Osteoporosis Myth: More Calcium Means Better Protection by Dr. J Ann Dunn

Conventional medicine says you need to take 1,500 mg of calcium every day to fight osteoporosis. But the truth is that the subject is a lot more complicated than that. There is some evidence that you probably don’t need to take any more than you’d find in a quality multivitamin.

A recent study looked at 310 participants from Iceland. The subjects were divided into groups based on how much calcium they consumed daily. Then the researchers measured the participants’ vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels.

PTH, which is made by your parathyroid glands, is critical for regulating the amount of calcium in your blood. If you’re not getting enough calcium absorbed from our food, your glands will secret PTH. PTH draws calcium from your bones to keep up proper blood levels. The result is osteoporosis.

The best way to keep your PTH level low is to keep your vitamin D level high. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium into your blood stream. This keeps PTH levels low and prevents calcium loss from your bones.

The researchers concluded that Icelanders (who get very little winter sun, a major source of vitamin D) who took the highest levels of vitamin D don’t need more than 800 mg daily of calcium.

Based on this conclusion, the authors suggested that low levels of vitamin D over a long period of time might be your biggest risk of osteoporosis.

The other issue that cannot be overlooked with Osteoporosis is absorption in general. If your stomach acid is insufficient, or you are taking antacids on a regular basis, you can bet that your absorption is suboptimal. As we age our ability to absorb nutrients can become impaired. Minerals require sufficient hydrochloric acid in order to be used by the body. Taking Tums to get your calcium does not work because the acids are blocked by the antacid action. In addition, we need to have proper function of the gallbladder to be able to absorb our fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin D (as well as A, E, K and our essential fatty acids).

Vitamin D is one of the most valuable nutrients available. It can prevent osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease, raise immune function, and help in joint repair, increase athletic performance and much more. It is important to use a Vitamin D supplement that is well absorbed, such as an emulsified form.

Magnesium is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Magnesium deficiency can lead to headaches, insomnia, PMS, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, backaches, muscle tension, cramps, fatigue, heart-disorders, kidney stones, osteoporosis, depression, irregular heartbeat, constipation, anxiety, irritability and accelerated aging.

Excess calcium in the body results in calcium deposits such as gallstones, kidney stones, arthritis and hardening of the arteries. All of these have been known to disappear after taking extra magnesium.

Some studies say 90-95% of the population is magnesium deficient, including many who supplement it. Why? When too much calcium is consumed, it will pull magnesium out of body parts in order to assimilate it. This creates a magnesium deficiency. In addition, it is important to get your hormone levels tested. Natural progesterone plays a big role in preventing and reversing osteoporosis.

Getting your absorption levels tested and balanced by a Kinesiologist can increase the benefit from any supplement regime. In addition, you can be easily tested for the proper kind of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D for your body. (There are many cheap and inferior brands on the market). In this way you can avoid osteoporosis or in some cases even reverse it. You may be wasting time, money and actually doing some harm by taking the wrong supplements or taking supplements when your absorption is impaired.

By Dr. J Ann Dunn, Chiropractic Physician, Certified Kinesiologist, Call the Wholistic Kinesiology Center for your free evaluation, of your calcium and mineral balance, 505-275-9809 (Albuquerque, USA).