- Do calcium pills work? Is supplementation
useful, effective, or even necessary?
-
- Well, if you believe Christine Gorman's
one-sided article in Time Magazine (Feb 22, 06), then the answer is NO!
Time and several of the other competing news magazines reported the results
of the WHI (Women's Health Initiative) study showing that taking supplemental
Calcium & Vitamin D was pretty much a waste of time and the "extra"
Calcium (Cal) might even cause an increase in kidney stones.
-
- What a patent crock.
-
- Aren't Christine and her lock-step colleagues
over at US News & World Report supposed to be crack "Investigative"
reporters? Right...?
-
- It certainly wouldn't take much erstwhile
"investigating" to find the ugly truth. Moreover, shouldn't these
strange, unexpected, and abundantly inaccurate results prompt ones FIRST
question to be, "Are there different forms of Calcium & Vitamin
D supplements, and if so, are some absorbed better than others, and if
so ... what kind did the women in the *study* take"?
-
- This is first tier, fundamental, and
basic stuff in journalism, reader.
-
- All she had to do was ask the first holistic
practitioner she ran into... or even the teenage girl at the local health
food store could probably give a decent explanation. Seriously? I can only
presume that Christine is "in the tank" for "whomever",
or that she's hugely inept... ...I'm going with "in the tank"
because US News & WR ran pretty much the same article, and Ms. Gorman
is supposed to be at the top of her journalistic game...
-
- Have you ever noticed how big corporations
will lie for each other... ...much like priests, doctors, lawyers &
cops. I digress...
-
- It is conceivable (though doubtful) that
Christine did ask something along those lines ... but I'm sure after the
medical "doctors" very condescendingly explained how all Calcium
& Vit. D supplements are "pretty much the same," she looked
no further... ...I think a real investigative reporter would ask for a
second opinion from someone with an opposing view, like a Naturopathic
Doctor or Holistic Nutritional Consultant, but that's just me...
-
- Why would you exclusively believe that
it is these "Naturopathic" Doctors who have the pecuniary ax
to grind? Who is making the BIG money with regard to what they would prescribe?
Follow the money, reader.
-
- Are the pharmaceutical industries "God-like"
pawns and too-willing imps... the MDs... to be trusted to the exclusion
of all others? I think not.
-
- Believe me, the Drug Companies and the
MDs who receive cleverly concealed kickbacks as "Research Field Associates",
for pushing a particular drug, are giddy with the prospect of selling you
more Fosamax for your osteoporosis and just maybe by discrediting Calcium
/ Vit. D supplements it will carry over to all supplementation -- then
they own you!
-
- Don't they own you already? I suspect
that they do. You see Folks, there are different forms of Calcium &
Vit. D, and believe me, the differing forms make all the difference in
the world.
-
- Not writing to the appropriate period?
Here's what Christine said in the Time piece:
-
- "...They took a standard Calcium
& Vitamin D supplement..."
-
- Whoa! Gee Christine... ...what the hell
is a "standard" supplement? The truth of the matter is that there's
no such thing as a "standard" supplement! Ms. Gorman applied
the term "standard" to the forms that "doctors" always
recommend... and coincidentally they are the forms that not only don't
work very well... they are actually bad for you.
-
- The cheap, inferior mineral forms that
virtually all the WHI women took are called 'Inorganic Salts'. They include
Calcium CARBONATE, Calcium PHOSPHATE and Magnesium OXIDE, as opposed to
a superior 'Organic Chelated' mineral. Also, the Vitamin D was the inferior
and less active form, Vit. D-2 ( ergocalciferol ) as opposed to the superior,
active form Vit. D-3 (cholecalciferol). It makes a big difference, reader!
-
- Calcium, like all minerals, generally
has to "catch a ride" with some other substance like the Inorganic
Salts, mentioned above (in capitals), or they can be Organically Chelated
(Kee-late-id) with a variety of organic substances. Chelate, figuratively,
means "Bound To," but literally means "Claw."
-
- Another way to get trace minerals and
trace amounts of macro minerals is as ionic elements in concentrated sea
water. Or, they can remove most of the sodium to make Liquid Ionic Trace
Mineral Drops that are great for re-mineralization of distilled or reverse
osmosis water.
-
- Lets start with the Inorganic Salts.
