Calcium Crisis: Fact or Fiction?

There are a countless number of billboard and magazine ads, sponsored by the National Dairy Council, portraying prominent athletes, political appointees, actors and other celebrities sporting the now familiar milk mustache. This campaign urges people to attain health by drinking three glasses of milk daily. Today U.S. citizens are considered to be in a calcium crisis but we ingest the fourth highest amounts of calcium in the world only to suffer the second highest incidence per capita of hip fractures. There is something wrong with this picture. Ingesting large amounts of calcium does not seem to produce the intended impact on the fight against osteoporosis. The dangerous over consumption of this mineral along with our elected calcium sources poses the most risk to bone health.

Calcium is one of seven significant minerals vital to overall mental and physical well-being making it an integral component of a healthy body. Phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and sulphur are the others. While important to optimal health the body is incapable of manufacturing these minerals, hence they must be derived from outside nutritional sources. Minerals are absorbed from the earth by plants and then enter our bodies through consumption of the plants or animals that have eaten the plants. One percent of all calcium is located in the blood stream and is considered essential to maintain life while the remaining 99% is enclosed in bones and teeth. In addition to creating and supporting the skeletal system calcium regulates muscle contractions and blood clotting, aids in digestion, helps conduct nerve impulses and activates various hormone reactions in the body. Operating much like an internet connection calcium transmits messages within our cells to help maintain normal blood pressure.

High calcium intake does not guarantee adequate calcium levels in the bone. Americans ingest over 1000mg of calcium per day an amount surpassed only by Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom who consume 1300+ mg per day. Curiously these countries are experiencing the highest rates of osteoporosis, which is the best indicator of insufficient calcium levels. India, Japan and Peru average as low as 300mg per day yet osteoporosis is almost non-existent. “The results from seven long term prospective studies done in the United States, England and Sweden that have followed large groups of people for long periods don’t show any important reduction in risk of broken bones with increasing calcium intake” says Dr. Walter Willett, MD author of Eat, Drink and be Healthy. Harvard University’s infamous Nurse’s Health Study which has followed 121,700 nurses and their diets since 1976 has found the women who drank two or more glasses of milk a day were at least as likely to break a hip or forearm as women who drank one glass or less a week.

How much calcium do we really need? Unfortunately nobody really knows. Different scientific methods offer different answers. One such method is known as a balance study. Basically a urine test, this study has volunteers ingest calcium from various food sources or supplements for a predetermined period of time after which calcium excretion levels are measured in the stool or urine. When calcium intake is equal to calcium output the amount is considered to be optimal. Studies show levels at the most favorable amount to be about 550mg per day. However, this average of the general population does not take into account physical activity, diet or life style. No test is perfect, but balance studies demonstrate individual needs are well below the USDA daily recommendations of between 1000 and 1300 mg per day.

In the mind of many individuals’ calcium and dairy are synonymous, nevertheless dairy brings with it a few unhealthy complications. Dairy foods provide 72% of the calcium in the United States food supply. One difficulty with utilizing dairy as a main calcium source is a large percentage of people are lactose intolerant. Approximately 75% of adults lack the ability to digest lactose a sugar/protein found in dairy products. Populations affected include most Asians, Africans, Mexicans and Native Americans, as well as 15% of Caucasians. The idea that dairy products are necessary to protect against osteoporosis is believed by a majority of people. On the contrary, “dairy products contain a substantial amount of protein, which can enhance renal [kidney] calcium loss” said Dr. Willet in his article titled “Diet and Health: What Should We Eat?” According to Harvard researchers the increased protein and calcium from milk promotes the loss of calcium through the kidneys and is associated with higher rates of fractures. Vegetarians and vegans have higher bone density than meat and dairy eaters.

Access to good quality dairy is difficult. The additions of bovine growth hormones and antibiotics have made most dairy products a poor choice as a calcium source. In addition most dairy products have a high saturated fat content. The three 8 ounce glasses of milk proposed by the USDA contains 300mg of calcium plus 15 g of saturated fat (the equivalent of eating 12 strips of bacon, four slices of cheese pizza or a double hamburger with sauce and an order of fries), well on the way to reaching the agency’s healthy daily limit proposed: 20g for females and 30g for the average male based on 2000 calories a day. It should also be noted that while drinking skim milk reduces fat intake, it lacks the enzymes necessary for proper calcium absorption.

“The myth that osteoporosis is caused by calcium deficiency was created to sell dairy products and calcium supplements” says John A. McDougall author of many books including the McDougall Program for Healthy Women. “There’s no truth to it. American women are among the biggest consumers of calcium in the world and they have one of the highest rates of osteoporosis in the world. Eating even more dairy products and calcium is not going to change that fact.”

If dairy isn’t the answer, where do we get good quality calcium? It is critical to get calcium from whole food sources because they include vitamins that have been shown to have a positive effect on bone health. These sources include green leafy vegetables, fish, tofu, seeds, nuts as well as some mineral waters. One cup of cooked collards contains 360mg of calcium along with all the nutrients needed for optimal digestion, all without added fat and calories. Another good suggestion is 3 ½ ounces of salmon, which contains 290mg of calcium, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for good health.

There are no studies that show calcium alone can aid in osteoporosis prevention. Calcium absorption, regardless of the source may be inhibited if all of the necessary critical companions—vitamin D and Magnesium are not present. Vitamin D is the single most crucial companion to calcium because it ensures absorption. Without a sufficient quantity of vitamin D circulating in the bloodstream, calcium obtained from diet or supplements is useless. Human beings are designed to acquire vitamin D from the sun. Exposing sunscreen-free face and hands (the more skin exposed the more rapidly vitamin D is produced) 3 to 5 times a week for 20 minutes (April through October in the Philadelphia area) will probably be enough to keep bone mass intact. Magnesium works in tandem with calcium making it essential to ingest them simultaneously. Unprocessed organic vegetables of all kinds are the best source since conventional commercial agriculture tends to overuse fertilizers, which robs the ground of this mineral. If organic produce is not available the minimum ratio of calcium/magnesium supplements is 1:1 according to Christiane Northrup, M.D., and author of The Wisdom Of Menopause.

The heavy marketing campaign currently inundating the media suggests no such thing as too much calcium. But balance studies demonstrate the amounts recommended by the RDA as well as our chosen sources of calcium are leaving the average American in a “calcium crisis”. What we do know is healthy individuals with low to moderate dairy intake have low incidence of fractures. If obtaining calcium from whole food sources is not possible, supplementation is the next best alternative. Remember, in order for calcium absorption to take place ingestion must be accompanied by adequate levels of vitamin D and magnesium. Stay informed.

Optional table or list of the following whole food sources of calcium:
High calcium foods green leafy vegetables esp. spinach, turnip greens, rhubarb and collards(from 200 to 360mg per cooked cup)

Sea vegetables I cup of hijiki, the seaweed used in edemame salad at Japanese restaurants has 610mg per cupFish, sardines (31/2 oz.) 300, (6) raw oysters 226,
4oz. of tofu 150 or 4oz tempeh (soy/phytoestrogens) 172, garbanzo beans 150
5 tortilla chips 300,
sesame seeds 3 tbsp 300, almonds 300, hazelnuts 282,
calcium fortified oj 210
Mendocino 1 liter 380
San Pellegrino 200.

Rose Payne is the founder and Director of High Level Wellness a holistic health and nutrition center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She is an AADP certified Holistic Nutrition Counselor and National Educator with a private practice that offers assistance countrywide. She is also the Director of the Immersion Graduate Program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC. Her passion is helping clients transform their lives through the power of nutrition. You can contact Rose at info@high-level-wellness-online.com

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