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If you are supplementing calcium with Vitamin D (and have good blood levels of around 50 ng/ml), I suggest taking no more than 500 mg of calcium daily. The best natural sources of calcium are dark green vegetables — if a good amount are eaten, you might not need calcium supplements at all. High calcium foods include broccoli, cabbage, kale, spring mix salad and Brussels sprouts. Yes, dairy products contain calcium but they also contain a lot of phosphorus, which can interfere with building bone. Milk is good for babies but not good for adults. Think about it --mother cows don’t drink milk to get calcium; they always eat grass. Calcium is needed for bone and nervous system health, but taking too much can cause kidney stones.
Here is why.
Adults get little cracks in their bones that need to be repaired. Repairing the bone requires calcium, Vitamin D, protein, estrogen, progesterone (for women), testosterone and DHEA. To maintain strong bones, it requires the entire holistic package. On a daily basis, we don’t use up very much calcium. If we take in more calcium than we need, the kidneys will send the excess calcium into the urine. Again, too much calcium in the urine can lead to kidney stones.
Here is why.
Adults get little cracks in their bones that need to be repaired. Repairing the bone requires calcium, Vitamin D, protein, estrogen, progesterone (for women), testosterone and DHEA. To maintain strong bones, it requires the entire holistic package. On a daily basis, we don’t use up very much calcium. If we take in more calcium than we need, the kidneys will send the excess calcium into the urine. Again, too much calcium in the urine can lead to kidney stones.
| Chocolate calcium chews |  |
There are companies who promote tasty chocolate calcium chews to middle aged and menopausal women. Some chews include Vitamin D (roughly 600 IU). Calcium comes from limestone and is cheap but Vitamin D is more expensive. I often recommend my patients to take 3,000 IU of Vitamin D daily and 500 mg (or less) of calcium. I would stay away from the chocolate candies. They contain an excess of calcium and not enough Vitamin D. Even if you had three to four chews, you will not reach the proper amount of Vitamin D and the chews will only produce higher levels of calcium.
A few years ago, Dr. Mehmet Oz brought the low Vitamin D levels of older Americans into popular focus. Many elderly women were advised to take 2,000 mg of calcium daily for bone health, but since they did not have enough Vitamin D, the extra calcium was ineffective. The intestine cannot absorb calcium very well without having adequate levels of Vitamin D (no matter how much calcium is taken). When women finally started supplementing with Vitamin D, they were successful in absorbing the higher levels of calcium.
I watched a urology doctor on television criticize Dr. Oz for pushing Vitamin D because kidney stone rates were going up in elderly women. The doctor was blaming the wrong problem. The extra Vitamin D is needed for many reasons. In addition to bone health, Vitamin D supports immune function, which protects against infections and cancer. The main issue was that women were taking too much calcium.
Very important general rule -- there isn’t anything that you can’t have too little or too much of. For healthy bones, everyone needs the whole package of vitamins, hormones, nutrients and minerals but do not take too much of anything, including calcium.
A few years ago, Dr. Mehmet Oz brought the low Vitamin D levels of older Americans into popular focus. Many elderly women were advised to take 2,000 mg of calcium daily for bone health, but since they did not have enough Vitamin D, the extra calcium was ineffective. The intestine cannot absorb calcium very well without having adequate levels of Vitamin D (no matter how much calcium is taken). When women finally started supplementing with Vitamin D, they were successful in absorbing the higher levels of calcium.
I watched a urology doctor on television criticize Dr. Oz for pushing Vitamin D because kidney stone rates were going up in elderly women. The doctor was blaming the wrong problem. The extra Vitamin D is needed for many reasons. In addition to bone health, Vitamin D supports immune function, which protects against infections and cancer. The main issue was that women were taking too much calcium.
Very important general rule -- there isn’t anything that you can’t have too little or too much of. For healthy bones, everyone needs the whole package of vitamins, hormones, nutrients and minerals but do not take too much of anything, including calcium.
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