I’ve come to believe, through my experience treating hundreds of patients, that many of us benefit from supplementation even if we’re eating a nutrient-dense, whole-foods diet. Some nutrients are challenging to get through food alone due to challenges like declining soil quality, a growing toxic burden, an increase in digestive issues and chronic diseases that interfere with nutrient absorption, and several other factors that are now common in the modern world. The latest statistics suggest that most Americans don’t get enough of several essential vitamins and minerals, and low nutrient intake is associated with a higher risk of chronic disease and a shorter lifespan.
That said, there are some nutrients that we need to be careful with when supplementing. More is not always better, and the specific form of the nutrient in the supplement can make a big difference in how it impacts us. This doesn’t mean that we should never take these nutrients as supplements, but it does mean that we have to be smart about how we supplement with them.
Calcium supplements are a prime example of this.
Do Calcium Supplements Work?
Calcium has become extremely popular as a supplement, especially among aging women, in the hope that it will prevent fractures and protect against osteoporosis.
We’ve all seen the products on the market aimed at the “worried well,” such as Viactiv and Caltrate, suggesting that supplementing with calcium can help maintain bone health and prevent osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a serious concern in women’s health, and it affects at least 10 percent of American women. (1) Yet the evidence that calcium supplementation strengthens the bones and teeth was never strong to begin with, and it has grown weaker with new research published in the past few years.
Are you taking a common supplement that may increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and death? Read this article to find out. #bonehealth #heartdisease #nutritionalsupplements
A 2012 analysis found that consuming a high amount of calcium beyond recommended dietary guidelines, typically from supplementation, provided no benefit for hip or lumbar vertebral bone mineral density in older adults. (2) A 2007 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that calcium supplements don’t reduce fracture rates in postmenopausal women and may even increase the rate of hip fractures. (3)
Are Calcium Supplements Safe?
Beyond being ineffective for bone health, standard calcium supplements are associated with some pretty serious health risks.
Heart Disease Risk
Studies on the relationship between calcium and cardiovascular disease (CVD) suggest that dietary intake of calcium protects against heart disease, but supplemental calcium may increase the risk. A 2012 study of 24,000 men and women aged 35 to 64 years published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that those who used calcium supplements had a 139 percent greater risk of heart attack during the 11-year study period, while intake of food calcium did not increase the risk. (4) A meta-analysis of studies involving more than 12,000 people also published in the BMJ found that calcium supplementation increases the risk of:
- Heart attack by 31 percent
- Stroke by 20 percent
- Death from all causes by 9 percent (5)
An analysis involving 12,000 men published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that intakes of over 1,000 mg of supplemental calcium per day—from multivitamins or individual supplements—were associated with a 20 percent increase in the risk of death from CVD. (6) Researchers suspect that the increase of calcium in the blood that occurs after supplementation may facilitate the calcification of arteries, whereas calcium obtained from food is absorbed at slower rates and in smaller quantities than from supplements. (7) It is also suspected that extra calcium intake above one’s requirements is not absorbed by the bones, but is excreted in the urine, increasing the risk of calcium kidney stones. The excess calcium could also be circulated in the blood, where it might attach to atherosclerotic plaques in arteries or heart valves. (8)
Cancer, Kidney Stones, and Other Health Risks
The Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health has compiled a comprehensive review of the health risks associated with excess calcium, particularly from supplementation. (9)
For example, daily supplementation of calcium at 1,000 mg is associated with increased prostate cancer risk and an increase in kidney stones. (10)
Additionally, a recent Swedish study reported a 40 percent higher risk of death among women with high calcium intakes (1,400 mg and above), and a 157 percent higher risk of death if those women were taking a 500-mg calcium supplement daily. Those rates were compared to women with moderate daily calcium intakes between 600 and 1,000 mg. (11) A Consumer Lab analysis found that many of the calcium supplements they analyzed failed quality testing for reasons including lead contamination and mislabeled contents. (12)
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Other Forms of Calcium Supplementation
Even if you’re not popping a calcium pill every morning, that doesn’t mean you’re not consuming supplemental calcium. Many commonly consumed foods in the United States are fortified with supplemental forms of calcium, including:
- Orange juice
- Breakfast cereals
- Non-dairy milk
- Bread
- Instant oatmeal
- Graham crackers
- Other staples of the Standard American Diet
While these foods are typically eliminated on a whole-foods or Paleo diet, it’s important to pay attention to whether some of your fridge staples, such as commercial almond, coconut, or other varieties of non-dairy milk, are fortified with calcium. You may be consuming more supplemental calcium than you realize.
