| Should you take a calcium supplement or not? A | | | | tissue. In osteoporosis the cells assigned to remove |
| research report published recently (2008) in the | | | | bone (osteoclasts) vastly outnumber the cells |
| British Medical Journal suggested that if you are a | | | | assigned to build bone (osteoblasts), resulting in a |
| woman well past menopause, and taking high | | | | gradual decline in the total amount of bone tissue |
| quantities of calcium supplements, you may actually | | | | available to support your skeleton. |
| increase your risk of experiencing a heart attack or | | | | If you are presently taking a calcium supplement, and |
| stroke. | | | | not sure if you should continue, here are some |
| The researchers proposed that it was the sudden | | | | questions to ask yourself: |
| increase in blood calcium levels from high doses of | | | | - Have you actually been diagnosed with |
| calcium that promoted atherosclerosis and increased | | | | osteoporosis? A bone density scan (x-ray) to view |
| risk of vascular events like heart attack or stroke. | | | | the structure of your bones, or a urine test to |
| The participants in the study took a large dose of | | | | measure the level of bone collagen being excreted is |
| calcium (1g) in a highly absorbable form (calcium | | | | an essential first step before considering whether |
| citrate is one of the easiest forms of calcium for | | | | you really need a calcium supplement. Osteoporosis is |
| your body to absorb). | | | | certainly a pervasive disease in elderly women, but its |
| The research has sparked some heated debate in | | | | also important to know whether you are really at |
| the scientific community. This kind of debate is | | | | risk, or not. |
| normal when contentious findings are published, but it | | | | - If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you |
| may leave elderly women wondering whether they | | | | should undergo regular testing to make sure your |
| should continue to take their calcium supplement. And | | | | chosen therapy is working. |
| without a supplement, will their bones crumble? | | | | - Are you taking a calcium supplement just because it |
| Remember that bone structure is influenced by the | | | | seems like a good idea after menopause? If you |
| amount of estrogen in your system, the amount of | | | | ingest too much calcium you can upset your |
| weight bearing exercise you undertake, your vitamin | | | | magnesium status. Magnesium is an important mineral |
| D status, your stress levels, and your calcium intake. | | | | for relaxing muscles and reducing blood pressure. |
| Bone tissue is constantly being re-modelled in a | | | | Taking mineral supplements can sometimes harm |
| healthy body; Special cells labour constantly to | | | | your health if they throw your absorption of other |
| remove old bone tissue and replace it with new bone | | | | minerals out of balance. |