I’ve spent decades talking about the nutrients your bones need. Calcium. Magnesium. Vitamin D. Vitamin K. Protein.
But there’s another piece of the bone-health puzzle we don’t talk about nearly enough
Your bones need to be challenged.
Bone isn’t a lifeless structure holding you upright. It’s living, constantly changing tissue that responds to the forces placed upon it. That’s one reason walking, resistance training, and other weight-bearing activities become increasingly important as we age.
But lately I’ve added another tool to my own bone-health arsenal.
It’s called Juvent, and those of you who have seen photos of me standing on what looks like a little platform now know what I’ve been up to!
This Isn’t Your Typical Vibration Plate
Juvent uses something called low-magnitude mechanical stimulation. Instead of vigorously shaking your entire body like many conventional vibration plates, it delivers very small, rapid mechanical signals upward through your feet.
Why would I be interested in that?
Because researchers have been investigating these tiny mechanical signals and their effects on bone for years.
In one randomized, double-blind study, 70 postmenopausal women used a low-magnitude vibration platform for less than 20 minutes a day for one year. Researchers reported that the stimulation helped inhibit bone loss in the spine and femur, with the greatest benefits seen among women who consistently used the device.
More recently, researchers studied postmenopausal women using low-intensity vibration for just 10 minutes a day. After a year, they found significant differences between the vibration and placebo groups in several sophisticated measures of bone strength and microstructure.
Interestingly, those changes weren’t necessarily reflected on a traditional DXA scan (the standard X-ray test used to measure bone density). The researchers themselves described the effects as modest but significant and called for longer-term research.
That’s the kind of research that gets my attention.
Feed Your Bones and Use Them
Of course, no device replaces good nutrition or exercise.
I still believe we have to give our bones the raw materials they need, which is why I’ve long recommended Osteo-Key. It provides MCHA calcium along with magnesium, vitamin D3, vitamin K, boron, and other nutrients that help support healthy bones.
But nutrients are only part of the equation.
Think of it this way: nutrition gives your bones the building materials. Mechanical loading gives them a reason to use them.
That’s why I don’t see Juvent as a replacement for walking, strength training, or good nutrition. I see it as one more way to give my bones the support they need as I get older.
And here’s my favorite part.
All I have to do is stand there.
And that’s exactly why Juvent has earned a place in my daily routine. Twenty minutes a day gives me another way to support my bones without adding another workout to my schedule.
If maintaining strong, healthy bones is on your priority list too, I encourage you to take a closer look at Juvent. It’s the vibration platform I personally use, and you can learn more about it here.
Now that’s my kind of Biohack!
Resources include:
Rubin C, Recker R, Cullen D, Ryaby J, McCabe J, McLeod K. Prevention of postmenopausal bone loss by a low-magnitude, high-frequency mechanical stimuli: a clinical trial assessing compliance, efficacy, and safety. J Bone Miner Res. 2004 Mar;19(3):343-51. doi: 10.1359/JBMR.0301251. Epub 2003 Dec 22. PMID: 15040821.
Rajapakse CS, Johncola AJ, Batzdorf AS, Jones BC, Al Mukaddam M, Sexton K, Shults J, Leonard MB, Snyder PJ, Wehrli FW. Effect of Low-Intensity Vibration on Bone Strength, Microstructure, and Adiposity in Pre-Osteoporotic Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Bone Miner Res. 2021 Apr;36(4):673-684. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.4229. Epub 2020 Dec 23. PMID: 33314313.
Kiel DP, Hannan MT, Barton BA, Bouxsein ML, Sisson E, Lang T, Allaire B, Dewkett D, Carroll D, Magaziner J, Shane E, Leary ET, Zimmerman S, Rubin CT. Low-Magnitude Mechanical Stimulation to Improve Bone Density in Persons of Advanced Age: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Bone Miner Res. 2015 Jul;30(7):1319-28. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2448. PMID: 25581217; PMCID: PMC4834704.
