It’s to be expected that Racquel Z. LeGeros (GSAS ’57, ’67) has more than one friend over 60 who has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, the crippling bone disease. What is remarkable is that the NYU College of Dentistry professor has come up with a supplement that promises to be not only safe and affordable, but may actually build bone mass and prevent fractures in the 10 million Americans (mostly women) who suffer from osteoporosis.

LeGeros says her friends are using a class of prescription drugs called bisphosphonates, notably Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva, which slow the rate of bone thinning. But these drugs may or may not promote bone growth and come with side effects. “My friends are getting worried,” she says. “That’s why they are asking me if they can start taking the supplement right now.”

LeGeros is clear that “much work needs to be done” to continue testing her formula, which combines zinc, magnesium and fluoride in a calcium-phosphate matrix. Phase-one trials on rats subject to diet-induced osteoporosis showed that rodents given a dose of the supplement – .6 percent of their diet – actually gained bone thickness, while rats deprived of the supplement suffered bone loss. But because her supplement may not be considered a drug, FDA review may not be required. “It’s very simple and would be inexpensive,” says LeGeros, a professor of biomaterials and biomimetics and implant dentistry. “And we don’t anticipate it will have any side effects.”

Another potential use for the supplement: correcting mineral-deficient diets in developing-world countries, says LeGeros, whose research was funded by a $2 million grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institute of Health.