Osteoporosis, Oh My! Calcium and Bones: Decalcification and Recalcification

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of my project is to study the process of calcium loss in bone. I wanted to determine whether calcium supplements help prevent osteoporosis by reducing decalcification and what type of calcium supplements work best to prevent decalcification and improve re-absorption of calcium. Methods/Materials Two types of experiments were conducted: decalcification and recalcification. For decalcification, vinegar was used to decalcify chicken bones. Five different calcium supplements were tested: Caltrate and TUMS containing Calcium Carbonate; Citrical and Kirkland containing Calcium Citrate; and Target-Mins containing Calcium Hydroxyapatite. Vinegar was used as the control. I soaked the bones in jars with vinegar mixed with 1,200 mg of calcium from each supplement. I checked the bones for change in flexibility and mass every day for five days. For recalcification of decalcified bones, I first decalcified the chicken bones in pure vinegar. To test the re-absorption of calcium, I used distilled water as the control. I tested the same five calcium supplements. Each decalcified bone was soaked in a mixture of water and 1,200 mg of the calcium supplements. I checked the bones for change in flexibility and mass every two days for 14 days. Results In my initial sets of trials, Calcium Carbonate lowered decalcification of the chicken bones best and Calcium Hydroxyapatite recalcified bones best. But, I made a mistake by misreading the dosage on two of the calcium supplements and applied uneven quantities of calcium in the original experiment. To get accurate results I did two extra sets of trials. In both of these trials I found that Calcium Carbonate not only lowered decalcification of the chicken bones best, but this time it also recalcified bones best. Conclusions/Discussion Through my experiments I had a firsthand glance at what could happen to bones due to osteoporosis. The loss of calcium in the bones made them become brittle and weak. I could not even begin to imagine what it would be like to have bones like that. I also learned that calcium supplements do indeed help reduce decalcification and improve re-absorption of calcium on bones. If someone were to go buy a calcium supplement, I would suggest they buy supplement containing Calcium Carbonate. Nevertheless, I learned that the important thing to prevent osteoporosis is to have a daily intake of calcium.

Competition history

• CSEF 2006 Pharmacology/ Toxicology · Entry J1421

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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