These are the cheapest, least absorbable forms... like carbonate, phosphate,
chloride & oxide. Calcium Carbonate & Magnesium Oxide are found
in all grocery store Multivitamins like Centrum, Theragram, Flintstones
(God bless the children, huh?), etc. Calcium Carbonate is also the main
ingredient in most OTC antacids like Tums.
-
- 1). Carbonate - Calcium carbonate is
particularly unhealthful because it neutralizes valuable stomach acid (that's
why it's in Tums). If Christine had paid attention in her High School Biology
she might've remembered that minerals (themselves being inorganic) are
very difficult to absorb and require copious amounts of stomach acid to
be effectively utilized.
-
- Under ideal conditions, with Carbonate,
you will likely absorb less than 10% of the Calcium (many say less than
5%), but if you consume sodas, tums, tap water, sugar & Cheezy Poofs?
Then "Forget about it"...you won't absorb ANY Calcium from Calcium
carbonate.
-
- So, lets connect a few more dots... As
we get older we produce LESS stomach acid, not MORE. TOO LITTLE stomach
acid (believe it or NOT!) is the cause of heartburn & "acid"
reflux, in most cases because when you have a normal, healthful, stomach
pH of less than 3 (VERY ACIDIC), your LES ( Lower Esophageal Sphincter
) will naturally try to stay tightly closed... protecting the esophagus.
The LES will open (sort of magically) to swallow and to burp, but it can
open when it shouldn't because your stomach is too alkaline and too full
for that degree of alkalinity (it should be very acidic if full). This,
then, allows stomach contents to splash up into the esophagus... ...causing
heartburn. This seems counterintuitive, I know, because even though there's
too little acid to keep the LES slammed shut... there is still enough acid
to cause terrible heartburn.
-
- So, taking Calcium Carbonate with your
meal will exacerbate the unhealthful alkaline condition. That's the science.
-
- Remember, when your stomach is as acidic
as battery acid (pH of 1) it will not only encourage the LES to stay closed,
precluding esophageal burning (heartburn), but will also insure good digestion
& protection from harmful microbes! Most importantly, it will properly
"soften up" protein so the undigested protein will not cause
an autoimmune response when it makes its way further down the gut... ...and
is then perceived by the body to be a "foreign invader." This
can prompt your immune system to attack YOU, reader, resulting in anything
from nagging joint pain to life destroying MS.
-
- I know when you have "heartburn"
it's easy to assume you have too much acid... because it burns! Moreover,
this is especially true when your smilingly sociopathic Medical "Doctor"
strolls in and proclaims his pompous pontification that you have "reflux,"
caused by too much stomach acid... ...then prescribes pricey pharmaceuticals
like Prevacid or Nexium (...the key!)... telling you authoritatively that,
"Tums is a good source of Calcium." Later you are sure he's a
beneficent genius because... the pain goes... ...away!
-
- Actually, all you did was destroy the
little bit of acid that was left, which then leads to more undigested food
in your gut, inadequate critter & yeast protection, Leaky Gut Syndrome,
diminished toxin protection, mineral & trace mineral deficiency...
ultimately chronic disease and early death. I'm not overselling this...
-
- Please read our paper "The Antacid
Myth": http://www.alienview.net/ALLT1.html#AntacidMyth
-
- 2). Phosphate - Calcium Phosphate is
also an inferior form because in order to absorb Calcium you need a Calcium
to Phosphorus Ratio of about 1 to 1 (2 to 1 in the bones). Unfortunately,
even the poorest diet already has too much phosphorus because of colas,
beer, dairy, bran cereal & processed meats. Excessive Phosphorus inhibits
Calcium absorption ... So taking Calcium Phosphate supplements can exacerbate
a mineral / trace mineral deficiency! It especially likes to inhibit Iron.
-
- 3). Oxide - Magnesium Oxide is the "standard"
form that the WHI women took... ...which is the kind found in ALL grocery
store Multivitamins. Fairly large amounts of Magnesium need to be soluble
& absorbable in order to utilize the Calcium you take. Humm...so how
can I put this? Magnesium Oxide is "Crap".
-
- Look at what the mainstream website PubMed
(www.pubmed.gov) had to say when comparing Mag. Citrate (organic) &
Mag. Oxide (inorganic):
-
- "Magnesium OXIDE was virtually insoluble
in water and only 43% soluble in simulated peak acid secretion (24.2 mEq
hydrochloric acid/300 ml). Magnesium CITRATE had high solubility even in
water (55%) and was substantially more soluble than magnesium oxide in
all states of acid secretion. Re-precipitation of magnesium citrate and
magnesium oxide did not occur when the filtrates from the solubility studies
were titrated to pH 6 and 7 to stimulate pancreatic bicarbonate secretion.
