Is Taking Calcium for Bone Loss a Bad Idea in Perry Hall?
Dr. David Seaman cautions that \"calcium propaganda\" may be leading people, and particularly women, down a path that may be keeping them from achieving true bone health. Dr. Seaman points to research that shows no correlation between dairy intake and bone mineral density even though this approach has been touted as gospel, but may be misleading.
Dr. Seaman points to research that shows non-calcium dietary factors that have been shown to positively correlate with bone mineral density. Such non-calcium dietary factors include dietary acidity, essential fatty acids, and magnesium may be much more effective in maintaining bone health as opposed to simply taking abnormally high levels of calcium. This makes sense since the bone matrix is comprised of 21 minerals besides calcium.
The \"calcium propaganda\" that has prevailed in the popular media for decades may be wrong because bone loss is induced by chronic inflammation, the calcium-magnesium balance in whole foods is close to a 1:1 ratio and is the most natural ratio to maintain, and the fact that we cannot consume the suggested 1,000 to 1,500 mg of calcium in our diet alone. Only a supernatural consumption of calcium supplements can achieve these high levels of calcium consumption.
Dr. Seaman suggests that instead of consuming a physiologically unnatural amount of calcium it is advisable to consume alkalizing vegetables, fruit, and root crops or tubers. Studies have shown a positive correlation between such a diet and higher bone mineral density but does not show such a correlation with dairy intake though dairy has long been touted as being beneficial for bone health based upon its calcium content. It appears that the unfounded message from the popular media to consume calcium for bone health is drowning out scientific findings on this matter.
Moving along this line of reasoning means that to maintain bone health it may be advisable to consume the anti-inflammatory alkalizing foods mentioned above with any calcium supplementation being held to a 1:1 ratio with magnesium. This ratio of 1:1 calcium to magnesium is the ratio these nutrients are found naturally in foods. Reducing calcium consumption for the sole purpose of promoting bone health is supported by two recent studies published in the British Medical Journal. These two articles supported the admonition that the evidence for calcium supplementation preventing bone fractures is weak and inconsistent.
Another study published in the JAMA journal Ophthalmology raised the possibility that calcium supplementation may actually be detrimental. The authors of this study found that calcium supplementation greater than 800 mg of calcium per day led to the greater likelihood of people developing age-related macular degeneration. They felt that the longer period of time a person consumes calcium supplements leads to an increased risk of developing macular degeneration.
Because bone health is vitally important for your overall health and wellbeing, you should contact your local Doctor of Chiropractic to receive the latest nutritional information in addition to suggestions on how to prevent the formation or progression of life altering conditions such as degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease.
