Zeolite Powder For Osteoporosis and Osteopenia

Jeff Hoyt
Aug 4, 2020
8 min read

Updated: Dec 14, 2025

Important Note: There are many types of zeolite and many zeolite products on the market that differ greatly. The content presented here is based off of experience with ZeoCharge™ and may not be relevant for all zeolite products.

If you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, zeolite might be the best supplement you’re not taking! What is zeolite and what does it have to do with bone health?

How Does Zeolite Work?

Zeolite is a naturally occurring mineral that contains a very strong “cage-like” structure and negative charge. There are many types of naturally occurring zeolites. The zeolite that is being discussed in this article is called clinoptilolite, which is the form that has been studied most thoroughly for human consumption. Due to its strong negative charge, zeolite is attracted to positively charged elements which it collects in it’s cage-like structure.

Considering that many toxic elements- things like mercury, lead, cesium, ammonia, mycotoxins and many environmental toxicants- are positively charged, zeolite is pulled to the toxins, like a magnet, and sucks them into its structure. These dangerous substances become trapped in zeolite’s cage structure, and are then safely and gently carried out of the body.

What Does Zeolite Bind to?

Heavy Metals- Toxic metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic can accumulate in our bodies over time and put an enormous burden on our immune and nervous systems, and make our bodies work overtime to stay healthy. Eventually our bodies lose the ability to keep up with the excess demand and symptoms such as chronic fatigue, brain fog, irritability, and a host of other symptoms and conditions can manifest. Zeolite can trap these metals in its cage-like structure for safe removal. Once the heavy metal burden is lifted your body can start functionally at its peak potential again.

Environmental Toxicants- In the 21st century we face an unprecedented number of toxic stressors in our daily lives. From the air you breathe, to the food you eat, to the water you may be drinking – toxicants are everywhere. Over time these toxic substances accumulate in your body wreaking havoc on your health. Fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, a weakened immune system, and countless health issues are common side effects when these toxins build up. Since most of these toxic elements have a positive charge they will fall victim to zeolite’s strong binding capacity for safe removal from the body.

Mycotoxins- Mold toxicity is increasingly becoming recognized as a serious problem and a player in a number of chronic conditions. Mold toxins (mycotoxins) can result in strong immune responses that lead to a state of chronic inflammation and hypersensitivity. Clinoptilolite zeolite has been shown to bind to mycotoxins including Aflotoxins and Ochratoxin A.

Microbial Toxins- When microbes get out of balance in your body some of them start releasing toxic elements as waste products resulting in a constant supply of inflammation and irritation. These microbes turn into little “toxin factories” that are constantly producing biotoxins that are putting extra stress on your system and often resulting in uncomfortable symptoms. Many of the symptoms that result from conditions associated with microbial imbalance such as Lyme Disease result primarily from the toxins produced by microbes, not the microbes themselves. These toxins make their way to the bloodstream where the immune system mounts an attack and inflammation occurs as a result. Zeolite helps bind many of these toxins before the they have a chance to wreak havoc on the body.

Metabolic Waste- As our bodies are hard at work day and night trying to remain in balance, toxic byproducts are produced which are known as metabolic waste. Ammonia is an example of a metabolic waste product produced by the body. Ammonia is highly toxic and can wreak havoc on your body if not effectively cleared. Ammonia is produced in a number of ways in the body including during protein digestion. Your liver takes the ammonia and converts it to urea which is then filtered through the kidneys and out of your body. Urea is also toxic but not as bad as ammonia. The process in which the body converts ammonia to urea is called the urea cycle. If your body’s ability to complete this process efficiently is impaired, as is often the case with poor liver function, ammonia builds up in the blood and becomes very toxic- causing damage to the central nervous system and can even cross into the brain where it is toxic to brain cells. If kidney function is impaired urea may build up which is also toxic. The good news is that zeolite binds to both ammonia and urea!

Histamine- As the body is hard at work protecting us from a daily invasion of toxic stressors, inflammatory substances such as histamine are produced by the immune system. If there is an excess of histamine produced it could result in a number of symptoms. Many people with overactive immune systems or with conditions such as Mast Cell Activation Syndrome produce a lot of histamine and often experience symptoms such as hives, itchy skin, flushing, and headaches on a regular basis. Zeolite can bind to excess histamine greatly reducing symptoms of histamine intolerance and can even help with seasonal allergies.

Radioactive Particles - Clinoptilolite has been shown to bind to radioactive isotopes such as cesium-137 and strontium-90. Clinoptilolite has been used to successfully remove these radioactive isotopes from waste water. Clinoptilolite was used on a large scale during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and was successfully used to decontaminate low-level radiation waters. The cesium concentration was reduced by a factor of 1000.

Osteoporosis and Nutritional Deficiencies

A common cause of osteoporosis is nutritional depletion of the body. This is not discussed adequately in the medical world because nutrition is not taught in depth in most medical schools. However, trace elements such as copper, manganese and zinc, as well as calcium and magnesium, are critical for bone health and wound healing.

