The Importance of Healthy Bones

By Jordan Rubin

Why is maintaining healthy bones so important? I’m figuring that most of you would correctly say that building strong bones is important primarily to prevent osteoporosis, which can lead to fractures. What you are probably unaware of, however, is that maintaining healthy bones means far more than just preventing osteoporosis. 

Let’s start with the basic functions of bones that most of us know about. First off, our bones are the frame that our bodies are built around. While this seems obvious, think about one of the signs of aging that is readily visible to the human eye. If you’ve ever seen an elderly woman who is hunched over as she walks down the street, you can see that her lack of bone strength and bone density are not allowing her skeleton to support her body properly. We need strong bones to help us stand up straight and keep us from falling when we bend over.

We also need bones for protection. Like any father and son, my young son Joshua and I love to roughhouse. That wouldn’t be possible if his bones didn’t protect the vital organs throughout his body. Additionally, many of those muscles that we use when we’re playing together are connected to various bones. That’s why I love the study of biomechanics, which is devoted to uncovering the ways that bone and muscle partner together to allow us to perform everyday tasks like reaching into the refrigerator, or in the case of a superstar pitcher, throwing a baseball 95 miles per hour.

So far everything we’ve talked about relates to bone and its structural or mechanical significance. Think of it this way: Just about anytime you can see bone in action (try wiggling your fingers) or feel bone moving (rotate your shoulder), you are witnessing the structural or mechanical function of bone. 

Where we go next will reveal some benefits of healthy bones that probably aren’t on the top of your mind, mainly because you may not necessarily see or directly feel these benefits.

For starters, many of the bones in the body contain a substance known as bone marrow. Red bone marrow is responsible for the production of red blood cells. In turn, red blood cells are responsible for delivering oxygen all throughout the body. It would be hard to understate the importance of that particular function of the bones, as much of the body relies on the life-giving presence of oxygen.

Red bone marrow is also a key part of your immune system. Most white blood cells, which are responsible for defending the body against foreign invaders, are created in red bone marrow. There is another type of marrow present in long bones within the body, and this type is called yellow bone marrow. At birth, the body contains only red bone marrow, but as you gradually age, some of that red marrow is replaced with yellow marrow. The primary function of yellow marrow is to become a storage place for excess fat. If your body nears starvation, one of the last survival steps is to pull fat from yellow bone marrow. Interestingly, if your body is lacking red bone marrow for whatever reason, your body can convert yellow marrow back into red marrow.

There are a few other pretty amazing functions of bone. Whenever the body becomes too acidic, due to poor diet or other factors, bone can lend alkalinizing minerals to the bloodstream in order to retain pH balance. Of course, I would prefer that you eat a balanced diet that includes naturally alkalinizing foods such as green leafy vegetables, but your body often has several mechanisms to combat the harm you might inflict upon it.

As you can see, bone health means a lot more than simply preventing osteoporosis. Because osteoporosis is often the first sign of degenerating bone health—often in the form of a fracture due to weak bone—I consider good bone health to be one of the most overlooked components of extraordinary health.