Approximately 65% of magnesium citrate was complexed as soluble magnesium
citrate, whereas magnesium complexation was not present in the magnesium
oxide system. Magnesium absorption from the two magnesium salts was measured
in vivo in normal volunteers by assessing the rise in urinary magnesium
following oral magnesium load. The increment in urinary magnesium following
magnesium citrate load (25 mmol) was significantly higher than that obtained
from magnesium oxide load. Thus, magnesium CITRATE was more soluble and
bio-available than magnesium OXIDE."
-
- Even though most doctors will tell you
that the Calcium Carbonate in Oscal & Caltrate is the superior form,
some "conscientious" MD or dietician might recommend Citracal
(which is Calcium Citrate, that we'll discuss in a moment). Even though
there are no grocery store Multivitamin/Minerals that have Organic Chelated
Minerals, Citracal is the one grocery store Calcium Supplement that is
Organically Chelated. Here's the problem... Even though it uses Calcium
CITRATE, it then negates this positive by using Magnesium OXIDE! This will
compromise the absorption of the Cal. Citrate.
-
- Consequently? I personally wouldn't take
it ... not just because of the Magnesium Oxide, but as Frank Zappa was
fond of saying, "It's Strickly Commercial..." meaning that it
is in a cheap tablet form that uses numerous artificial binders, and other
unnecessary "stuff".
- Here are the ingredients: Yikes!!
-
- "Calcium Citrate, Polyethylene Glycol,
MAGNESIUM OXIDE, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Povidone, Croscarmellose
Sodium, Color Added, HPMC, Zinc Oxide, Sodium Borate, Manganese Gluconate,
Magnesium Stearate, Carnauba Wax, Vitamin D3."
-
- Kidney Stones (KS):
-
- The consumption of Supplemental INORGANIC
Salts will increase the formation of kidney stones, reader, exacerbated
by carbonated drinks, tap water, sugar, Tums, and high phytate & oxalate
foods, like grains & Soy. This is because these things in concert can
cause a mineral deficiency and contrary to what many MDs tell you... Kidney
Stones are more apt to form when we are calcium deficient. Remember, even
if you've swallowed massive amounts of Calcium Carbonate, you can still
be calcium deficient. People who take Organically Chelated minerals and
who have NOT neutralized their stomach acids with sodas & Tums, rarely
have kidney stones.
-
- Additionally, with older people, avoiding
things that neutralize acid may not be enough, they very likely might need
to take additional "Stomach Acid in a capsule"...supplemental
Betaine HCL with Pepsin.
-
- I get e-mail all the time from people
around the world that, after reading "The Antacid myth" NewsLetter,
have stopped taking expensive Nexium and did the opposite by taking more
stomach acid in supplement form...Betaine HCL w. Pepsin. Not only did the
heartburn stop but they were surprised when so did the gas & bloating!
They were surprised because they didn't know the Antacid was the cause
of their discomfort. In many, the lower bowel distress had been around
for so long they thought it was normal.
-
- Ask the medical "doctor" with
a new heartburn patient if they EVER check acid levels and if then found
to be low? Do they then recommend HCL w. pepsin for low stomach acidity?
He will likely either cover his ears and chant LA-LA, LA-LA, LA-LA, LA
-- or his head will implode! You see, there is no pricey pharmaceutical
available, so it's better to pretend there is no such thing as low acid
(so they don't check) rather than recommend a health food store item they
won't be getting a kick-back on! Especially when doing the wrong thing
(taking antacids) appears to work... This is so sad, not to mention morally
repugnant.
-
- ...Here's what you SHOULD use, reader:
-
- Organic Chelated Minerals -- these minerals
are "bound" to an organic substance which INCREASES absorption
and reduces bowel discomfort (unlike the inorganic Oxide). The examples
in (1). below are a sub-category that many, exclusively, refer to as "Organic
Chelation"...but technically all 3 examples below are "Organic".
-
- (1). Citrate - Calcium Citrate is one
of the most bio-available, plus it has the advantage of being "pre-acidified"
so it can be taken with or without food. Unlike Calcium Carbonate which
must be taken with food to remotely have enough stomach acid to absorb...
...even a very small amount!
