Calcium Supplements

Hello All,

I am considering supplementing with Calcium as another prescription that I'm on has a side effect of reduction in bone mineral density of 2-6%. I recall some concerns regarding Calcium for Afib folks. As I reminder I was successfully abalated about 2.5 years ago.

Any advice is most welcome!

Thanks

Hello Que - For those with a history of Afib, it’s not a good idea to supplement with calcium since intracellular calcium dominates over magnesium and magnesium is the vital mineral we need in abundance. Calcium is important but in much lower quantities that easily can be obtained by conservative dietary intake.

There are many reasons why you should avoid calcium supplements.
Note this from Board Certified Cardiologist, Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD author of
Death by Calcium. [www.peakenergy.com]

Weight bearing exercise and resistance training is known to be very useful to increase bone density.
Resistance training helps stimulate new bone growth through the ‘remodeling process’ that occurs
at ligament insertions on bone from the “tugging” on ligaments during the exertion. This doesn’t
need to be with overly heavy weights... but does need to be done regularly as a lifetime commitment.

Did you have a bone density test? If so and that was low, you can eventually retest to record the
improvement from weight training and also these important nutrients:

In addition to keeping up with your daily magnesium supplements, you should also know
if you need to supplement with vitamin D which is very important for bone health. Start by
having your vitamin D levels checked. It’s the 25 OH (D) test and easy to get from most physicians.
Be aware that the lab ranges for ‘normal’ are much lower than what’s needed for optimal health – including
bone health. Depending on the lab, acceptable levels may be 40 or 50 ng/ml whereas the real benefits of
optimizing vitamin D are seen around at least 70. Check some of George N’s posts on his D levels.

Also very important….you definitely should supplement with vitamin K2 in the menaquinone 7 form…
aka K2 MK7 – minimum of 100 mcg a day. This helps direct circulating calcium from normal dietary intake into bones where it belongs and not into soft tissue such as arteries as shown in the research done by the Univ of Maastricht by Leon Schurgers, PhD and Cees Vermeer, PhD (The Rotterdam Study) about 10 years ago.

Here’s a clip from one fact sheet on MenaQ7
MenaQ7 helps keep your bones strong too Like the MGP protein found in the arteries, osteocalcin is a so-called gla-protein that clings on tightly to calcium. But while MGP keeps calcium from sticking to the walls of the arteries, osteocalcin holds calcium in the bone matrix, keeping the bones dense and strong. Japanese researchers have found that vitamin K2 maintains bone mineral density and prevents fractures in patients with age-related osteoporosis (Ref. 6). So MenaQ7 not only keeps your arteries and heart healthy, but keeps your bones strong, too.

MenaQ7 is the only supplement that contains the natural menaquinone-7 form of vitamin K2. There is another, synthetic vitamin K2 supplement, called menaquinone-4, but this is poorly absorbed and breaks down quickly in the body, so milligram doses are needed, rather than the microgram doses (one thousand times less!) of natural MenaQ7.
[thedailyhealth.co.uk]

Also, there is a lot written about using Type II Collagen to promote healthy ligaments and tendons as well as joints so one can continue with healthy aging exercise comfortably. That's a topic for another post.

Jackie

Thanks Jackie! You're advice was exactly what I was looking for.

Resistance exercise sounds much better! Found this nifty system:

[www.amazon.com]

Good news is that I've been supplementing with D for a few years thanks to your advice. I think I'm at 70 OH.

As well, I've been taking Vit K too thanks to your advice. I'm using:

Life Extension Super K with Advanced K2.
[www.amazon.com]

OK Que - Glad your OH D is optimal....that gives you protection and support not only for healthy bone but
overall health as well. Yes, that's the K2 that I use as well - the 200 mcg.

Also try free weights with squats as well as doing arms. Start with lower weights and just do more reps rather than
adding heavier weights. You get the benefit of the 'tug' and also the strength training as well. Just go slowly
but do it regularly. This and resistance training has kept my bone density above the levels expected for my age
which pleases me and my doctors.

Jackie