In addition, many multivitamins contain high doses of cheap or inferior forms of calcium that are not well absorbed. This can lead to an accumulation of calcium in the soft tissues (where we don’t want it), which in turn contributes to the adverse effects discussed in this article.
Not all multivitamins are created equal. When I formulated Adapt Naturals Bio-Avail Multi, I included a minimal dose (50 mg) of calcium, which is only 4 percent of the total daily requirement. I also used di-calcium malate, a highly bioavailable form of calcium that is much better absorbed than calcium carbonate and other forms of calcium.
Bio-Avail Multi also contains meaningful doses of vitamins A, D, and K2, as well as magnesium. Each of these nutrients plays critical roles in calcium metabolism and bone health and may be even more important for improving bone health than increasing calcium intake—at least for some people.
Vitamin E is another important nutrient for bone health—but here, I’m referring to delta- and gamma-tocotrienols, a newly discovered form of vitamin E, rather than alpha-tocopherol, the more common form that is in most supplements. Tocotrienols have several positive effects on bone health: they decrease bone resorption, increase bone turnover rate, and improve osteoblast number, bone formation, mineral deposition, and bone microarchitecture. Adapt Naturals Bio-Avail E+ contains 300 mg of delta- and gamma-tocotrienols (with no tocopherols), sourced from the annatto plant. Taken together with Bio-Avail Multi, you can have confidence that you’re getting the nutrients you need for optimal bone health.
The Safest Ways to Get Enough Calcium
If you’re concerned about keeping your bones healthy, you’re better off getting your calcium from food sources like:
- Dairy products
- Canned, bone-in fish (e.g., sardines, salmon, etc.)
- Dark, leafy greens
- Seeds (especially poppy and sesame)
- Almonds
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium for adult men and women is 1,000 mg—or approximately three servings of dairy products or bone-in fish per day. Pregnant and lactating women, and adults 70 and older, need 1,200 mg per day.
It’s critical to understand that healthy bone formation also depends on other nutrients like vitamins A, D, and K2, and minerals like magnesium and silica, each of which plays a role in regulating calcium metabolism. Some research suggests that consuming optimal levels of these nutrients may reduce the amount of calcium you need each day, due to their synergistic effects. Regular weight-bearing exercise can also make a big difference for maintaining healthy bones. (13)
Thanks for the article! But what about when you are breastfeeding? I keep getting told that breastfeeding is sucking the calcium from my bones so I need extra at this time. I have had 2 children close in age and been breastfeeding the whole time. Does one need extra calcium in that situation? Thank you!
See my reply above. Eat salmon with the bones. Or bone broth. Or fermented, full-fat dairy. Or all of the above.
I did a paper on the risk of CVD in 65 yr + women talking Ca supplements in nursing school. I wish I had some of this info. It is validating to see we shared some studies! Thanks for this!
Chris, what is your opinion on taking a calcium supplement temporarily in order to block cortisol levels (to lose weight)? This is regarding my husband who is working on tactics to get stress-levels under control, and the calcium supplement was recommended for him to try.
Thanks!
I had two parathyroid adenomas removed a few months ago, and the Drs there recommend Citrical for life. I am more worried about the consequences of taking calcium supplements than I am about whatever risk there may be to me in not taking them, so am drinking raw milk, not taking calcium supplements. Otherwise following the PHD with recommended supplements. Hope this is an okay path for me to follow. I do get that low calcium tingling in my gums and mouth pretty frequently.
Eating fish bones is a great option for those that need additional calcium. This study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20646299) showed that calcium in salmon bones are well absorbed. The easiest way to do this is to buy canned salmon with the bones still in it from a place like Vital Choice.
What do you think of dolomite as a natural calmag source?
I read your article and am a bit confused. My calcium is very low along with my magnesium and vitamin D3 (almost dangerously low). My doctor gave me a powder form of Calcium Citrate to take twice a day (1 scoop equals 500 mg). This is based on my blood work – I have a lower back issue (sciatic nerve is pinched between my vertebra). The supplements aren’t to be taken indefinitely only until my numbers increase to normal. I also have been eating more leafy greens, etc.
