After reading the link provided, can you understand why Dr. Thompson’s asserts that that too much calcium can actually hurt your body in a few ways? If your body can’t assimilate this excess calcium, it will precipitate out into the blood and clog the arteries and tissues with either calcium stones (kidney stones or gallbladder stones) or calcium deposits (bunions or bone spurs). Too much calcium can also cause an imbalance in other vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamin D and magnesium, which can then create nutritional deficiency symptoms and more complications

In a teleseminar a few months back (don’t laugh), I was fortunate to hear the expertise of Dr. Susan Brown, PhD, AKA bone health guru. According to Dr. Brown, the reason that calcium recommendations are so high for American women is due to the fact that Americans excrete more of it than other cultures. These high excretion rates are due to our processed food diets, high consumption of caffeine, increased stress responses, and low omega fatty acid consumption. All of these factors not only affect excretion but optimal absorption as well.

Most people don’t realize that there are many other nutrients that are important for bone health besides Calcium. Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Vitamin K are some of the latest nutrients that are being brought into the limelight. Other players are Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, phosphorus, potassium, and many other ionic minerals. Eating a diet that includes good quality protein and healthy fats is also important in maintaining strong bones.

When using a calcium supplement, the form of calcium present in the supplement determines absorption. So, in addition to looking for calcium co-factors, also analyze the form of calcium you are taking. According to Dr. Brown:

  • Calcium citrate is a highly absorbable calcium compound. This form does not require the hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach to be absorbed. Thus, calcium citrate is very readily absorbed or bioavailable, and a good choice for people with low stomach acid. (I would add in calcium lactate as another good option as it has to go through less biochemical pathways to form calcium bicarbonate, the active form in the blood).
  • Calcium ascorbate and calcium carbonate are generally not as easily absorbed as the citrate forms if HCl is low. However, they are absorbed quite readily when taken with food. ( Here again, I’d like to add that calcium carbonate is very similar in structure to limestone. Do you really want to ingest that-yikes!)
  • Generally speaking, all types of calcium are absorbed more easily if taken with meals — no matter what form you choose.

I have the advantage of a practitioner membership to the highest quality pharmaceutical grade supplements, so I am confident that what I am using is highly absorbable for my clients. However, for those of you who aren’t buying pharmaceutical grade supplements from a health care provider, it is smart to do your research and be familiar with your company’s manufacturing processes.

My favorite choice for women who are concerned with bone loss is to implement importan lifestyle and dietary factors , such as weight bearing exercises, and to give whole food supplements with the factors listed. I also like to inculde an ionic mineral supplement if someone is already diagnosed with low bone density. Using whole foods takes a lot of guesswork out of wondering what factors are and aren’t present. I also will assess digestive health and hormonal health, as these determine absorption of the key minerals needed for strong bones. “You are what you eat” is not wholly true, it’s more like “you are what you absorb”.

A note on DEXA scans:

If you are concerned about your bone health, remember that DEXA scans are only way to assess bone health. Another great resource to assess the many factors related to bone health is a website tool at the WHO fracture risk website:

Click here.

This calculator of fracture risk takes into account lifestyle factors and family history along with bone mineral density.

Another Important Note on Prescription Medications:

Although bisphosphonates have been shown to increase bone density, the way this happens it what concerns me. They work by decreasing bone breakdown. This means that you have more bone, but it’s a weaker bone which hasn’t been allowed to recycle over into stronger bone. This can help temporarily, but may cause side effects such as deterioration of the jaw bone and gastrointestinal distress.

Protein pump inhibitors and antacids decrease acid formation in the stomach, decreasing the absorption of all minerals, including calcium. This is because your body needs acid, in the form of hydrochloric acid, in order to absorb calcium. Therefore, these medications could increase your risk of having fractures in later life.

A bonus tip:

Green leafy vegetables, cooked dried beans, and seafood are some foods which are great sources of calcium, dairy free, and also contain some of the co-factors to help assimilate the calcium.

Resource at better bones