Introduction:
Why do I need calcium?
Calcium is the mineral that makes up your bones and keeps them
strong. 99% of the calcium in your body is stored in your bones
and teeth. The remaining 1% is in your blood and tissues, and is
essential for life and health. Without this tiny 1% of calcium,
your muscles wouldn't contract properly, your blood wouldn't clot,
and your nerves wouldn't carry messages. There are only two ways
for you to get this essential 1% of circulating calcium:
It is mainly dietary calcium that spares, or protects, the calcium
in your bones. In addition to their structural role, your bones
are your emergency supply of calcium. Your body actually tears down
and builds bone all the time in order to make its calcium available
for your body's functions. If you don't get enough calcium in your
diet or by supplementation, your body automatically takes the calcium
you need from your bones. If your body continues to tear down more
than it replaces over a period of years to get calcium, your bones
become weak and break easily. This leads to the crippling bone disease
called "osteoporosis". Approximately 25 million American
women have some degree of osteoporosis; the disease will affect
one-third to one-half of postmenopausal women, and 5 million American
men suffer from osteoporosis.
Stomach Acid and Calcium Absorption:
Is the amount of stomach acid I have important for calcium absorption?
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation
measured gastrointestinal following a single meal. A large dose
of a stomach acid-blocker (cimetidine), which significantly reduces
acid, had no effect on calcium absorption in both normal subjects
and in one patient with diagnosed achlorhydria (absence of stomach
acid). This was true whether the calcium came from milk or calcium
supplements. The same study showed that calcium absorption from
a calcium supplement was the same when the stomach contents had
a low acidity as when acidity was relatively high.
How much Stomach Acid Is Necessary?
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine
by Dr Robert Recker has shown that calcium absorption from calcium
supplements was lower in patients with achlorhydria than in normal
subjects. Yet when calcium supplements were taken with a meal, calcium
absorption was normal even in patients with no stomach acid. This
result has been supported by a critical review of studies on calcium
bio-availability and stomach acid published in Nutrition Reviews.
The authors found that a select group (the very elderly, those on
high doses of anti-ulcer medications, and individuals who have fasted)
should take calcium supplements with a meal since that is when it
is most effectively absorbed. However, a recent study in the Journal
of the American Medical Association concluded that the incidence
of inadequate stomach acidity among the elderly is much lower than
generally assumed, stating that "In contrast to what is commonly
stated, nearly 90% of the elderly people in this study were able
to acidify gastric contents, even in the basal, unstimulated state.
These studies appear to refute the claims made by many calcium supplement
manufacturers that stomach acidity is necessary for good absorption
of calcium. Kelzyme - Natural Dietary Supplements.
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