Ross
surgeon's calcium-packed beverage aims to keep brittle bones at
bay
Marin Independent
Journal - Nancy Isles Nation - 1/1/2008 |
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Dr.
Jon Dickinson has set enough brittle bones to know that Americans
need to get more calcium into their diets.
So many, in fact, that the orthopedic surgeon began thinking about
formulating a calcium supplement 10 years ago and now has a high-calcium
beverage called Osteo on the shelves of select markets.
The concept was to create a beverage loaded with calcium, vitamins
and minerals in a tasty drink. Dickinson experimented in a makeshift
lab in his Ross kitchen, using his four children as testers, until
he came up with a blend of spring water, fruit juices and organic
cane sugar. It retails for about $2.19 a bottle.
The product is geared for a mature market - one that is widely
identified as being susceptible to osteoporosis and low bone mass.
But Dickinson says there is a broader market that includes children
and teenagers, and he is planning to introduce a drink for a younger
audience called Osteoblast in the spring.
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| Dr.
Jon Dickinson developed Osteo, a beverage formulated to
supply half of your daily calcium needs. The product is
aimed at a mature market, but its creator plans to develop
another drink marketed toward children and teens. (Special
to the IJ/Meghan Roberts) |
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Osteo
includes 500 milligrams of soluble calcium in each 12-ounce bottle
- about half of the minimum daily requirement. Calcium comes naturally
in milk, cheese and other dairy products as well as leafy green
vegetables - foods that many people do not consume in adequate
amounts.
By 2020, half of all Americans older than 50 will be at risk for
fractures from osteoporosis and low bone mass if immediate action
isn't taken by individuals at risk, according to the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services.
Some 10 million Americans age 50 and older have osteoporosis and
34 million are at risk, according to a federal report. Each year,
roughly 1.5 million people suffer a bone fracture related to osteoporosis.
As eating habits change, Dickinson said the populations at risk
are broadening.
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Osteo
is sold at select local markets and retails for just over
$2.00 per bottle. (IJ photo/Alan Dep)
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"Osteoporosis
is an epidemic among children and teenagers in the United States,"
Dickinson said, adding that calcium is key to building healthy
bones in young people. "It's really important for children and
teens to build the calcium stores.
"Only 13.5 percent of girls and 36.3 percent of boys from 12 to
19 years old in the United States get the recommended daily amount
of calcium, according to the health department.
Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development, said preventing bone disease begins
in childhood.
"With low calcium intake levels during these important bone growth
periods, today's children and teens are certain to face serious
public health problems in the future," Alexander said.
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There
are products on the market such as orange juice that have small
amounts of calcium blended, in but not to the extent that Osteo
provides.
Sheila Wagner, a Larkspur nutritionist and physical therapist,
said she was not familiar with Osteo but said calcium supplements
can be beneficial to women and people who do not eat a lot of
dairy products.
Osteoblast Beverages LLC is a privately held company financed
by Dickinson. He wants to build the products in the Bay Area,
and once he is established locally, he hopes to bring in investors
to broaden distribution nationally.
Dickinson, 51, has been an orthopedic surgeon for 18 years and
has been in private practice in San Francisco and Greenbrae since
1990.
He is working with Wyck Hay, a founder of the herb tea producer
Celestial Seasonings, to market the beverages. Hay also founded
KaBoom Beverages Inc., an organic energy booster. He sold a major
interest in the company to a Scottsdale, Ariz., investment group
in 2006.
Dickinson said sales at Woodlands Market in Kentfield and Paradise
Foods in Corte Madera are going well. He is in talks with other
retailers in the county and sells in markets in the South Bay.
Osteo can also be purchased at California Pacific Orthopaedics
and Sports Medicine office at 1240 S. Eliseo Drive in Greenbrae
and at 3838 California St. in San Francisco. The markets and other
sites sell about three cases a week.
Glenn Dal Porto, assistant store manager at Woodlands Market,
said people come into the store specifically for Osteo.
"It seems like it's pretty popular," Dal Porto said. "It's something
that we have been requested to carry."
Dickinson is using his own money to get Osteoblast up and running
and attractive to outside investors.
"Companies like this take a while to become profitable",
Dickinson said. "It would be nice to break even in 2008, but I
probably won't."
He says his business is a winner now, whether or not it's profitable.
"If we can educate people more about the need for calcium, I've
accomplished something," he said.
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