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The Importance of Calcium

More and more our children are being left behind when it comes to health. They’re getting fatter, lazier, and now, according to new research, they’re not getting enough calcium. This according to the study: Increased Calcium Improves Children’s Bone Health Sunday, February 01st, 2009 | Author: Organic Health News

New findings, published in the August edition of the journal Bone, came to the conclusion that “Increased dietary calcium/dairy products, with and without vitamin D, significantly increases total body and lumbar spine BMC in children with low base-line intakes.”

In this latest research, Michael Huncharek, Joshua Muscat and Bruce Kupelnickb analyzed the data from a total of 21 clinical trials. Totaling more than 3,800 children, the researchers set out to determine how the intake of dietary calcium would affect bone mineral content in children.

The information revealed that those children, who were not taking enough calcium at the beginning of these studies, saw a substantial increase in their total body bone mineral content (BMC). This increase measured out to be about 25x greater than that of children who had already been on a healthy diet of calcium.

Many of us would have encountered advertising on television and elsewhere, warning us of consuming a healthy diet high in calcium to ensure that we stemmed the possibility of osteoporosis. A disease of the bone, osteoporosis leads to an increased rate of bone fracture through a diminishing of our bone mineral density.

Given the possibility that there is a way to stem the risk of osteoporosis from an early age, one would imagine just why there are so many children not getting the right amount. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that each individual should consume at least 3 servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods each day as part of their diet.

“The good news is that you are never too old or too young to improve your bone health.” There are many things you can do to keep bones strong and prevent fractures. At all ages, a diet with enough calcium and vitamin D, together with weight-bearing physical activity every day, can prevent problems later. You can work with your doctor to check out warning signs or risk factors. When you are older, you can have your bones tested and take medicine to strengthen them.
The Benefits of Calcium Supplements
According to work done by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 7 out of 10 boys and 9 out of 10 girls are not consuming enough calcium needed to maintain a healthy bone density. However not everyone is able to rely entirely on dairy products for their calcium intake. That is where calcium supplements come in to the equation. If you are unable to get the recommended amount of calcium from your diet, it may be wise to supplement your diet with added calcium.

Things to consider when buying a Calcium Supplement:

When purchasing calcium supplements, ensure to look for the elemental calcium content, not the total content. For instance, a pill containing 500mg of Calcium Carbonate provides 200mg of elemental calcium. Hence one pill in this example only provides 200mg of calcium, not 500mg.

Calcium is absorbed in small intestines. Not all calcium we consume will be absorbed. The amount of calcium absorbed is dependent on a number of factors such as the acidic condition in our intestines, Vitamin D level, estrogen level and the type of calcium supplement.
Different Types of Calcium Supplements

* One important factor affecting calcium absorption is how well the pill dissolves. Try buying calcium pills of US Pharmacopeia’s standards. The “USP” on the label indicates that the calcium pill meets the USP standards of supplying adequate elemental calcium and how well it dissolves in our intestines.

* Calcium Citrate e.g. Citracal or Solgar: Calcium is best absorbed in an acidic environment, hence calcium citrate is the best absorbed supplemental form of calcium. It does not require extra stomach acid for absorption; hence we may take it anytime in a day, even on an empty stomach. However Calcium Citrate usually provides less elemental calcium per pill, therefore one may need to take a relatively more numbers of pills per day depending to the needs. Cautions: people with acid reflux may not be able to tolerate calcium citrate

* Calcium Carbonate e.g. Tums or Caltrate: Most calcium pills in the market are in the form of calcium carbonate. It requires extra stomach acid for better absorption, hence it is best taken after meals.

* Dolomite, Bone Meal or Oyster Shell: These naturally occurring calcium pills may contain heavy metal or lead. At the moment, calcium supplements are not tested by any regulatory agency for lead content. Therefore, it’s best to avoid.

* Calcium Gluconate and Calcium Lactate: These types of calcium pills contain low content of elemental calcium. Hence, one may need to take a large amount of tablets to meet the calcium requirement!

* Coral Calcium: This type of calcium is marketed for more than bone health. Its infomercial claimed that it can cure 200 human