Nancy
Nancy, your doctor could well be misreading your blood tests. High calcium levels in the blood can mean your bones are leaching calcium and thus, the blood is carrying it away, possibly to the joints where it will cause problems. Low calcium levels can actually mean that your calcium is good – bones are not leaching. Be sure to get another opinion and preferably from a doctor who has been educated in this fact, which is not taught in most AMA medical schools.
Nancy, if you mean your serum (blood) levels of calcium are high, it could be that you have hyperparathyroidism, which is caused by a benign tumor on one of the parathyroid glands. You might read up at http://www.parathyroid.com and talk to your doc of the possibility! Unaddressed, it can wreak havoc on your health and bones.
I’ve stopped using all canned food because of fear of what might have leached out of the can and into my food.
I now cook sardines, bone in, in the pressure cooker so the bones go soft to eat.
I’m curious what calcium supplements were used in these studies- were they limestone based or foodbased? I’m not arguing with the idea that people oversupplement on everything, including calcium, but am mainly curious of the forms of calcium supplementation. For example, there are some that are algae based, and include Vitamin K in the claim that it will direct the calcium to the bone and not the arteries. Thoughts?
Why not just get calcium from food, rather than food-based supplements? The studies covered a variety of forms of supplemental calcium, but they weren’t designed to detect differences between the forms.
I agree with Chris that synthetic calcium supplements are questionable. That said, I could not argue with the results that people got through calcium supplements doing RBTI. From an RBTI standpoint, using calcium supplements without regard to body chemistry is a hit or miss game. For example, people using using calcium lactate with an acidic pH are doing more harm than good in that it will tend drive down the pH.
What about this study Chris?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2621390/
Hello Chris? Would really appreciate your interpretation of the study I linked above. Thanks in advance.
Hi Kris! Do you know if the algae based calcium is a good idea, couldn’t find it in the comments? I know you say from food, but when I eat dairy, my fibro/RA/Sjogren’s worsens a great deal (guess it’s the lectins or a sensitivity)? I’m borderline osteoporotic from the Prednisone they had me on for uveitis (that I stopped, why I did it I don’t know), and my hip density keeps decreasing, though I’m premenopausal (and according to dr’s, my ‘hormones’ will fix everything). I can do weight bearing exercise and sunshine (though MEGA UV rays exposed where I live, it’s always high)… I actually tried of these algae derived ones and it flared my uveitis, wish there was one I could take b/c I need extra supplementation to gain bone mass, I’m told.
Great information and I will certainly be forwarding on to certain family members…
What are your thoughts on calcium citrate supplementation to limit oxalate absorption? I’m hoping that my over-absorption of oxalates is a temporary issue, due to leaky gut and fat malabsorption – but I’m trying to balance the risk/benefit of taking calcium citrate for a time to help lower it.
Erin, I have the exact same question. My urinary oxalate levels were more than 3 times above normal, and I’ve had 3 kidney stones. I’ve been using 100-200 mg calcium citrate with most meals to help bind the oxalates in my food. But, having had my gallbladder removed, I’m wondering if fat malabsorption might be a big factor for me, along with leaky gut. (I also have a major autoimmune disease.)
It was recommended to me to take Calcium D Glucarate for my fat mal absorption
I wanted to mention this too. I see an abundance of comments with a lot of varied questions that will be hard for Dr. Kresser to address them all, but my own direct concern is about oxalates.
I’ve been keeping track of my nutrient intakes and always noticed that Calcium tended to be “low” when compared to the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), precisely around 650mg in my case and always convinced myself it was Ok because I take in sufficient vits. D & K, other minerals qne sunshine, but was blindsided by the high intake of oxalates too, which the food-tracking software I use ignores completely. But I realized I took plenty of them, from Spinach and other dark-leafy greens, nuts and even dark chocolate.
I have been studying the possibility of supplementing Ca, but for now trying bone-in canned sardines once weekly, Salmon and also have taken to occasionally drink milk, which I didn’t before, in order to increase Ca, but still remain under the RDA.
Others I can’t seem to get in enough quantities (according to RDA) are Potassium, Vit E and often too Mg.
Chris,
Great article!
