Do calcium supplements do more harm than good?
Calcium: Good Or Bad?
Will calcium supplements help prevent osteoporosis?
That’s one of the questions that arrived in an e-mail I received from an HSI member named Sylvia who isn’t sure what or who to believe on the subject of calcium:
“I recently read an article in ‘Balanced Life’ that says calcium supplements are not required for osteoporosis. The writer goes on to say that supplements of calcium can actually do more harm than good – calcifying arteries, cartilage at the ends of the bones and muscle fibers, etc. Their suggestion was large amounts of Vitamin D (2000 – 3000 I.U.) for adults. The writer goes on to say that calcium is dangerous and toxic. If you could discuss this in one of your articles I would be very grateful.”
I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., to field this one, and this is what he had to say:
“I agree with Sylvia, and have treated patients along such lines for years. First, as I mentioned recently, I do not give calcium without magnesium. Actually, I only use the two alone (without even more ‘stuff’) for treating muscle cramps and bruxism (gnashing of teeth at night during sleep). Even in the case that a patient might just have a low blood level of calcium on lab testing, I still add magnesium.
“For osteoporosis Sylvia is dead-on: the treatment of osteoporosis is much more involved than just daily Tums. I also believe that the form of calcium used in antacids is even more of a problem, as it lowers the acid level (pH) in the stomach, necessary for digestion of many nutrients and proteins.
“Calcium without magnesium doesn’t occur in a natural human diet, so it shouldn’t be introduced to the body that way. Calcium alone has been found in several experiments to be improperly laid down in the body, even affecting arterial walls before setting up in bones.
“Unfortunately for those looking for the simplest solutions, the mineral calcium requires more than just magnesium: It also needs manganese, boron, silica, strontium, usually digestive enzymes, often additional betaine hydrochloride, and ALWAYS vitamin D (and high doses of that last one if a lot of calcium is swallowed). Most post-menopausal women also need, in many cases, additional progesterone (NOT Provera – just real, natural, identical-to-a-woman’s-own-molecule type, much safer-than-the-drug type progesterone).
“The form of calcium can also be an issue, besides its possible use as an antacid. Obviously, not all calcium salts are absorbed the same, and in some cases there are pretty big differences. However, it’s usually easier to acquire (and cheaper to take, per amount absorbed) in forms that may be less than the most absorbable types. By just taking a bit more of it, it’s not that big a deal (as long as the other ‘stuff’ is taken with it).
“So, the next time you see that sweet, gorgeous woman on TV delighting in the fact that her antacid medication ‘also has the calcium I need,’ remember that there’s quite a bit more to it. Sorry ’bout that, but like most women, Mother Nature tends to be a bit more complicated than a TV commercial.”
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