-
- There are 3 more Chelators (along the
lines of Citrate) that I also like ASPARTATE, LACTATE & a combo CITRATE/MALATE.
These have a little less "Elemental Calcium" but , like the LACTATE
for example, is about 3 times more soluble than Citrate.
-
- There are many other Chelators like GLUCONATE,
ASCORBATE, SUCCINATE,
- etc. that are fine... ...but Citrate
(and the other 3 above) are probably the BEST in this smaller sub-category.
This is particularly true for Calcium/Magnesium, but for other minerals
a different chelator might be better. For example - polynicotinate works
well with the mineral Chromium, of course, so does Chromium that's Amino
Acid Chelated. (described in 3. below)
-
- (2). Krebs Cycle Chelation - The "Krebs
Cyclers" (I just, now, made up that term) claim this is the superior
form because it uses, as chelators, all or most of the substances associated
with the 8 energy producing positions along the Krebs Cycle. Seems like
science to me! Actually, some of the Chelators above are some of the "stops"
along the Krebs Cycle pathway...ie, Citrate, Succinate, etc, but I digress.
-
- (3). Amino Acid Chelation (Albion Process)...
This is my personal favorite and with time I suspect more & more brands
will offer Amino Acid (AA) chelated minerals! Right now there are only
a handful available. Some brands use their own Amino Acid Chelation process
(which is fine). However, a few brands use the patented Albion Process
that I think is likely the best... but maybe not. AA chelated minerals
are surrounded by various Amino Acids that hide the "charged mineral"
so it can sneak past the oppositely charged Intestinal Villi on the surface
of the gut.
-
- Something to consider -- As a bare minimum,
the Calcium / Magnesium ratio should be 2 to 1 (2 Cal to 1 Mag). However,
many holistic types, my-self included, feel that a 1 to 1 (or even higher
at 1 to 2) is closer to actual human physiology... making it FAR superior.
- If a person tried to take a large dose
of Cal / Mag at a 1 to 1 ratio ( lets say 1500mg Cal / 1500mg Mag ) using
the inferior Oxide? They would likely have massive diarrhea. On the other
hand, large doses of Amino Acid Chelated Magnesium are very well tolerated.
-
- The Vitamin D Lie:
-
- There are essentially 2 forms of Vitamin
D ...D-2 & D-3 ( let's not waste time even discussing the manmade D-5
). Vit. D-2 is found in all grocery store Multivitamins and is also used
to "fortify" milk (...figures...).
-
- Vitamin D is CRITICAL for Cal/Mag absorption...
unfortunately Vit. D-2 is ineffective for this purpose. The more active
form that your body likes is Vit. D-3, found in Cod Liver Oil, Eggs and
made by the Sun (or in supplemental form).
-
- Also, this fear of Vitamin D toxicity
is pretty much confined to Vit. D-2 (...Got Milk?). We can safely utilize
very large doses of D-3 ...for example, standing naked in the noon day
sun at the equator you will self-manufacture many thousands of IUs of D-3.
Of course, there are several reasons why you wouldn't want to take that
much D-3 orally in supplemental form. However, most people need 2 or 3
times as much as the recommended dose of 400iu and dark skinned people
should get even more... along the lines of 1600 to 2000iu of D3. Never
take vitamin D by itself ...ALWAYS take with Cal/Mag.
-
- It is troubling that black leaders and
the medical community ignore the growing Vitamin D deficiency ... thanks
for your "help" Christine -- now even FEWER people of color will
take Vitamin D-3. Good work.
-
- Half truths are the worst kind of lie,
especially from those who should know better... ...here's a good example:
"Doctors" will tell you Calcium CARBONATE is the superior form
because it has the highest percentage of "Elemental Calcium"
at 40% (so that's 40% actual Calcium & 60% carbonate) as opposed to
"only" 25% Elemental Calcium in Calcium Citrate. Well yeah...that's
true, on the surface, but if you only utilize a very small precentage in
the Carbonate form but use nearly all the Citrate form -- then "more
available" does not equate to "more usable". See how that
works?