Your readers need to know that Magnesium is Nature’s physiologic Calcium Channel Blocker. This has been widely studied and documented in numerous peer-reviewed articles that start in the 1960’s (Altura/Altura, Iseri, etc.) and proceed all the way to the present day with Bolland & Reid (2010, 2011, 2012). The gig is up on Calcium as a supplement. In fact, it’s the fastest way to calcify the human body.
As you well know, there are at least 18+ nutrients needed to make healthy bone matrix. Calcium is but one of them, and the mineral that is ALWAYS overlooked is Magnesium! Why?… It does too much in the human body. There are 3,571 proteins that MUST have Mg to work, there are 350-500 enzymes that won’t work without Mg, in fact, ALL 150 Kinase Enzymes MUST have Mg to work — these are the enzymes that make all 100 trillion cells of our body work, btw, and finally, 98% of the ATP that runs our body & cellular functions MUST be attached to Mg. Why? It doesn’t work otherwise. Period.
Now the key to Osteoporosis is fascinating… Osteoblasts ONLY build bone matrix in an alkaline environment. In order to ensure that the bone stays alkaline requires the use of a key enzyme called: Alkaline Phosphatase. Any one want to guess what divalent, non-oxidant, metabolic mineral is REQUIRED?!? Yup, you guessed it: Magnesium!
It’s worth noting in your next blog on bone loss… It’s all about Magnesium…
Cheers!
I concur. Magnesium appears to be the poor cousin of calcium and to a less extent Vitamin D, mostly because of the media and industry advertising. And yet, it’s used in life-saving procedures in trauma, obstetrics and more. There are plenty of reasons for this. For one, Magnesium is a muscle mineral – affecting smooth muscles such as the heart. It’s found in the soft tissues and organs mostly, hence blood tests are not an accurate diagnosis of deficiency. Magnesium \ Calcium ratios are not balanced properly in many people. Soils are used and reused and contain less and magnesium – and magnesium is not always a common component in commercial fertiliser either.
If anyone knows of Mark Hyman MD, one of his secret weapons for patients is magnesium. I’ve also been put on a course of Mg myself and it was potentially life changing!
The dairy lobby and has a lot to answer for in my opinion.
Yes, Morley! You sound like my chiropractor. All along they have said 1:1 – now, it’s even suggested 2:1 Mag/cal. However, there are genetics involved too – and hormones (progesterone) I have a great alkaline environment — but, at 66 years young I do have osteopenia – on the scale just below osteoporosis. My mother died from causes related to osteoporosis. All but one of my 6 sisters have osteopenia. We grew up in the country with lots of fresh veggies from our garden and hand-picked fruit. No computer to sit in front of but running, biking playing outside. I recently began using a rebounder instead of running for more osteoblasts. But I betcha magnesium is lacking in all our cases, and probably D3 and many other important bone-building minerals, along with progesterone..No one has mentioned boron, but that’s important too. Now, after all this new information, I’ll be getting out all my previous notes and tweaking them. God does not make junk — we make junk out of what began as a very beautiful, well-working system by all the crap we put into our bodies because of all the crap we’ve been given from the medical community and made to believe ‘they knew best’. People drink too much soda/pop – there’s another bone eater! I’m even beginning to wonder about bone scans! But magnesium is so very important — just stay away from magnesium oxide — it’s worthless (80% worthless)!
What form of “calcium” were used in these studies? citrate? chelated? lactate? carbonate? oyster shell?
gluconate? or some other form?
This is mindful of the report that came out that vitamin E was useless. Turns out the researcher used synthetic E, formulated in a lab, which is totally useless. The natural E has been saving lives for decades.
There are so many different studies of calcium presented here. The reporting is an all inclusive indictment.
It is too bad. The truth lies somewhere between the extremes you present.
I think you make a great point Mary and that was my question too!
I recently read the book Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox, which I think adds insight to this.
I occasionally recommend calcium supplements to my clients, but very specifically, and not without the needed magnesium, vitamin D, and K2 in complement.
I’m far from being an expert but I do think that you make a good point as well. There are forms that are probably more easily absorbed by the body than others and those should not be put into the same category. Of course getting vitamins and minerals from food sources is always best. The problem is that our fruits and vegetables where you would get a good portion of your vitamins and minerals are sorely depleted of what we need., unless of course you grow your own or can purchase organic. I’ve just started on this water supplement x2o that has highly active minerals in it and is helping my body to become more alkaline then acidic. I strongly believe I’m getting the minerals I need from the sachet I put in my water and am so glad for it, but again, not being a chemist or an expert I don’t know. I just know how it makes me feel.
