supplements are scary
Published by Bronwyn Schweigerdt on January 25, 2008 at 10:03 PMBy now nearly everyone has heard of the study published on Jan. 16th in the British Medical Journal that found older women who took calcium supplements were 50% more likely to develop heart disease vs. those who took a placebo. But just in case you haven't - there you go.
"Why?" you wonder. I mean, isn't just about every MD in the U.S. advocating calcium supplements to women? And what could possibly be dangerous about taking calcium?
Hmmmmm.... Let's think. Is taking any old supplement safe?
The answer will always be no. Supplements are not safe, not even calcium ones. Remember that nutrients compete with one another in our body - they compete for carriers, enzymes and ultimately, absorption. So when we take one, two, or even multi-supplements (which do not nearly include all the nutrients we need), we are setting ourselves up for deficiencies of other nutrients. For example, calcium is well-known for competing with iron, magnesium, copper, and zinc. Since all of these minerals are necessary for bone building, it's ironic (pun not intended) that so many women are advised to take supplemental calcium.
Also, there tend to be unsuspected side effects of supplements. In the case of calcium, we learn it plays a greater role in the production of plaque than once believed, thus the heart disease. Or it could be a combination of excess calcium in plaque and copper or magnesium deficiency.
See, the body is one complex organism. We are still learning all the nuances. Let's not play games with something so unknown. Instead, let's nourish it well.
Labels: calcium, dangers, supplements
Supplementation is nothing to be afraid of, just dont over use. When regarding osteoporosis and other such bone disabilities, many times it is needed. As far as I am concerned it is better than getting some perscription from the doctor that will cost you up to 100$. A calcium/magnesium diet, exercise are the first huge step to better bone health and if really needed a calcium supplement can be a good thing aswell. Just make sure to look into it and find out if it is worth it or not.
It’s true that many supplements do not live up to the claims they make but to generalize this for all the supplements is not true. I suffered from constant joint aches six months back and was diagnosed with calcium deficiency. I decided not to go for allopathic treatment since my cause was related to lack of calcium in my body. I instead opted for powercal 600 http://www.newvitality.com/shop/powercal-600.aspx from new vitality. It’s a high quality calcium supplement and I have been using it regularly since last 5 months. It has not only helped to increase my calcium count but my joints ache has also decreased considerably.