its secretion, creating a paradox where a hormone claimed to protect bone actually stimulates a potent bone-wasting factor. 2 Serotonin, whose intestinal synthesis is increased by irritation, was recognized as a basic cause of osteoporosis, making gut health a major consideration. 2 Adrenaline, which is elevated by stress, aging, and hypothyroidism, directly causes bone loss and powerfully increases parathyroid hormone, while its effects can be blocked by beta-blockers like propranolol. 1 In contrast, thyroid hormone and progesterone are protective, improving magnesium retention and supporting oxidative metabolism. 2 Peat noted that the common medical practice of discontinuing thyroid supplementation upon an osteoporosis diagnosis is harmful, as untreated hypothyroidism leads to elevated prolactin and cortisol, two clearly established causes of bone loss. 2

The conventional diagnostic and therapeutic framework for osteoporosis is deeply flawed. Peat contended that dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans are unreliable and harmful. The measurements are confounded by changes in tissue fat and water content, which estrogen alters, creating the false appearance of improved bone density. 3 More critically, the X-rays themselves poison bone metabolism, accelerating the rate of bone loss, and their systemic inflammatory effects contribute to diseases like Alzheimer's and heart disease. 2 Peat advocated for ultrasound as a superior diagnostic tool because it can accurately evaluate both bone density and strength without radiation, and it actively stimulates bone repair. 2 Therapeutically, the claim that estrogen prevents osteoporosis is contradicted by the fact that bone loss begins around age 23 and progresses through the years when estrogen levels are rising, and that men, with lower lifetime estrogen, have heavier bones. 2 Estrogen causes calcium retention in soft tissues, contributing to pathological calcification, rather than building bone. 2

Nutritional support for bone health requires a metabolic perspective that prioritizes protein, specific minerals, and vitamins while avoiding suppressive fats. Peat emphasized that a protein deficiency is a clear cause of osteoporosis, with milk protein being particularly protective, and that very high protein intakes are associated with less oxidative damage than merely "adequate" intakes. 2 Dinkov and Mercola have extended this by highlighting that 30% of bone is collagen, making gelatin or collagen a fundamental nutrient for the bone matrix. 8 Calcium itself activates mitochondrial respiration and lowers adrenaline, parathyroid hormone, and prolactin, with Peat noting that traditional diets like the Masai provided up to 5000 mg daily from milk. 2 Copper, the co-factor for cytochrome C oxidase, is essential for bone formation and consistently deficient in osteoporosis, and thyroid hormone increases its assimilation. 1 Vitamins A, B6, K, and D are also critical, while polyunsaturated fats are toxic to bone, as they are converted to prostaglandins, suppress thyroid and progesterone formation, and their increased consumption has coincided with the rise in osteoporosis. 2 Aspirin, with its thyroid-like actions including activation of mitochondrial respiration and reduction of serotonin, also stimulates bone formation. 1