What about the drugs prescribed for osteoporosis such as Actonel? Are they safe?
Hi Chris, what is your opinion about collagen supplements. My mother bought collagen drops that were being sold on a radio health program. When I looked at the label, I found a lot of added chemicals and an incomplete nutritional facts sheet. Does supplementing with collagen help the bones of older women? Do you recommend any collagen supplements or advise against them?
Collagen helps maintain joints, hair, and nails, not bone. The best and cheapest way to get collagen is from bone broths that use the bones of pasture-raised animals, because they always include all the mineral co-factors required to integrate the collagen into joints. The next best and cheapest way to get collagen is with powdered, beef gelatin, bought online.
Calcium of course is also more a factor of your acid/alkaline balance as your body will tend to deplete itself of calcium if there is too much acid, and the modern diet is certainly acid heavy.
In terms of nutrient supplementation my personal philosophy is that there are so many nutrients that we don’t know about yet. So many important ones have only really been discovered and I think this is the tip of the iceberg. I try to consume nutrient powerhouses so that I know I am getting all the known and unknown nutrients. i wrote a post where I came up with a micronutrient factor which is a number that identifies those foods with the most nutrients in them. It seems organ meats, and green vegetables (almost exclusively) can give you 99.9% of your nutrients and in huge quantities so my new goal is to aim for these predominantly.
I don’t think there’s good evidence for acid-base theories of osteoporosis are they relate to acidity/alkalinity from the diet
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114717/
Especially in regards to protein
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/3/391.long
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs394-001-8350-8?LI=true
We can regulate our pH by the bicarbonate buffering system and simply breathing out more CO2, both systems seem very simple. If you were to make a case for acidity >> osteoporosis, you might want to begin with pathology (metabolic acidosis, respiratory acidosis and lactic acidosis (not from exercise))
http://thepaleopremise.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/calcium-in-calcium-out.html
Timely article, I’ve always believed that Calcium deficiency was more of a result of a poor digestion (due to food sensitivities/allergies, etc), vitamin D deficiency, and a lack of liberal quantities of dark leafy greens in the diet. We’ve been brainwashed to believe that we need a multivitamin, Cal-Mag supplement when women become older, or that we need to consume lots of milk and cheese – nice to see the other side being discussed.
You are spot on Doc, but keep in mind that the type of calcium being supplemented is critical. Calcium citrate and calcium lactate are highly bioavailable, while the mosts commonly used and cheapest to produce, calcium carbonate takes 12 steps to be converted to calcium bicarbonate (the form the body can use). Hence a myriad of studies showing Ca supps are harmful are testing the WRONG calcium. Devils in the details. Impaired digestion is the first challenge (stomach too alkaline) then Vit D is needed to pull the (converted) calcium out of digestion into blood serum, then EFAs are needed to pull the calcium out of serum into the tissues where it is needed.
From my research calcium carbonate and calcium citrate provide different functions. Citrate is more of a builder of bones, carbonate helps to keep bones from leaching out calcium, so I ascertained that a combination form of calcium is best That is why the natural red algae seems the most advantageous, as it is natural.
Sounds great unless you are lactose intolerant like I am. I also have IBS and osteoporosis so my doctor told me I have to take calcium. I tried New Chapter Bone Strength algae based supplement and stopped because of the terrible gas, bloating and cramping it gave me. Not sure if it was from the algae or from something else in the pill.
Helen, I had osteoporosis as well. I very gradually started to build bones by walking around the house and then in my neighborhood with weighted vest. Be sure to do this gradually, very gradually (start with a few minutes or your knees will hurt). After two years I can walk for a mile or two with two twenty pound vests, carrying a twenty pound weight in one hand as I hold leashes for my two dogs with my other hand. Osteoporosis is gone completely. The bone specialist does not believe my progress is because of the weights. They think my initial measurements were incorrect–but I had them done twice a year apart. Be sure to buy a neoprene exercise belt to hoist the weighted vest and keep it close to your rib so that your shoulders are not weighed down. This also helped relieve my migraines and I lost 20 pounds without changing my diet. I was not even trying to lose the weight because I believed the weight was just a result of post menopausal natural slowing of metabolism. Win, win.
