LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

calcium

Low Maternal Dietary Intakes of Iron, Magnesium, and Niacin Are Associated with Spina Bifida in the Offspring – (06-18-04)

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Low Maternal Dietary Intakes of Iron, Magnesium, and Niacin Are Associated with Spina Bifida in the Offspring

This is one of the reasons I tell patients that the pharmaceutical prenatals are general some of the poorest quality and most expensive vitamins I’ve ever seen. Some of them are so blatantly poor as to only contain folic acid, iron and calcium. Most are nothing more than a basic support. Few contain biotin, magnesium and niacin. I don’t think there are ANY that contain all three. They are based on a pharmaceutical model–not a model of healthy pregnancy. They should all be tossed in the garbage where they belong (care to know how I really feel?).

Nutrition.org — Abstracts: Groenen et al. 134 (6): 1516 –

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Dietary Factors and the Risk of Incident Kidney Stones – (05-13-04)

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Dietary Factors and the Risk of Incident Kidney Stones in Younger Women

It is funny how, for many years, patients who have had kidney stones were told to avoid calcium intake (both in food and supplemental). This has never really matched what we would assume from knowledge of physiology. Rather, an environment in the kidney that supports stone growth would be more important than the presence or absence of calcium. So, dietary calcium protects and supplements have no effect. Interestingly, sucrose definitely increased the risk of kidney stones.

Arch Intern Med — Abstracts: Curhan et al. 164 (8): 885 –

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LONG LATENCY DISORDERS CAUSED FROM CALCIUM AND VITAMIN D – (11-13-03)

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Long-latency deficiency disease: insights from calcium and vitamin D

This article contains one of the more powerful quotes I have come across in awhile…”Because the intakes required to prevent many of the long-latency disorders are higher than those required to prevent the respective index diseases, recommendations based solely on preventing the index diseases are no longer biologically defensible.” Wow. Basically, continuing to rely on the RDAs for our level of nutrition can no longer be done based on what we now know. So, if you want to prevent scurvy, make sure you get 75 mg/day.

AJCN — Abstracts: Heaney 78 (5): 912.

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VIT D LOWERS THE RISK OF FRACTURE – (04-24-06)

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Effect of Cholecalciferol Plus Calcium on Falling in Ambulatory Older Men and Women

Wow. We are really just starting to understand the full impact that Vit D has on our health. In this study, confirming many other studies before it, the authors find that Vit D supplementation at 700 IU/day (a pretty low dose) has a 46% reduction in the number of falls. And, given that Vit D is essential to bone health, the likelihood that this same Vit D will lower the risk of fracture is great as well.

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BENEFITS OF VITAMIN D CONTINUE TO GROW – (08-01-05)

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Vitamin D and Calcium Intakes from Food or Supplements and Mammographic Breast Density

Well, I guess the benefits of Vit D just continue to grow.  That’s unfortunate given the current state of fear that we have created about all sunlight exposure.  SPF 75 just to walk to the car is definitely putting a damper on your Vit D production.

Interestingly, this is yet another study to evaluate relatively low levels of Vit D (400 IU/day) compare to what the research suggests we should be at (oral intake 2-4,000 IU/day).

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POTASSIUM AND CALCIUM EFFECTS BONE TURNOVER IN WOMEN – (06-20-05)

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Potassium, Calcium on Bone Turnover in Postmenopausal Women

While we’re on the subject of bone.  I mentioned above that lifestyle is a key determinant in developing osteoporosis.  This has to do with maintain more of an animal based/acid diet.  Our body then has to use more calcium to buffer the acids, resulting in increased bone loss.

This study finds that the addition of potassium citrate goes a long way in shifting towards an alkaline environment and protecting bone.

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CALCIUM, DAIRY PRODUCTS AND BONE HEALTH IN CHILDREN – (05-01-05)

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Calcium, Dairy Products, and Bone Health in Children and Young Adults: A Reevaluation of the Evidence

I have said before that, of everything I bring up when I am speaking to the public, my position on dairy receives the most disbelief–some bordering on anger.  But, I still contend that the marketing of dairy in the presence of marginal (at best) research to support its use remains one of the top few successes in my lifetime.

HRT was another one at the top of the list.  I always remind people I speak with of two things:  cows don’t drink milk for their calcium, and we are the only mammalian creature that continues to drink milk after we’re weaned (with the exception of cats–and that’s because we give it to them).

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SUPPLEMENT CALCIUM AND VITAMIN D3 TO PREVENT FRACTURES – (05-23-05)

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Calcium and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) for prevention of fractures

Doesn’t this appear to fly in the face of what “they” tell us?  If you read the above article, and if you realized that osteoporosis is a disease of lifestyle that will not be fixed with only one or two approaches, than the above article should come as no surprise.

Osteoporosis prevention/treatment needs to consist of a plant based diet (to achieve an alkaline balance rather than acid balance), supplements to include adequate vit D (see above!) and calcium (along with a good bone support formula to contain micronutrients such as molybdenum, strontium, magnesium…) and weight bearing exercise.

Regular readers will of course, not be surprised that I left out dairy.  Which is ironic, because that would probably be the first thing most people would list as was to prevent osteoporosis.  Remember that the literature is weak, and any studies showing a positive effect have usually not adjusted for Vit D intake, and that dairy, as we know it today, is fraught with many negative health consequences.

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