Calcium Supplement : Friend Or Enemy

[IronFist]

"Calcium has become extremely popular to supplement with, especially amongst older women, in the hope that it will prevent 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, a serious condition affecting at least 10% of American women. (1) Yet the evidence that calcium supplementation strengthens the bones and teeth was never strong to begin with, and has grown weaker with new research published in the past few years. A 2012 analysis of NHANES data found that consuming a high intake of calcium beyond the recommended dietary allowance, typically from supplementation, provided no benefit for hip or lumbar vertebral bone mineral density in older adults. (2) And a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that calcium supplements don’t reduce fracture rates in older women, and may even increase the rate of hip fractures. (3)

Beyond being ineffective for bone health, calcium supplements are associated with some pretty serious health risks. 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 large study of 24,000 men and women aged 35–64 years published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2012 found that those who used calcium supplements had a 139% greater risk of heart attack during the 11-year study period, while intake of calcium from food did not increase the risk. (4) A meta-analysis of studies involving more than 12,000 participants also published in BMJ found that calcium supplementation increases the risk of heart attack by 31%, stroke by 20% and death from all causes by 9%. (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% increase in the risk of death from CVD. (6) Researchers suspect that the large burst 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 bones, but rather excreted in the urine, increasing the risk of calcium kidney stones, or circulated in the blood, where it might attach to atherosclerotic plaques in arteries or heart valves. (8)

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 1000 milligrams is associated with increased prostate cancer risk and an increase in kidney stones. (10) Additionally, a recent Swedish study reported a 40% higher risk of death among women with high calcium intakes (1400 mg and above), and a 157% higher risk of death if those women were taking a 500 mg calcium supplement daily, compared to women with moderate daily calcium intakes (600-1000 mg). (11) A Consumer Lab analysis found that many of the calcium supplements they analyzed failed quality testing, including lead contamination and mislabeled contents. (12)

http://chriskresser.com/calcium-sup...5c110d4811f6400c869be73facc282e436322a445b63a

 

[IronFist]

I was reading this last night and i became confused as to why the author did mention the need for vitamin K2.

As it pertains to vitamin k2 you need it tolerate large does of calcium. certain high calcium foods like milk should come package with the right amount of k2 (mk-4) to help with the calcium there and then. ironic thing is it doesnt nowadays with farming, etc.

Nowadays it depends on the food the cow consumed, etc. animal produce contains mk-4 (k2), which has a short life in the body and is needed in big doses of mk-4. on another note, mk-7 is formulated by bacteria in the gut it also has a longer life and is effective in small doses. Natto is supposed to be the richest source as it pertains to this. Gouda is next best thing when it comes to mk-7 due largely to it bacterial process

 

[Brown Ant]

It's harmful and useless for benefits to health. All you need to do is eat green vegetables and get sunlight and you don't need any 'calcium' besides that.

 

[IronFist]

^you believe that

sidenote: Studies indicate that proper k2 supplementation can reverse all the problems associated with improper calcium metabolism

 

[Slaimon Khan Shah]

Drink milk.