Re: Calcium: Build a Better Body


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Calcium: Build a better body


By Renee Tomell
GateHouse News Service
Posted Jan 12, 2009 @ 11:03 PM
Last update Jan 12, 2009 @ 11:04 PM
Preserving bone health in women is not as simple as popping a calcium
pill. Surprisingly, ongoing research has yet to determine an exact mix
of minerals and dosages and how best to ensure they are being
absorbed. Here?s a look at what experts recommend to make stronger
bones a snap.

?In general, between 1,000 and 1,500 milligrams of calcium are
recommended daily,? said Kathleen Moline, a doctor of osteopathy in
family medicine with the Central DuPage Physician Group in Illinois.
?However, many Americans? diets do not supply enough calcium. The
median calcium intake is only 600 mg in post-menopausal women. Food is
the best source of calcium because of other essential nutrients found
in high-calcium food.?

Good article.
This matches my experience.

carole
www.cellsalts.net




She suggests dairy products, as well as certain green vegetables,
including collard greens, and calcium-fortified foods. For those with
lactose intolerance, lactose-free products are available.


?The amount of calcium you may need from a supplement depends on how
much you get from your food,? Moline said. ?People should assess their
dietary intake of calcium before supplementing.?


Vitamin D is essential for absorption of calcium, she explained,
noting she generally recommends 1,000 mg of calcium daily and 400 to
800 International Units of vitamin D in patients younger than 50.


For those older than 50, she suggests 1,200 mg of calcium with 800 to
1,000 IU of vitamin D.


?Some organizations recommend 1,500 mg of calcium in all women 65 and
older,? she said.
?If a supplement is needed, I recommend calcium carbonate (Caltrate or
TUMS) because it?s inexpensive and provides the most elemental
calcium. These should be taken with food: Eating food helps produce
more stomach acid, making the calcium more easily absorbed. Calcium
citrate (Citracal) can be taken at any time ? (it) does not need to be
taken with food ? and is preferred for patients taking acid-blocking
medications (such as) PPIs and H2 blockers. TUMS is not an acid-
blocker.?


In timing your calcium supplements, she notes that caffeine, for
example, can interfere with its absorption. It is best to take calcium
in divided doses for better absorption.


Dr. Natasha S. Akhter, an endocrinologist practicing at MacNeal
Hospital in Berwyn, Ill., suggests post-menopausal women take 1,500 mg
of calcium daily, split between breakfast, lunch and dinner, along
with up to 800 IU of vitamin D. She said vitamin D is still being
researched, adding, ?It might come up that we need (an even) higher
dose than what we are taking.?


Use supplements
While JR Carmany, a 20-year veteran of the natural foods industry and
owner of Soup to Nuts, an alternative grocery store in Geneva, Ill.,
recommends consuming as much calcium as possible in the diet, she
shares her preferences in calcium supplements.


She explains the body requires a complement of minerals for bone
health, plus nutrients that help transport the minerals into tissues
and bones.


?In addition to calcium, the body does require magnesium and boron,?
she said. ?It also needs vitamin C to move minerals. There may be more
that are not fully understood yet.?


She believes a high percentage of people lack the enzymes to digest
milk, making it an inefficient source of calcium.
Among supplements, one of her favorites is Country Life?s Nerve and
Osteo Support.


?It has a higher ratio of magnesium to calcium,? Carmany said, noting
multiple sources of magnesium are bonded with different amino acids
for better absorption. ?A lot of people I see are deficient in
magnesium.?


She said the supplement has five different types of calcium to give
the body five different options for absorption. Carmany said the
supplement also includes kelp, a seaweed rich in minerals, as well as
horsetail, an herb that grows in swamps and is high in silica and
other minerals.


?There?s an interesting study out of France that horsetail alone
reduced bone loss; they?re not sure why,? she said.


Vitamin D deficiency is widespread, she added, alerting people to look
for the D-3 form of the vitamin. She calls it ?the sunshine version,?
noting it is not always the type used in fortified food products.


Calcium also comes in liquid forms.
?A lot of my customers don?t digest very well,? Carmany said. ?Sixty
percent of the American population have stomach issues. I recommend
the liquid because it gets absorbed immediately, as soon as you put it
in your mouth. This is blueberry-flavored. We?ve had good results.
This is similar to Nerve and Osteo Support in that it has five
different types of calcium, five types of magnesium, and includes
vitamin D-3 and phosphorus, the whole complement necessary to make
bone.


?Absorption will differ from person to person, she said, warning
against a sedentary lifestyle. ?You can?t have strong bones by sitting
around and eating lettuce ? even walking can be a weight-bearing
exercise.?

Fresh veggies
?The most efficient way to get calcium into your body and absorbed is
to get it through your dark, green veggies: spinach, kale, collards,
beet and dandelion leaves,? Carmany said.
Recommending organic greens, she said, ?Steam them lightly ? just
enough to break down the tougher fibers ? just enough to make them
start to wilt.?
Because vitamin C improves calcium?s absorption, she suggests
drizzling the dish with lemon juice, garnishing with orange slices or
adding steamed carrots and onions; don?t microwave.

Rebuttal
While Carmany?s push for greens echoes recommendations by the Mayo
Clinic and Harvard School of Public Health, the National Osteoporosis
Foundation?s Web site said foods with high amounts of oxalate and
phytate reduce the absorption of calcium contained in those foods (and
can affect other medical conditions).


Spinach, rhubarb and beet greens are examples of foods high in
oxalate. Legumes, such as pinto beans, navy beans and peas, are high
in phytate. The NOF says you can reduce the phytate level in beans or
legumes by soaking them in water for several hours, discarding the
water, and then cooking them in fresh water.


It notes that items with 100 percent wheat bran are high in phytate,
the only food that appears to reduce the absorption of calcium in
other foods eaten at the same time, such as milk. Take any calcium
supplements at least two hours apart from it.


Other sources recommend taking magnesium separately from calcium
supplements, if possible. As far as dosage, Dr. Andrew Weil?s Web site
at www.drweil.com recommends taking magnesium supplements at half the
dose of your calcium supplement (he suggests calcium citrate).


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