Dr. Whiting's Inside Track- Calcium, It's Not How Much You Take!

By K. Steven Whiting PhD

Calcium is one of the most misunderstood of all nutrients in the human body. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and may be found primarily in the bones. A small portion of the calcium is circulating in the body and is responsible for many chemical functions involving the cardiovascular and nervous system, being responsible for the regulation of the heartbeat and the transmission of nerve impulses. Further functions of calcium include muscle growth and contraction, blood clotting, and enzyme formation.

Of equal or greater importance in the discussion of calcium is the body's ability to absorb this mineral. Many factors can influence calcium absorption and since it is directly related to numerous other nutrients, it should never be taken alone.

Once calcium enters the bones and teeth, it is not intended to leave again. Osteoporosis is a condition wherein calcium is being leached from the bone leaving them thin and honey-combed. This greatly increases the risk of bone breakage. Osteoporosis is the extreme result of the body's inability to retain calcium and is caused by a variety of circumstances.

Calcium requires an acid environment in order to be broken down and absorbed. When the body's digestive tract is too alkaline, calcium cannot effectively be absorbed from foods or supplements. When the overall body pH is alkaline instead of the normal slightly acidic state during the day, bone calcium can be leached back into the extra cellular fluids of the body where they can deposit in various sites such as in joints in the form of crystals and in soft tissues and organs in the form of stony deposits. Gall stones, kidney stones, and heel and bone spurs would be classic examples of an over-alkaline system combined with calcium intake deficiency.

When choosing a calcium supplement as part of your diet, it is vitally important that you avoid a fragmented product, i.e. one that does not contain all the co-factors necessary for optimal absorption. Many calcium supplements fall far short.

Some of the better known relationships between calcium and other nutrients would be the link with vitamin D. Vitamin D is present in all multi-vitamin/mineral products and is certainly part of our Full Spectrum base line formulation, Curves Complete. Magnesium is always present with calcium and the amount is important. For most individuals, a 2 to 1 ratio of calcium to magnesium is most optimal.

Excess phosphorus in the diet can compete for calcium absorption. Protein foods are high in phosphorus as well as are carbonated soft drinks, which contain phosphoric acid. Those on high protein diets or those consuming more than two soft drinks per day should include extra calcium in their diet in the form of supplements.

Recent clinical studies have shown that other trace minerals may have an equal or greater influence on calcium absorption. This particular study showed conclusively that by adding the trace elements copper, manganese and zinc; bone loss was not only reduced but bone density was actually increased! Based upon these studies, which involved post-menopausal women, any calcium supplement that does not contain these added nutrient co-factors should be considered incomplete.

In the nutrition arena, there are probably more calcium supplements available than any other nutrient. Choosing a supplement that your body can actually absorb is important if we wish to avoid the downfalls of a chronic state of calcium deficiency.

An ideal calcium supplement will:

Contain a 2 to 1 ratio of calcium to magnesium

The minerals will be chelated or acidified to enhance absorption

Utilize a combination of calcium citrate and malate

Also provide the key trace minerals boron, manganese, copper and zinc for maximum absorption

Also contain potassium for its electrolyte benefits

While it may be easy to find a calcium supplement on the market that's inexpensive, the question is, are you getting any benefit from it? Sewers and septic tanks are filled with hard rock-like tablets of calcium that no one could break down. Tens of thousands of women take calcium supplements on the advice of their doctors, yet arthritis and osteoporosis are epidemic. Why? Absorption, it's not what you consume. It's what your body can absorb.

The Curves Essential formula contains every known co-factor necessary to ensure maximum mineral absorption to both the cellular level and back to the bone tissues. Since calcium citrate and calcium malate are rather large compounds, it does take a few more capsules to deliver the higher amounts of these minerals, but the payoff is in knowing that you are taking a supplement that your body can easily use and hence the benefits to the living system of the body are clearly enhanced.

Check out Curves Essential Calcium and Liquid Daily Calcium the next time you're in the Club. The bones you save may be your own!