Thanks a lot Maureen for sharing your experience, vey interesting. So you did not change anything to your diet? The fact osteoporosis is completely gone is only due to the weights? Pretty amazing…
Yes, I did not change my diet at all. Just wore the weighted vest and lost the weight. You can start with a few pounds in he vest and add more as you become accustomed to weight. My new discovery is sea weed, kelp, etc to increase iodine. Helped with bloating, constipation, stiffness at back of neck, energy, headache. I feel fantastic. My daughter mentioned I may be iodine deficient because my hair seemed to be thinner recently. Still too early to see if any improvement in hair, but I cannot recommend sea vegetables enough!
Being too short for my weighted vest, I find the same problem of my shoulders really strained as I walk with the vest. I never thought to use an exercise belt to give it a lift–there are so many available, which one do you use?
Gold’s gym brand. It works well. Neoprene belt is also Gold’s gym but I ‘m sure any brand would work as well, I think.
There’s some interesting research on omega 3 FA (EPA) on reducing the incidence of osteoporosis. The FA reduces osteo clastic (bone degrading) activity while enhancing osteoblastic (bone building) activity. Overall goal should ultimately be reducing inflammation through diet.
I have osteoporosis and my knees starting to feel weak. My Dr. 2 years ago recomended to take calcium, but I didn’t. Now I am so confuse, reading all these comments about calcium. I am in the process to search to buy a good quality calcium to see if these will help me to keep sytrtong my knee bones, also I star to feel shoulders pains off and on. And I think that it can be related to the loss of calcium. I am a menopausal we woman and I need some help about calcium/magnesium and vit. D.
Thank you.
If your diet is pretty good and if you get about 600 mg calcium from diet you probably don’t need supplements. Try any brand weighted vest with only 4 of the 20 weights inserted. Then work up to the 20 weights. Don’t forget to use exercise neoprene belt to keep weights from hurting your shoulders. You can wear it around the house doing light housework, etc. or going for a walk. This weight bearing exercise and strengthen your bones. It’s been a life changer for me.
At my recent yearly checkup my doctor, too, gave me a script for calcium tablets. When I asked her some questions about nutrition, she referred me to the nurse-practitioner. This is why I rely on this site and others for the correct information.
Weight bearing exercises won’t do ANY good if you are not properly aligned. Bones must be aligned vertically in order to receive the benefit of gravity’s force on them. So stop wearing heeled shoes! Read hereandhere andherefor more info.
So as someone with a moderate case of scoliosis I shouldn’t bother??
No. Scoliosis normally only effects a portion of the spine. You can still work on properly aligning your spine to get the bone building benefits. Weight bearing exercises with proper alignment will still positively effect the rest of your joints that are susceptible to bone loss (hips, neck, etc.).
I guess I need to clarify that weight bearing exercises for the express purpose of building bone will not work if you are not properly aligned. I thought that would be implied since the topic of the blog post is calcium supplementation for bone loss. Having scoliosis does not mean you will not benefit from exercise in general.
Our chiropractor recommend temporarily taking a calcium supplement after a mild back injury, claimed it would help the healing process. Do you support that?
I doubt it’s necessary.
THANK YOU Chris.
Dear everyone,
Just realize the value of being vertical and drawing breath each day. Why is that not enough to make people want to eat a proper diet an exercise. So many lazy people, so many addicted people. We are at epidemic obesity rates with our children 🙁
Eat some Dulce, do a spinach and power green smoothie with coconut cream, eat a big grass fed elk steak. Exercise daily and then go take a run.
Just value life. You are only allowed one go round. In your current body anyway.
NO, not at all, unless supllement is made of food grade, biologically active, recognised by the body and most importantly calcium never would be absorbed if it come in isolated form and therefore only complimented with number of esential trace elements naturlly found in foods the calcium would benefit your body.
Go ahead and ignore a doctor because some article writer who cites unreliable studies said so. That makes perfect sense, everyone knows that the 4-16 years doctors go to school is just BS anyways right?
