Osteoporosis & Calcium – The Full Story

Osteoporosis is a common health condition we face today and unfortunately its incidence is on the rise. We are constantly bombarded with advertising and information promoting the importance of calcium on preventing and reversing osteoporosis. However it’s important to understand that calcium, while important, is not the full answer to better bone strength.

Daily exposure to advertising and marketing campaigns urges us to consume more dairy products and to take calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis. However have you ever stopped to consider how many people today consume large amounts of dairy in their diets? The majority of people eating a standard western diet would consume at least 3 serves of dairy per day. Yet the incidence of Osteoporosis is still rising. Surely this amount of calcium, readily available in our diets, should be sufficient?

The Role of Magnesium

Calcium is only one mineral, and taken on its own is rarely enough. Good health can only occur when the body is in balance and all minerals in the body are balanced.

Magnesium is one mineral that is commonly deficient and its importance is seriously underestimated. Adequate Magnesium is essential for the absorption and proper utilization of calcium to occur. Magnesium is needed to trigger the release of the hormone calcitonin, which signals the body to rebuild the bones.

A lack of magnesium causes parathyroid hormone to mobilise calcium by releasing it out of bones and teeth, and at the same time signaling the kidneys to conserve calcium and prevent its excretion in the urine. This leeching of calcium from the bones, and reducing the excretion of it predisposes individuals to high levels of circulating calcium in the system. Long term this can lead to excess calcium being deposited in the joints, arteries and soft tissues.

The Calcium / Magnesium Balance

It may surprise you to hear that it’s more common for people to have excessive amounts of calcium in their body, with deficient amounts of magnesium, even in those with osteoporosis.

There are numerous reasons for this in addition to the hormonal influences of calcitonin and parathyroid hormone. One major contributor is our diets. The standard western diet is severely low in foods that are rich in magnesium such as whole grains, nuts, seeds and green vegetables. So overall our intake of magnesium is low.

Additionally the consumption of sugar and alcohol increase the excretion of magnesium through the urine, while stress significantly increases our need for magnesium. The quality of the soil in which our foods are grown is often questionable, partly due to the use of fertilisers that contain large amounts of potassium, a magnesium antagonist. This, coupled with the fact that food today is generally picked earlier and stored longer, and the milling and refining of grains means very little magnesium is left in the end product.

Remembering that magnesium is needed for the absorption of calcium, simply taking more calcium is not the answer. Taking sufficient amounts of magnesium can, in most people, solve the problem of calcium deficiency by stimulating calcitonin production, signaling the body to direct calcium into the bones, effectively helping to strengthen and harden them. It is also important to remember that too much calcium actually prevents magnesium from being absorbed.

The Role of Acidity

Another fundamental influence on calcium levels in the body is acidity, or the pH of your body. Excessive acidity in the body is a major contributing factor to poor health in general and can relate specifically to osteoporosis.

Our blood must remain at a fairly stable pH, on the slightly alkaline side of the scale, in order for our systems to function optimally. However there is increasing evidence that numerous external factors can upset our delicate pH balance. Overeating and eating too quickly are two factors, as they contribute to poor digestion and fermentation. The choice of food and drinks we consume also plays a major role. Our body spends an enormous amount of energy every day just trying to maintain the balance of our pH.

When excessive amounts of acid wastes build up in the body it stresses the kidneys and alkaline minerals, including calcium, are drawn from the bones in an attempt to alkalise the blood and regulate the pH. Effectively the body becomes a thief, robbing its own bones of calcium. If this continues to occur over an extended period of time, the bones can become depleted of the nutrients essential to maintaining their strength. Drawing these minerals away from the bones could result in osteoporosis, brittle bone disease and bone reabsorption (bone loss).

Other Consequences of Acidity

A further consequence of alkaline minerals being drawn into the blood is that it contributes to excessive amounts of free calcium constantly in the bloodstream. If the excess free calcium isn’t corrected, the calcium can be deposited into joints and soft tissues, the pancreas or arteries, potentially leading to arthritis, diabetes and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

Other Factors

Other factors that predispose us to osteoporosis include:

Poor and unbalanced diet (resulting from excess consumption of protein and soft drinks), and lack of ample green vegetables
Menopause
Malabsorption due to lack of gastric juices and an unhealthy digestive system
Corticosteriod hormones
Other drugs such as caffeine, alcohol and tobacco smoking
Insufficient exercise, particularly weight-bearing exercise
As you can begin to appreciate by now, strengthening the bones, and preventing or treating osteoporosis requires a lot more than simply taking more calcium. Adequate magnesium and other minerals are vital to ensuring the calcium is actually deposited into the bones and your pH needs to be regulated. Your digestion needs to be working optimally to absorb the minerals from your foods and any supplements that may be required.

Additional calcium may be needed in a minority of individuals, but only certain forms of calcium should be used. Microcrystalline hydroxyapatite is a form of calcium that occurs naturally in bone and cartilage and contains other mineral cofactors that support calcium absorption. The cheaper calcium carbonate supplements are best avoided as their absorption is not as good and the calcium is not balanced with sufficient levels of other supportive minerals. Any calcium supplementation should always be supported with sufficient amounts of additional magnesium.

Here at Osteopathic Health Clinics we can support you in your endeavors to strengthen your bones through individual and personalised treatments. Throughout your course of treatment we will aim to address all of your risk factors, improve your digestion and absorption, and balance your pH, optimising the amount of calcium being deposited directly into your bones and giving you stronger bones for life.