Osteo Forte Orotate is a combination of the orotate salts of calcium, magnesium, and zinc, along with vitamins B6, C, and
D, boron, silicon, and other minerals — substances chosen because of their known effects on bone health. All of these substances
are normally found in the body.
What we can’t tell you
In the U.S. and some other industrialized countries, government agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have adopted
censorship as a method for intensifying their control over supplement users and their suppliers. Thus, FDA regulations prohibit
us from telling you that any of our products are effective as medical treatments, even if they are, in fact, effective.
Accordingly, we will limit our discussion of Osteo Forte Orotate to a brief summary of relevant research, and let you draw
your own conclusions about what medical conditions it may be effective in treating.
Osteo Forte Orotate was formulated with bone health in mind. Each of the ingredients, however, has its own individual merits
in other areas of health. It therefore makes sense to use this product as a broad-purpose supplement and not just for its
effects on bones and joints.
The mineral orotates in this product
Orotate (orotic acid) is a biochemical substance made by all living cells. It is a necessary raw material for making the genetic
materials RNA and DNA.
Calcium, magnesium, and zinc are minerals that are required in substantial quantities for life and health. Calcium is used
by the body to make structural material for bones and teeth, and to assist in communications within and between cells. Magnesium and zinc serve as cofactors for many enzymes and other proteins. Bone strength is highly dependent on magnesium, and zinc is needed for prevention of osteoporosis.
Orotate mineral salts were popularized as supplements by Dr. Hans Nieper, the innovative German physician, who used them to treat many different conditions. In particular, he used calcium orotate for:
- bone loss and pain due to inflammation or osteoporosis
- psoriasis
- lupus erythematosus
- arthritis and spondylitis
- high blood pressure
- angina pectoris
- multiple sclerosis
- encephalitis
- retinitis
- phlebitis
- hepatitis, and
- colitis.
Nieper used magnesium orotate to treat:
- atherosclerosis
- kidney failure from diabetes or high blood pressure
- viral diseases
- heart attacks
- blood clots
And Nieper used zinc orotate to treat:
- cancer
- Hodgkin and non-Hogkin lymphomas
- diabetes
Nieper considered orotates to be superior to carbonates, chlorides, sulfates, and other anions as bioavailability enhancers
for minerals.
For more detailed information on the orotate supplements, see the product descriptions for LifeLink’s Calcium Orotate, Magnesium Orotate, and Zinc Orotate.
Calcium and bone strength
Calcium supplements are universally recognized as preventatives for bone loss and osteoporosis. While other calcium salts, such as calcium citrate, can effectively inhibit bone loss, Hans Nieper’s studies concluded that
calcium orotate supplies the bones with more usable calcium per amount of supplement consumed, and also benefits the user
in other ways — such as controlling appetite and suppressing inflammatory conditions.
Boron and silicon and bone health
The element boron has been shown to be important for preserving bone strength and is also considered appropriate for treating arthritis. But people’s intakes of dietary boron vary widely, averaging around 2 mg/day — whereas 3 to 10 mg/day seems to be indicated for maintaining bones and joints. LifeLink’s Osteo Forte Orotate therefore includes 5 mg of boron per tablet.
It has been known for decades that the mineral silicon plays a significant positive role in bone formation and maintenance. Severe silicon deficiencies are probably rare, but many people consume less than the optimum amount of this element — average
consumption is about 30 mg/day. A 2007 study revealed “large differences in BMD (up to 10%) between the highest (>40 mg Si/day)
and lowest (<14 mg Si/day) quintiles of silicon intake.” BMD (bone mineral density) is a measure of bone strength. Silicon should therefore be included in all supplements aimed at
improving bone health — LifeLink’s Osteo Forte Orotate contains 23 mg of silicon per tablet.
Other minerals in this product
In addition to calcium, magnesium, zinc, boron, and silicon, a number of other vitamins and minerals are important for maintaining
bone strength. These include phosphorus, potassium, fluoride, manganese, copper, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, B, C, D, and
K. Some of these are present in adequate amounts in the average diet; those that are not, but are needed in only tiny amounts,
are included in this product as ‘trace minerals’.
Conclusion
Is our Osteo Forte Orotate supplement useful for the conditions and purposes mentioned above? We aren’t allowed to tell you,
so you should take a look at some of the references cited here, and then decide for yourself.
Review articles
For a good introductory discussion of mineral salts and other related mineral transporters, see the review Mineral chelates, salts and colloids by Alvin Hashimoto. For an explanation of possible mechanisms through which orotates operate in the body, see the article How orotates work: The biochemistry of ‘vitamin B13’ by Ed Sharpe.