Actually, yes, it is good to ignore the doctors sometimes. While they go to school for many years and learn about anatomy, drugs and surgery, they do not learn much significantly at all about nutrition and how the body works. My husband was told no less than 8 times by 18 doctors that he was within a few days of dying. I mobilized with non-AMA learned biochemists and nutritionists and put him on a regimen that built up his blood and restored life to his dying organs. The doctors have all been shocked and surprised and tell me to keep doing what I’m doing, but they do not want to know what it is I did… threw away the prescription drugs (poisons) and turned to skilled practitioners of the human body… some of whom have been jailed for practicing medicine. Why? Because the AMA is broken and corrupt. They are great for emergency procedures (some times) but terrible and restoring health. If you want to put your life in the doctor’s hands be my guest. They have killed several of my loved ones with drugs. No thank you. Be brave. Take charge of your own life and learn something. You will be shocked at how little your arrogant doctor actually knows.
How much vitamin D should I be taking, especially during the winter months? Recently my blood work indicated I was somewhat deficient?
Thank you.
stay away from artificial vitamin D if you want to preserve your health. Go for sun, organic eggs, cod liver oil, no chemicals animal fat-all should be of highest quality.
Wrong. Get your levels checked first, then proceed according to your doctor’s suggestions, and/or you can find out more from the Vitamin D Council website. Studies have shown that healthy men use 3,000-4,000iu’s a day. Not everyone, especially this time of year can ‘go for sun’. CLO has more vitamin A than D in it…
Where are you getting 600 mg a day? That’s just over half what I understand the RDI of calcium to be.
in my search I found that indeed the body can accumulate no more than 150mg calcium per day
http://www.sljol.info/index.php/JFA/article/download/1837/1530 During skeletal growth and maturation which is until the early twenties in humans, Ca accumulates in the skeleton at a rate of 150mg per day. But we are forced to take 1000-1500mg where is 60% of content is chemical additived Ha! we are nourishing body with what??? This is RDA, Fda, sCIENCE, Medical professions! Whatever they have said DO the opposit! Corruption, profits, we are just numbers, control-their agenda.
Interesting article on inulin and CA absorption; however the article has not been published (not yet at least) right? Would like to have Chris’ feedback on the hypothesis that inulin helps CA absorption.
Elvira: In see two different issues that you’ve rightly stressed:
1. taking CA supplements sucks because it’s artificial CA, one’s body cannot absorb it properly (whatever the dose)
2. 1000-1500mg is an insanely high amount; even if it were natural CA, the body could not absorb that much.
Do you agree?
Elvira, The article that you referenced discusses bone absorption of calcium. This is not the only function of calcium in the body. I have been a practicing Chiropractor for over 26 years and I have found that short term calcium doses of 1000 to 1200mg per day can, in some cases, dramatically improve musculoskeletal conditions. And, before you accuse my of being a part of the “corruption, etc”. I send my patients to the local vitamin store to buy it. Also, you might want to be careful in putting you faith in the FDA. Remember, every prescribed drug that has caused injury in humans was first passed by the FDA as safe.
I totally agree David. Perhaps some people have been eating too many high calcium foods, or taking too much calcium in relation to other minerals or nutrients, but it’s so true that calcium is needed for so much more than just ‘the bones’.
If people become too deficient, calcium will be pulled from the bones for these other uses. And if they become extremely deficient, they’ll develop strong muscle cramps as a result of tetany. I used to have strong cramps in my feet — would bolt out of bed in severe pain and spasm. Magnesium didn’t do a thing to help…it wasn’t until I increased my calcium that these extremely painful cramps went away.
p.s. Elvira…no one’s “forcing” anyone to do anything. Sheesh.
Why, given the length of the this conversation hasn’t anyone proposed proper phrasing? Calcium is an element. It doesn’t come any other way, it just comes to you through the store or diet as part of of molecule.
Algae based calcium is metabolized the same as limestone although the studies that I found without conflicts did suggest that the inclusive mineral content could have had an impact.
Regardless, why not just eat correctly?