-
- The MDs and drug companies see this report
as a gold mine because now they can sell even more toxic garbage like Fosamax
& Boniva. The following is from our paper "Mo' Money, Mo' Money"
-
- http://www.alienview.net/ALLT1.html#Momoney
-
- "Lucrative Drug Design -- Most pharmaceuticals
work, when they work at all, in a negative and unnatural way. These, very
unwisely, BLOCK, STOP, MASK, SUPPRESS, INTERFER or INHIBIT normal bodily
systems. Let's look at one of the big sellers: Fosamax -- It increases
the amount of 'bone' in your bones. Yes... this is true... but this is
a bad thing! To insure you have strong bones, mother nature created a dual
system by which, as new strong and healthy bone is manufactured, the older
and weaker bone is efficiently removed. Fosamax blocks the system removing
the old bone... ...Yes, you have more bone... but it's brittle and weaker
bone, crap bracing crap... so after 4 or 5 years of Fosamax the incidents
of hip fractures increases."
-
- The evil Dairy Lobby is also thrilled
with the results of this study because, now more than ever, the universal
message is ...drink more milk! Unfortunately milk is a poor source of Calcium
because the Cal/Mag ratio is not even close to 1 to 1 or 2 to 1 for that
matter -- it is a Magnesium deficient ratio of 10 to 1! Also, absorption
is further compromised because the Vitamin D is the nearly worthless D-2
form.
-
- Fruits & veggies are a better source
of Calcium & Magnesium. Even though some F&Vs with Calcium have
a poor Cal/Mag ratio (like maybe 5 to 1) the vast majority are at least
2 to 1 ratio. Here are a few heavy weights that are almost 1 to 1 or better
-- the BEST, are Avocados at 1 to 2. Pineapple & Raspberry are about
1 to 1.5. Cauliflower, Peas & Mangos are almost 1 to 1. Tomato, Asparagus
& many green leafy veggies are about 1.5 to 1. Blackberries & Broccoli
are about 2 to 1 (some Broccoli is as low as 5 to 1). Folks, milk at a
10 to 1 ratio has a real problem.
-
- Please remember friends - just because
you read it in Time or heard it from a handsome, "greying at the temples"
George-Clooney-look-alike "doctor"...doesn't make it true.
-
- Consider: When you... caress your mate,
cross a leg, or tousle a child's hair. Take a breath, blink an eye, wipe
a bitter-sweet tear. Move, run, and jump, and then enjoy a good yawn along
with a full-range-of-movement s-t-r-e-t-c-h. When you know healthy satisfaction,
convenient painless ease, and feeling good in your own skin...
-
- It's the APPROPRIATE Calcium/Magnesium/Vit.
D team of supplements that is key to, and absolutely required, for the
enjoyment of the preceding... ...plus much, much more. Why? ...Every time
you contract even the tiniest muscle in your body it requires Calcium to
contract that muscle & Magnesium to allow the muscle to relax. Every
- one.
-
- You are likely not getting enough of
it. Very likely not...
-
- The "why" should absolutely
outrage you.
-
- Until next time? Well BE.
-
-
- Alan D. Graham
- 800 Robin Parker Rd.
- Ozark, AL 36360
-
- Phone (334) 774-0395
- (NEW) Email alan068@centurytel.net
-
-
- Comment
-
- Alan,
-
- Wonderful article ! I have never
before had the mechanism described for why HCL will fix heartburn - Thank
You.
-
- I agree with everything you said, but
take issue with one thing you didn't say. The Aspartate form of mineral
chelates, when the minerals are stripped away will leave aspartic
acid, which may be one of the harmful parts of aspartame. For this
reason, I have avoided the aspartate forms in the past ten years.
-
- Please correct me if I am wrong.
-
-
- Reader,
-
- Thanks for the email.
-
- Well, you are the second person to mention
this... I couldn't find where people that take aspartic acid supplementally
have any problem. It only appears to be a problem when taken as part
of aspartame. However I'm now backing off that position, because
my mentor Dr. Mercola (www.mercola.com) says that too much aspartic
acid in some people can cause a problem. He says this also applies
to Glutamic Acid -- which I take Daily because it is the only way to detoxify
ammonia in the brain.
-
- There are volumes written concerning
the positive effects of aspartic acid as a supplement that helps remove
toxins from the blood & pumps up your immune system. Also plants
& one of the more healthful foods, sprouting seeds, are very high in
aspartic acid... So I find it disconcerting that it has this
possible dark side. I think the problem is only with some people
&
- only if they take too much...HOWEVER,
there are too many other good Organic Chelators out there, so why
bother with Aspartate.
-
- I'm going to continue taking Glutamic
Acid but at a smaller dose.
-
- Thanks Again,
- Alan
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