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Calcium
and Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease
affecting more than 25 million Americans where 80% of them
are women. Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is caused by low
bone mass and the structural deterioration of bone tissue,
leading to bone fragility and an increased susceptibility
to fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist. Fifty percent
of all women over age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related
fracture in their lifetime. A Caucasian woman's risk of
hip fracture is equal to her risk of breast, uterine, and
ovarian cancers combined. The incidence of osteoporosis
in men is rising. In fact, 20% to 25% of all hip fractures
in the United States occur in men, and as in women, the
chance of occurrence increases dramatically with age. Because
of the aging population, the incidence of hip fractures
is expected to triple by the year 2040.
In the United States, approximately 21%
of postmenopausal Caucasian and Asian women, 16% of Hispanic
women, and 10% of African-American women have osteoporosis.
An additional 38% of American women over the age of 50 Years
have ostea (the beginning stages of osteoporosis.)
Why are so many women at risk for osteoporosis?
A decreased estrogen level beginning at menopause is associated
with accelerated bone loss, especially from the lumbar spine,
for about five years. During this period a woman may lose
an average of 3% of her skeletal mass per year! Additionally,
lower estrogen levels may decrease calcium absorption and
increase rates of bone turnover.
Bone is an active tissue that is constantly
undergoing "remodeling" that involves resorption
(old bone is removed) and formation (new bone is formed).
The rate of remodeling in children can be as high as 50%
per year compared to about 5% in adults. Until the age of
30 or so, we build and store bone efficiently. Then, as
part of the aging process, bones begin to break down faster
than new bone can be formed. If bone calcium stores are
not sufficient, as the aging process takes over, the risk
of osteoporosis increases.
Moreover, since bone serves as a "bank"
for calcium and other minerals, as blood levels of calcium
fall, the mineral is pulled out of the bone via resorption.
When blood calcium levels rise, the mineral can be redeposited
into the bones in the formation phase. If more calcium is
pulled out of the bone than is put into, osteoporosis can
occur.
In addition to calcium, magnesium
and vitamin D are also needed to prevent osteoporosis. According
to experts, calcium increases bone density, but magnesium
is involved in the construction of the matrix, a flexible
scaffold into which bone tissue is deposited. The matrix
allows the skeleton to absorb bone-fracturing shocks. Vitamin
D plays an important role in the body's absorption and use
of calcium.
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Calcium
and Blood Pressure
In a review of 22 studies, calcium supplementation
was found to reduce blood pressure modestly in adults with
hypertension, or high blood pressure, but had little effect
on people with normal blood pressure. Findings from the
recent DASH study (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
suggest that a diet high in calcium, magnesium, and potassium,
and lower in sodium and fat, can lower high blood pressure
significantly.
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Calcium
and Pre-eclampsia
Calcium is now recognized as a treatment
for pre-eclampsia, or pregnancy-included hypertension. In
a review of 14 studies, pregnant women who supplemented
with 1,500 to 2,000 milligrams of calcium per day had a
significant lowering of both their systolic (the top number
in a blood pressure reading) and diastolie (the lower number)
blood pressure. In another study of 82 pregnant women, those
who consumed more than 900 milligrams of calcium had lower
blood pressure than those who consumed less calcium.
Getting adequate amounts of calcium
when pregnant can also save your baby's bones. A study at
the University of Tennessee showed that women who consumed
fewer than 600 milligrams of the mineral per day during
pregnancy had babies with 15 percent less bone density than
babies born to women who consumed up to 2,000 milligrams
of calcium per day.
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Calcium
and Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is one of the most common
cancers in the Western world. Research has shown that colon
cancer incidence rates are inversely proportional to calcium
intake - as intakes go up, cancer rates go down. One study
indicates that most cases of colon cancer may be prevented
with regular calcium intake for men and women around 1,800
milligrams and 1,000 milligrams per 1,000 calories per day,
respectively, along with 800 lUs of vitamin D per day.
New findings indicate that calcium
may help reduce the recurrence of colon polyps (benign tumors
that often turn cancerous). Researchers studied 930 people
who had previously had colon polyps surgically removed.
Hall of the group took 1,200 milligrams of calcium carbonate
per day, and the other hall received a placebo. After four
years, 7 percent fewer people in the calcium group developed
at least one new polyp compared to those taking the placebo.
Researchers suspect that calcium may prevent polyp formation
by binding to carcinogens and thereby inhibiting abnormal
cell growth.
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Calcium
and Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
In a study of 466 premenopausal women,
ages 18 to 45, who
suffered from recurring premenstrual syndrome (PMS), supplementing
with calcium carbonate lessened the symptoms. Researchers
gave
each woman either 600 milligrams of calcium carbonate or
a placebo twice a day for three menstrual cycles. By the
third treatment cycle, those taking the calcium supplements
reported a 48 percent reduction in overall symptoms during
the two weeks prior to their menstrual cycle. Those taking
the placebo, however, reported only a 30 percent reduction.
The symptoms that improved included depression, mood swings,
anxiety, water retention, breast tenderness, cramps, food
cravings, and headaches.
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Calcium
Supplements
Most Americans do not get the calcium
they need. According to a recent statement from the National
Institutes of Health, only about 25% of boys and 10% of
girls meet the RDA levels of calcium consumption. Additional
calcium may keep your bone strong and blood healthy. Calcium
comes in a variety of forms, including carbonate, citrate,
citrate malate, gluconate, phosphate, lactate, and microcrystalline
hydroxyapatite. Calcium is also available in fortified foods
such as juice, chocolates, yogurt, and cereal. Some calcium
sources are better than others, and some are cheaper.
The following are some information helping
you to choose and take the appropriate calcium supplement:
- Calcium carbonate is generally the
cheapest form of calcium because it's the most concentrated
and therefore, fewer supplements are necessary. It should
be taken with meals to increase absorption.
- Calcium citrate malate (CCM) is available
in tablet form and in fortified juice. The low calcium content
requires a greater number of tablet per day (2-5 tabs) and
it's more expensive. However, studies have shown that this
particular form of calcium is the best absorbed. Typically,
people absorb 35% of the calcium in this form, versus 30%
of the calcium in calcium carbonate and other supplements.
The citrate portion may also help reduce the risk of kidney
stones.
- Calcium citrate and calcium lactate
can be taken between meals.
Well, if you are too lazy to go out there
and find the best calcium supplement out of the hundreds
different brand names, I can tell you that you will not
go wrong with the Adva-Cal Advanced Calcium from Lane Labs.
This calcium is in CCM form for the highest absorption rate
and also contains extra vitamin C, vitamin D, magnesium
oxide, zinc and HAI amino acid extract(from sea algae).
Click
here for Adva-Cal Advanced Calcium from Lane Labs. (180
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