Because the calcium in supplements is not as bioavailable, meaning our body doesn’t absorb it too well, there must be larger quantities of it in the supplements so that we get any benefit out of it. Also it’s not about the mgs, it’s about the elemental calcium taken in which is what the calcium in our bodies is. This elemental calcium value is also typically tower than the mg dosges you are reading about. You can be skeptical about science and pharmaceuticals all you’d like but the fact of the matter is that people have been shifting to “organics” and worrying about the contents of such supplements only very recently and human health is worse than every today than it ever was in the past (the same past where people took all of these supplements). If people who wrote articles knew half of the things they were talking about or how to find a respectable and reliable study then doctors wouldn’t need to 4 years of med school plus anywhere up to 12 years after that of education to learn about what really happens in the body. Chosing not to listen to your doctor over “one pill a day” just because you read an article that has cited unreliable studies where the results (should you chose to read the study) are not even clear is stupidity. If you’re not getting enough calcium into your body and if your bones are getting weaker or your muscles are more fatigued then you should be taking a calcium supplement. It may not be an entire 2-3 pill dosage, you can always take one or two pills less, but you do need it. Don’t be stupid and ignore a doctor over a person who wrote some article. Journalism is equally corrupt and writers more likely to write about things that stir up a controversy than the pharmaceutical companies are likely to try to kill you slowly with drugs
Fantastic! I wrote an article on this just last week, this is definitely something everyone needs to know about!
Very timely. My doctor asked me to take calcium supplements and I looked at him skeptically and asked if there was really any proof that they helped. He said yes, but he would. I’ll stop them now. One less pill to take.
So how do I find a mineral supplement that doesn’t include calcium? I am taking mineral supplements prescribed by my functional nutritionist temporarily while I fix my gut problems, but I don’t want to have to buy 10 individual mineral supplements!
I cannot find any mineral supplements that do not include calcium, either. Most likely because there is a demand for calcium in supplement form, so it is added to EVERY multivitamin and multi-mineral out there! Perhaps that will change at some point soon, but what to do now?
I, personally, get my “mineral supplement” from bone broth because it is always recommended to get nutrients from food, and the minerals in bone broth are very bio available. I realize that you can’t always have bone broth, especially if you travel a lot, so supplementation is important. Lets hope that that demand changes.
I’m also curious if supplementation of other minerals could pose a problem, like calcium, as well. Hair analysis mineral testing is available for a couple hundred, but you need to understand how to interpret the results or have a practitioner who is experienced enough to interpret it. Always better to test, not guess. Then you can supplement only the minerals that you need.
By the way, do we know each other, Marisa?
Mariza you are right regarding common calcium supplement, but it doesnt mean you should completely ignore the fact that calcium perhaps the most abundant in the body and most used by the body mineral. In your gut problems actually calcium deficiency play big problem-calcium needs for muscle for contraction, passing nutrients throught he cell membrane…..
The question is ONE-where is that food grade real functional calcium that body recognises?
I have been searching this for years and eventually succeeded. at kingofminerals co uk
I stil wonder how one can think their body have enough calcium in store, how one cannot know that 90% calcium and 80% phosphorus are stored in bone reservior-means the body constantly uses them. I do believe public disappointed on common calcium supplements regardless of brands-all of them carbonate calcium chemically processed with chemical acids. Thus do plenty of harm but no any single benefit. But food doesnt provide you with sufficient level of calcium because dairy products fortified with synthetic version and pasteurizasion converts organic into inorganic calcium salts but remind yourself what calcium does in the body:
The value of calcium in metabolic processes can not be overstated, because in absence of this nutrient would not function normally nervous and cardiovascular systems, blood clotting would be violated, the production of enzymes and hormones would be violated, protein synthesis, muscle contractile activity, and, of course, largely would suffer one’s sceleton system. According to some data, a deficiency of this element directly leads to degeneration of nearly 150 different chronic diseases!
Go for real bioavailable as I have mentioned you once about site where it is on offer. activated liquid calcium
good luck!
I think Nutrigold’s product called Women’s Multi Gold has magnesium and multiple vitamins but not calcium. I could be wrong.
Nature Made has a product called Magnesium Bone Complex that has Magnesium, D3, and K2 only. I mail ordred this one recently for my wife. I doubt you can find these two products on shelves at grocery stores and pharmacies. I have looked for them at supplement specialty stores.
New Chapter and Megafood both provide excellent daily multivitamin’s that contain a very small amount of calcium, and even that is sourced from algae.
it seems like the author is suggesting that it is better to get your nutrition through the right foods rather than taking tablets.
You don’t have to worry about the little amount of calcium that multivitamins or non-calcium-specific supplements contain. this study is about people who take the daily recommended doses or more, meaning 800mg and up. Other vitamins/supplements often contain something like 15mg of calcium, which is insignificant.
My healthcare provider recommended slippery elm and probiotics to heal the intestinal tract.