The solution is not as simple as adding nutrients into your diet via whole foods or supplementation. The key is really removing toxic metals that are competing for space with minerals in your bones. Metals generally have a stronger bond to your cells than minerals so as they are competing for space the metals usually win. As metals are absorbed into your bones they displace minerals resulting in nutritional deficiencies. So the number one priority should really be to remove toxic metals, which will allow your bones to start absorbing the nutrients you are taking in.

Toxic metals replace vital minerals in the bones, causing them to be more brittle in the case of cadmium, or weaker in the case of lead. These metals are actually incorporated into the structure of the bones, so they will not be revealed on any simple tests.

Lead easily replaces calcium in the bones and weakens them. When cadmium gets in the bone it kicks out zinc. Once cadmium displaces enough zinc, the bones lose its strength and you have a greater potential of developing osteopenia and osteoporosis. The common approach here is to supplement with calcium and zinc, but an overlooked part of the solution is to remove lead and cadmium which are resulting in zinc and calcium deficiencies.

Cadmium and Osteoporosis

A pubmed 790 subject study published in 2018 states the following “Our results indicate that a high level of cumulative cadmium intake is associated with an increased rate of osteoporosis and fractures among women.”

The thing to note about cadmium and other heavy metals is that they accumulate over time and the increased body burden of these metals causes more and more problems as the toxic load increases over the years. Most people assume they don’t have heavy metals such as cadmium in their bodies…but unfortunately they are often wrong.

We are exposed to cadmium through a number of sources including air pollution, auto exhaust, burning coal, ceramics, cigarettes and cigarette smoke, coffee, contaminated drinking water, rubber and the list goes on and on.

The study goes on to state “Bone is one of the target organs for cadmium toxicity.” So as we live our best lives we pick up small amounts of cadmium from various sources over the years and much of that cadmium is stores in our bones. Heavy metal detox is really a necessity in the 21st century and zeolite is a great place to start!

More Cadmium = More Problems

A study published in 1998 showed that Cadmium may be a risk factor for the development of osteoporosis, even at low doses. The goal of the study was to examine the possible role of cadmium as a risk factor for osteoporosis by determining the bone mineral density in workers previously exposed to cadmium.

CONCLUSIONS: “There was a suggested dose-effect relation between cadmium dose and bone mineral density. Furthermore, there was a dose-response relation between cadmium dose and osteoporosis. Cadmium may be a risk factor for the development of osteoporosis at lower doses than previously anticipated.”

So in other words, the study showed that cadmium decreased bone mineral density thus raising the risk for osteoporosis. The study also revealed that the higher the level of cadmium in the body, the lower the bone mineral density. So in order to keep your bones as healthy as possible you want to get as much cadmium out as you can! Zeolite has a high affinity for cadmium making it an incredible tool to detox cadmium from your bones.

Cigarettes and Osteoporosis

We all know that cigarettes aren’t good for us. They certainly aren’t doing our bones any favors either. There are a number of reasons why cigarettes are detrimental to our health; one of those reasons is that cigarettes are a major source of cadmium exposure! With every cigarette you smoke a small amount of cadmium is absorbed and stored in your bones. If you are or were a smoker imagine how many cigarettes you’ve smoked in your life…that’s a lot of cadmium.

A pubmed study published earlier this year in 2020 shows that the cadmium in cigarettes can contribute to osteoporosis.

“The findings in this study provide evidence that cadmium exposure from tobacco smoke plays an important role in smoking‐induced osteoporosis.”

“Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone fracture. Moreover, smoking causes exposure to cadmium, which is a known risk factor for osteoporosis. It is hypothesized that part of smoking-induced osteoporosis may be mediated via cadmium from tobacco smoke.”

Closing Remarks

There are a number of toxic elements that can accumulate in your bones and increase your risk for osteoporosis. Zeolite is a fantastic option for safe removal of these toxic elements. The nice thing about zeolite is that it is a broad-spectrum binder so even if you don’t know what toxins and metals you have in your body you can rest assured that it is helping remove something that doesn’t belong there! And the great thing about zeolite is that it won’t deplete your body of vitamins and minerals like some other binders.

Is Zeolite Safe?

Yes, absolutely...well at least the high-quality clinoptilolite zeolite we utilize in ZeoCharge™. I can't speak to the safety of other zeolite products on the market. Our zeolite goes through a proprietary cleaning process to remove any toxic elements or contamination and is micronized for human consumption. It is noteworthy that there are many types of zeolite, but we are only talking about clinoptilolite zeolite here, which is the primary type of zeolite that is used in supplements. Zeolite is a natural mineral and has a variety of elements in it. It is important to note that the structure of clinoptilolite zeolite does not get broken down in the body. Because zeolite does not get broken down in the body, it does not leach any elements that make up the compound. Zeolite is not like an essential mineral that is utilized for cellular functions. It simply passes through your body collecting positively charged toxic elements and then is excreted. Warning- This is only true for purified clinoptilolite zeolite. Other forms of zeolite have not been studied for human health and I don't recommend consuming them.

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Want to deep dive into heavy metal detox? check out this video: