MYTH BUSTED: Calcium Supplements Help Osteoporosis

So many people know that osteoporosis means lacking calcium in your bone. The problem with this viewpoint is that if you start taking calcium, your bone becomes denser, but you do not decrease your risk of fractures.

So, taking calcium isn’t only not the answer, but it can make things worse in the long run.

One of the problems with osteoporosis is that it has no symptoms except the increased risk of getting a fracture. If you are older and have a hip fracture, recovery from that will be simply devastating. Most people who fracture their hip rarely live a year after the fracture. So, it is not a good prognosis.

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Why it isn’t good to take calcium for osteoporosis

Do you know that taking calcium for osteoporosis increases your risk of fracture?

Let’s think about it for a minute. One of the most significant predictors of myocardial infarction (heart attack) is having a high CAC score. CAC stands for coronary artery calcification. It is simply a measure of the calcium in your coronary artery that predicts a heart attack.

So, when you dump more calcium into your body, you only worsen the situation.

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What is the best way to get calcium?

Calcium is a unique mineral. The human body needs it, but it is best gotten from our diet. Diet should not be gotten from a supplement, at least a lot of it, especially what is recommended (something within the range of 1000 mg/day). That’s way too much. Why? Because the human body does not get rid of calcium so quickly. The same applies to other minerals like iron.

Potassium is easily excreted if we have too much of it. But unfortunately, certain minerals do not exit the body so quickly. So, if you are dumping all this calcium in the tissues, you can end up with excess calcium.

Think about it briefly, as people age, they tend to calcify. As a result, their joints start filling up with calcium, and so do their arteries.

The best sources of calcium are grass-fed dairy products, including milk, yogurt, cheese, and calcium-fortified beverages such as almond and soy milk. Calcium is also found in dark-green leafy vegetables, dried peas and beans, fish with bones, and calcium-fortified juices and cereals.

Vitamin D will help your body use calcium. Some of your daily vitamin D can be obtained through regular exposure to the sun. Vitamin D is also found in fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and swordfish. Beef liver, cheese, mushrooms, and egg yolks also provide small amounts. Most milk is fortified with vitamin D; foods made from milk, like cheese and ice cream, are usually not fortified. Vitamin D is added to many breakfast bowls of cereal and some brands of orange juice, yogurt, margarine, and milk alternatives; check the labels.

Symptoms of too much calcium

You might not have any noticeable symptoms if you have mild hypercalcemia. However, if you have a more severe case, you will typically have signs and symptoms that affect various parts of your body.

General symptoms associated with excess calcium include:

· Bursitis

· Tendonitis

· Arthritis

· Abdominal pain

· Psychosis

· Depression

· Constipation

· Kidney stones

· Soft tissue calcification

· High blood pressure

· Increased risk of heart attacks

· Increased risk of stroke

Top causes of osteoporosis

Your body uses the interaction between calcium, vitamin D, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) to regulate calcium levels.

PTH helps the body control how much calcium comes into the bloodstream from the intestines, kidneys, and bones. Typically, PTH increases when the calcium level in your blood falls and decreases when your calcium level rises.

Your body can also make calcitonin from the thyroid gland when your calcium level gets too high. When you have hypercalcemia, excess calcium is in your bloodstream, and your body can’t regulate your calcium level normally.

There are several possible causes of this condition:

· Steroids

· Low estrogen

· Phosphoric acid

· Low vitamin D

· Malabsorption

· Gastric bypass

· Malnutrition

Potential natural treatment for osteoporosis

Supplement with vitamin D

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium which keeps our bones strong and healthy. Suppose there is an insufficient vitamin D. In that case, however, the body is less able to absorb this crucial mineral, leading to symptoms such as low mood, aching joints, and poor digestion.

As well as this, a deficiency makes adults more prone to bone fractures and osteoporosis. In contrast, research shows that a sufficient supply of vitamin D slows bone density loss which, in turn, decreases the risk of fracture.

Since vitamin D is mainly obtained from the sun. As such, vitamin D deficiency is common in areas with a little spell of sunshine. In addition, vitamin D is found in oily fish, cheese, and egg yolks.

Vegans and vegetarians are particularly at risk unless they get adequate sunlight. This is because vegan supplements for vitamin D are harvested from yeast or mushrooms exposed to UV rays but contain the much less absorbable form called vitamin D2.

Taking a vitamin D supplement is sensible if you have osteoporosis, as it helps the body to absorb calcium, an essential mineral for the bones.

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Get your calcium from food

Sources of calcium include:

· milk, cheese, and other dairy foods

· green leafy vegetables — such as curly kale, okra but not spinach (spinach does contain high levels of calcium, but the body cannot digest it all)

· soya drinks with added calcium

· bread and anything made with fortified flour

· fish where you eat the bones — such as sardines and pilchards

Increase your vitamin K2

Vitamin K comes in two forms: Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and Vitamin K2 (menaquinone). Vitamin K is found in green leafy and cruciferous vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Bacteria primarily produce vitamin K2 in the gut. Still, it is found in small amounts in grass-fed meats and dairy products and more significant amounts in some cheeses and a few fermented foods like natto, a Japanese soybean product.

Vitamin K2 protects the bones more than Vitamin K1, but too little of either is bad for the bones. Studies have shown that poor Vitamin K intake is linked to low bone mass, osteoporosis, and fracture risk. For example, women who consumed less than 109 mcg of Vitamin K daily were likelier to break a hip. Low vitamin K intake has also been linked to an increased risk of hip fractures in men and women and low bone density in women.

Increase your vitamin C intake

Vitamin C is essential for healthy gums and healthy bones. Vitamin C is essential to forming collagen, the foundation for bone mineralization. Studies have associated increased vitamin C levels with greater bone density.

Vitamin C is water-soluble, and poor intake is the most common reason for low levels. Some people with poor absorption will have lower levels of vitamin C. For example, the elderly in nursing homes tend to have lower levels of vitamin C. Smokers also tend to have lower blood levels of vitamin C because their intestines do not absorb it usually. (Yet another reason to stop smoking!)

Good sources of vitamin C include:

· bell pepper

· broccoli

· kale

· cauliflower

· papaya

· oranges

· lemons

· strawberries

Takeaway

Osteoporosis is a condition that can have profound effects. It can lead to fractures, which can be painful, take a long time to heal, and lead to other complications.

For instance, treatment for a hip fracture can include staying in bed for long periods, which raises your risk of blood clots, pneumonia, and other infections.

The good news is that you can do a lot to prevent and treat osteoporosis, from eating right and exercising to taking appropriate medications.

Disclaimer: Dr. Berner does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical diseases or conditions; instead, he analyzes and corrects the structure of his patients with Foundational Correction to improve their overall quality of life. He works with their physicians, who regulate their medications. This blog post is not designed to provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services to you or any other individual. The information provided in this post or through linkages to other sites is not a substitute for medical or professional care. You should not use the information in place of a visit, consultation, or the advice of your physician or another healthcare provider. Foundation Chiropractic and Dr. Brett Berner are not liable or responsible for any advice, the course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or product you obtain through this article or others.

Takeaway

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