I think most of us fear the day when our doctors might tell us we have the Big O - osteoporosis. So in our efforts to prevent that day from ever happening we take our calcium supplements, lift our weights, and hope for the best. What the media, and often the medical profession, don't tell us is that bone health requires more than just calcium. We need magnesium, vitamin D, protein, and a number of other minor nutrients as well. We are also not told the importance of food in getting and keeping calcium and other bone health nutrients in our bodies.
Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and built back up again. It needs calcium to keep it strong and dense and protein to keep it supple yet strong. Vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium into the blood and magnesium increases the absorption of calcium from the blood into to the bone. During the growth years of our lives - before our 20's- more building up of bone occurs. By the time we reach our late twenties, our bone is breaking down more than it is building up. When we enter old age our bones have lost up to 30% of their original density. The sooner we begin to think and act about our bone health the better. Losing 30% of healthy bone is less debilitating than losing 30% of weak bone.
We can get calcium into our bodies in two main ways: the foods we eat and the supplements we take. Let's look at foods first. We can get our RDI - Recommended Daily Intake - of calcium from our food. And this applies to vegetarians and the lactose intolerant. In fact, as much calcium as possible from food is preferable to supplements because we, as creatures of nature, digest and utilize natural nutrients - like those in food - more efficiently. Nuts and seeds (especially almonds and sesame seeds), broccoli, tofu, parsley, dry figs and apricots, romaine lettuce and other dark green leafy vegetables, soy products, green beans, and even brown rice are just a few of the foods that contain calcium.
Secondly, there are supplements. Included here are fortified beverages and antacids - both sources of supplemental calcium. Whether you buy supplements over the counter at drug stores, supermarkets, and health-food stores or purchase prescription products you are getting what you pay for. Quality costs money. Calcium supplements usually contain carbonate source calcium or citrate source calcium. This goes for fortified beverages as well. Calcium carbonate is widely available, inexpensive, and is the substance of choice for most food and supplement manufacturers. However, carbonate is difficult for most of us to digest and absorb. Very little, if any, actually reaches our bones.
We should be taking calcium citrate if we are serious about the health of our bones. It is more expensive and probably not on the shelves of our favourite mega-stores but we can actually digest more of it than we can carbonate source calcium and get it to our bones. If you are taking a prescription product you can ask your health-care provider which kind of calcium you are taking. If it's carbonate source calcium ask if you can have a change of medication to a citrate source calcium.
Most antacids contain calcium carbonate because that is all that is needed to neutralize stomach acid. Despite what advertising may tell us they shouldn't be considered primary sources of supplementation. Antacids are designed to neutralize stomach acid but stomach acid is required to digest protein and minerals like calcium. Total bone health requires protein as well as calcium. Protein is a major component of the cells, which build bone and keep it hard yet flexible. This component is called the collagen matrix. This collagen matrix prevents breakage every time there is stress on the bone, i.e. from lifting and carrying to walking. If we interfere with the production of stomach acid we interfere with digestion and the proper assimilation of nutrients. If you suffer from indigestion try to avoid antacids and try eating less, eating more slowly, chewing well, and even basic food combing* for relief.
We've probably all heard about cultures where calcium supplementation is rare and so is osteoporosis. Are calcium supplements a bad thing? Some say yes and some say no. I ask what these non-supplemented women and men are doing and eating that allows them to avoid the perils of osteoporosis. The answer is that many people around the world who still consume their traditional diets eat many calcium rich foods like vegetables and legumes and in many cases mineral-rich sea vegetables. They also eat smaller amounts of meat than most of us, relying on calcium-rich grains and legumes for protein. The women and men usually farm together and walk where they want to go which means they do a lot of weight-bearing exercise and receive natural vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D is a major bone nutrient, which increases calcium absorption from the small intestine into the blood. Traditional diets usually contain little or no processed food, caffeine, phosphorous, and alcohol. Calcium stays in the body. This leads to our next topic.
There are a number of ways that bone nutrients can be removed from our bodies. The first is the consumption of 'white' foods. By 'white' foods I mean refined white rice, refined white sugar, and refined white flour. These and other foods lose their magnesium during processing. Magnesium increases the absorption of calcium from blood into the bone. However, this does not mean chocolate (a brown food) is a better choice than vanilla (a white food). Chocolate bars, cakes, ice creams, and other treats usually contain caffeine and sugar - both substances pull calcium from the body. Caffeine can also be found in coffee. Even de-caffeinated coffee contains up to 4 per cent caffeine. Regular tea, cola, and even some over-the-counter medications also contain caffeine. The phosphorus found in fizzy soft drinks and some deli meats as well as excessive amounts of alcohol also cause calcium to exit the body via the urine.
Not only is our diet removing the calcium from our bodies but it is removing the calcium from our bones as well. Our current diet, which includes coffee, sugar, soft drinks, and deli meats is actually making our blood acidic. Our blood has to be at a constant pH of 7.4 - just slightly above the neutral point of pH 7. Blood below pH 7.4 is too acidic and can lead to disease, coma, and even death. Unfortunately, our western diet causes our blood to be acidic or below the pH of 7.4. In an attempt to keep the blood at a healthy pH of 7.4 the body steals alkaline-rich minerals like calcium from the bones and gives it to the blood. This helps the blood to retain a normal pH but weakens the bones.
Preventing the Big O from happening to you or your loved ones means more than getting an adequate supply of calcium each day. The calcium should be natural - like the calcium in food. It should also be from a source other than carbonate. Total bone health requires adequate amounts of magnesium, protein, vitamin D, and numerous other trace nutrients, which can be had from a whole foods diet of fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, legumes, and nuts and seeds. Supplementation really depends on the individual and should take into consideration how you exercise, how much sunlight you receive, and especially how you eat.
*Basic Food Combining
No starch with a protein - for example no bread or rice with your meat.
Eat vegetables with a protein and then later vegetables with a starch. Potatoes
and most root vegetables are also starches.
The principle behind Food combining is that alkalis and acids tend to neutralize each other. When this happens during digestion your body produces extra acid to digest the food sitting in your stomach which may lead to acid reflux and heartburn.
Copyright 2003, Kelly Reith BA RHN