Is your calcium supplement increasing your risk for a heart attack?

A meta-analysis of 15 studies recently published in the British Medical Journal shows that excess calcium supplementation increases risk of heart attack, stroke and death. BMJ 2010;341:c3691


I've always felt uncomfortable with the idea of taking high doses of calcium supplements. It just never made sense to me to expect all that calcium to go straight into the bones, which is what most folks who are taking those capsules are hoping for it to do. Now this meta-analysis shows us that those higher doses truly aren't a smart idea. It was not determined why or how the increase in heart attack, stroke and death occurred, but I'd wager that the main problem was excess calcium with nowhere to go ending up in plaques in blood vessels.

So what is a high dose? Most of the studies used doses of 1000-1200 mg of calcium per day. That's the amount that is typically recommended to folks who are concerned about their bones. The one study in this group that used a smaller dose of only 500 mg, however, did not have a single participant who suffered from heart attack, stroke or death.

When we look at the calcium needs of the average person along with the average intake of calcium through food, somewhere between 400 and 600 mg seems to be the most sensible daily dose for those who need one at all - even those who avoid dairy. In fact, it's not only sufficient, it seems to be safer than higher doses.

For my clients suffering from bone loss, I always recommend complete "bone support" formulas containing combinations of nutrients needed for bone health instead of calcium alone. Bones are not made of calcium alone. They also contain magnesium, boron, zinc and a host of other minerals plus several vitamins and protein. I also make sure that their vitamin D levels are sufficient because vitamin D is necessary to transport minerals into bone. Two of my favorite bone support formulas are Osteo B II from Biotics and OsteoForce from Designs for Health. Both of these products can be purchased through my virtual dispensary at www.susancnt.com.

I can't close this post without mentioning the importance of good digestion when it comes to the health of bones. Essentially, if you're not digesting and absorbing the nutrients from your food well it's going to be pretty much impossible to have healthy bones. Some signs of poor digestion are reflux, gassiness, bloating, constipation, diarrhea or visible bits of food in stools. A good digestive enzyme and/or hydrochloric acid supplement might be all you need to add in order to keep your bones healthy and strong.

Estrogen, Anxiety and Cancer

I went to a seminar last weekend called the "pink ribbon" something-or-other. It was put on by a reputable company and much of the information shared was gleaned from the recent Institute of Functional Medicine conference - highly reputable. The main focus, as you might guess, was breast and other estrogen-related cancers. The main points brought out were that insulin is a big contributor to tumor growth (oh, so that's why pancreatic cancer is so deadly?! -pancreas being the place insulin is made); the more exposure one has to estrogen, the greater chance they have of ending up with one of these e-related cancers; and an emphasis on the importance of good detoxification as well as keeping inflammation levels down. Each of these points is worthy of a long article in itself - perhaps I'll do that down the road.
But my focus here is the connection between estrogen overload and anxiety - which I didn't understand until last weekend. It seems that some folks have a genetic defect in their processing of certain substances which can lead to a build up of what are called "catechol estrogens". Catecholamines, of which catechol estrogens are a subset, when in excess can cause symptoms such as anxiety, jitteriness, even addictions and obsessive compulsive disorder. These catechol estrogens also have stronger estrogenic effects than other estrogens, so they're correlated with increased cancer risk. There is a simple urine test called "Estronex" from Metametrix which will measure your ratios of "good" to "bad" estrogens. This gives you a good idea of your estrogen-sensitive cancer risk.
Methylation is the key. The defect mentioned above is in the liver's ability to detoxify subtances such as these catechol estrogens via methylation. Methylation essentially means adding a methyl group to a substance. How do you increase methylation? Add methyl "donors" to your diet such as vitamins B12, B6, folate (when using supplements, all should be in the "methyl" form, as in methylcobalamin for your b12, not cyanocobalamin - food sources include broccoli, cabbage, eggs, milk, brown rice and soy). Even in folks without the defect in processing, an increased sensitivity to caffeine probably indicates a need for more methylation. Easy fix!
Of course, you still need to pay attention to your insulin, toxin and inflammation levels, but by getting your methylation work in order, you'll be decreasing your risk for cancer while you increase your ability to eat that yummy, good-for-you dark chocolate without getting the jitters!

Susan Barendregt, MNT

Asari Acupuncture Hillsboro branch office opens in September

Asari Acupuncture will open a branch office in Hillsboro on September 17th, at Wall Chiropractic Clinic, 840 Water Avenue, Hillsboro.

Asari Acupuncture Interlude Program (Community Acupuncture)will be offered, as well as Oriental Medicine Diagnosis, comprehensive Japanese acupuncture treatments, Chinese Herbal Medicine and Traditional Chinese Diet Therapy.

Hours are 7:30am to 11:30 am Friday mornings, beginning September 17th, 2010.
For appointments or information call 608-637-7272 or email asari@mwt.net or contact me on FaceBook: Asari Acupuncture LLC.

Pass the word along to your neighbors, family and friends then stop by on Friday mornings and get your questions answered about acupuncture and how acupuncture and chiropractic care can work together to improve your health. Check out Asari Acupuncture's FaceBook page for information on Community Acupuncture and other updates on the world's oldest health care system.