The Mary Rose was one of the largest warships of the Tudor navy during King Henry VIII’s reign until it sank on July 19, 1545, during a battle against the French. Hundreds of men were trapped on board when the ship sank in the Solent, a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain.

In 1982, the hull of the ship, its artifacts and the bones of 179 crew members were excavated from the Solent and brought to the surface.

Researchers have analyzed the collarbones from 12 men between the ages of 13 and 40 who died on the Mary Rose to see how their tasks on the ship may have shaped the chemistry of their bones. The team also looked for telltale signs of aging and evidence of handedness, or which hand the crew members naturally favored.

The analysis showed that the balance of protein and minerals changes with aging. The mineral content of the bones increases with age, and protein content decreases. The changes were most noticeable in the right collarbones, indicating that the crew members favored their right hands.

Although, at that time, being left-handed could get you burned at the stake it does tell us that bone structure is enhanced by use.

“Advancing our knowledge of bone chemistry is crucial for understanding how our skeletons age and how medical conditions effect the bones,” said lead study author Dr. Sheona Shankland, a research associate at the Lancaster Medical School at the UK’s Lancaster University.

“Understanding these changes could allow us to be more informed about fracture risk and on the causes of conditions like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, which are commonly experienced with aging.”

It is interesting to note therefore that calcium content, which makes bones brittle increases while the protein content, which declines, is what makes bones flexible and resistant to fracture.

Is it possible that older people are breaking bones because they aren’t getting enough protein?

Calcium Supplements are not the answer and are defeating an important health mechanism.

Erin Michos associate director of preventive cardiology for the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease said, “A nutrient in pill form is not processed in the body the same way as it is when ingested from a food source. Furthermore, people believe that the proof that calcium supplements fortify bones is more robust than it really is,” she says. “The truth is, the research is inconclusive. But there is a growing body of evidence that suggests no health benefit, or even worse, that calcium supplements may be harmful.”

Increased risk of heart disease, particularly in healthy, postmenopausal women.

Potential link to heart attack.

Risk of kidney stones.

High calcium levels (hypercalcemia) can cause various health issues.

Same thing we said about prescription medicine, how it adjusts one homeostatic mechanism by disrupting another.

The good news is that there is a no-risk way to supercharge the bone remodeling process, and one can begin at any age.

Cell Replacement

You may have heard that all of the cells in the human body replace themselves in seven years. That isn’t accurate but the concept itself is true. 

Bone cells take up to 10 years for example and different parts of the body replace their cells at a different rate. 

About 330 billion cells are replaced daily, equivalent to about 1 percent of all our cells. In 80 to 100 days, 30 trillion will have replenished—the equivalent of a new you. 

What would that new you look like? 

Stop defeating your body and find out. 

And here is the bonus, Myokines.

Scientists have discovered that the body creates “myokines,” which are muscle-produced proteins that can inhibit tumor growth and actively combat diseased cells by inducing anti-cancer activities in the body. Myokines are produced through the administration of Formula R.

Formula R not only cures cancer it prevents it all together. All Formula R does is stimulate the bodies’ own prevention and healing mechanisms.

Formula R is discussed in detail in Ageing Backwards.