Health Corner with Jamieson Laboratories
By Michelle Ginsler, RD
Calcium is a major mineral in the body that is perhaps most well known for
its role in the formation and maintenance of strong, healthy bones and
tooth enamel. Although the majority of calcium in the body is found stored
in the bones and teeth, a small amount is also found in the bloodstream.
Calcium in the blood has many important roles to play - it transports
nutrients across cell membranes; produces hormones and enzymes involved in
digestion and metabolism; is involved in nerve cell communication;
promotes wound healing; and assists with muscle contractions.
Although only a small amount of calcium is found in the bloodstream, the
body keeps blood levels of calcium tightly regulated. Consequently, if
there is inadequate calcium provided by the diet, bone resorption
(breakdown) will occur in order to draw calcium from the bones into the
blood. Over many years, this can lead to the development of osteoporosis,
which is considered to be a "silent" disease because there are
no warning symptoms of its onset.
Osteoporosis causes the bones to become weak and brittle, and commonly
leads to fractures of the wrists, hips and spine.
The risk of osteoporosis increases when the diet does not provide adequate
calcium. The richest food sources of calcium include dairy products (milk,
yogurt, cheese); fortified products such as tofu, soy beverages and orange
juice; and canned fish with bones such as sardines or salmon. Although
calcium can also be found in green leafy vegetables (broccoli, kale, bok
choy, spinach) and almonds and sesame seeds, the calcium from these
sources is poorly absorbed.
Calcium is an essential nutrient throughout the lifespan, but it is
particularly important for growing children and adolescents to help
establish adequate bone mass for maintaining strong bones throughout life.
The greatest bone building occurs during the teen years until "peak
bone
mass" is achieved in your 20s. After this time, the bones stop
growing, and then natural bone loss begins by the 30s. For these reasons,
the recommended daily intake of calcium for children and adolescents 9-18
years of age is 1,300 mg. Adults 19-50 years of age require 1,000 mg of
calcium daily, and adults 51 years of age and older require 1,200 mg.
These recommended amounts can be challenging to obtain on a daily basis
through diet alone, particularly for strict vegetarians, dieters and
individuals who are lactose intolerant or who avoid dairy products.
Osteoporosis is a particular concern for older women, because the greatest
bone loss occurs after menopause, due to the loss of estrogen's protective
effects on bone. Other risk factors for osteoporosis include age (65+),
family history, early menopause (<45), certain medications, petite
females, low calcium/vitamin D intake, smoking and excess caffeine or
alcohol intake.
A healthy diet, exercise and regular supplementation with natural health
products, including calcium and vitamin D, can help to build bone mass and
slow bone loss to prevent osteoporosis later in life.
Vitamin D, often referred to as the "sunshine vitamin", is a
fat-soluble
vitamin, but is unique in that it is also considered to be a hormone.
Vitamin D is well-known for the important roles it plays in helping the
body
to absorb calcium as well as maintaining strong bones to prevent
osteoporosis. However, emerging science suggests that this vitamin has
many other health benefits.
Researchers from the Moores Cancer Center at UCSD collected and analyzed
data from 63 observational studies that looked at the relationship between
Vitamin D status and the risk of developing cancer. The authors concluded
that adequate Vitamin D supplementation may offer a protective effect
against the risk of breast, prostate, colon and ovarian cancers.
1
In a previous study, these same researchers found that individuals with a
sufficient intake of Vitamin D had a 50% reduction in the incidence of
colorectal cancer. This led the authors to recommend daily supplementation
with 1,000 IU (International Units) of Vitamin D for cancer prevention.
2 A study published in the The Lancet found that children, whose mothers took Vitamin D supplements during their pregnancy, had significantly larger bones and a higher bone-mineral content in their bodies than children whose mothers did not take Vitamin D.
3
It is difficult to obtain adequate vitamin D through food alone, as there
are very few dietary sources of this nutrient. The main food sources of
vitamin D are fortified cow's milk, as well as fortified margarine, egg
yolks, fatty fish and fish oils.
Sunlight is the principle source of vitamin D. When the skin is exposed to
ultraviolet B radiation from the sun, vitamin D3 is produced in the body.
However, the actual amount of vitamin D synthesized is affected by a
number of different factors, including latitude, season, amount of skin
exposed, skin pigmentation, sunscreen use and air pollution. For example,
in northern latitudes such as Canada, exposure to ultraviolet rays from
the sun is limited during the winter months of October to March. As a
result, limited vitamin D synthesis occurs in the skin during this time.
Taking supplements that contain vitamin D may be necessary, as it is
difficult to obtain the recommended amounts of this nutrient through diet
and sunlight alone. Current recommendations are that adults up to 50 years
of age obtain 200 International Units (IU) of vitamin D daily, while
adults 50-70 years old require 400 IU. Those that are over 70 years of age
require 600 IU daily. However, recent scientific evidence suggests that
these current vitamin D recommendations for healthy adults are too low.
While many researchers now advise increasing daily vitamin D intake to
800-1,000 IU for optimal health, this amount is still well below the safe
upper intake level of 2,000 IU per day established by the National Academy
of Sciences.
While many people are advised to take supplements with calcium and vitamin
D to prevent osteoporosis, it can be very difficult to swallow these often
large pills. Jamieson's new Super Calcium comes in a unique Mini-TabTM
format that makes it much easier to swallow. Each Super Calcium tablet
provides 600 mg of calcium (carbonate) and 400 IU of vitamin D. This
specific level allows consumers to obtain their recommended daily intake
of these bone-building nutrients with only two tablets each day. The Mini-TabTM
format provides the smallest tablets available at this potency.
Jamieson Super Calcium helps form and maintains strong bones and teeth and
may help prevent bone loss and osteoporosis to reduce the risk of
fractures.
Vitamin D3 (the same form that is naturally produced in the body when our
skin is exposed to sunlight) is included in the formula to help boost
calcium absorption in the body. It is better absorbed than the synthetic
vitamin D2 form. Super Calcium is manufactured using Pharmasure 211
BiotechnologyTM, a special process of 211 pharmaceutical quality control
tests that guarantee full potency and absolute clinical purity of this
Jamieson product.
Michelle Ginsler is a Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Specialist for
Jamieson Laboratories.
Clinical Study References
1. Garland CF, Garland FC, Gorham ED, Lipkin M, Newmark H, Mohr SB, Holick
MF. The role of vitamin D in cancer prevention. Am J Pub Health. 2006;
96(2): 252-261.
2. Gorham ED, Garland CF, Garland FC, Grant WB, Mohr SB, Lipkin M, Newmark
HL, Giovannucci E, Wei M, Holick MF. Vitamin D and the prevention of
colorectal cancer. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2005; 97(1-2): 179-194.
3. Javaid MK, Crozier SR, Harvey NC, Gale CR, Dennison EM, Boucher BJ,
Arden
NK, Godfrey KM, Cooper C. Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and
childhood bone mass at age 9 years: a longitudinal study. The Lancet.
2006;
367: 36-43.
