Word: calcium
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Last week researchers, concerned by the commercial hype, met once again at NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Md. While reiterating their earlier counsel on daily intake, they sought to "bring calcium down a peg or two," in the words of one, and to caution against unbridled enthusiasm. "Calcium is not a panacea for osteoporosis," declares Washington University's Dr. William Peck, who was a leader at both gatherings. "The ads promise more than calcium is going to deliver...
...fact, both the disease and calcium's role in bone development are still poorly understood. During normal youthful maturation the body readily absorbs calcium, which helps to build bigger and denser bones. After about age 35, however, the process begins to reverse. The body becomes less able to take in calcium, and the blood, which needs the mineral for other organs, begins to leach it out of bones, leaving them weaker. Women suffer in particular because their bones are smaller and less dense than men's. More important, for reasons that are not yet known, menopause speeds up bone loss...
...Calcium supplements, unfortunately, cannot prevent osteoporosis after menopause. At the Bethesda meeting, researchers reported on eight studies that found extra calcium had little or no effect in slowing bone loss, even / when the dosage was as high as 3,000 mg per day. The most effective defense against osteoporosis in these women, all agreed, is estrogen replacement. Such therapy has been linked in the past to an increase in endometrial cancer, but doctors now believe the risk can be minimized by tandem use of progesterone- like hormones...
What about calcium supplements before menopause? Scientists say the best hedge against osteoporosis is strong, dense bones formed during younger years. But a U.S. Public Health survey found that women from 18 to 44 get a daily average of calcium that ranges from 679 mg for the youngest group to 603 mg for the oldest. Some physicians contend that Americans can get necessary amounts by consuming more calcium-rich foods, especially milk and dairy products. Others, questioning whether women will change their diets sufficiently, see a need for pills and fortified foods. That raises the question of what scientists call...
Moreover, researchers point out, although calcium does help build bone and retain it, the mineral is simply one factor in lifelong skeletal health. Some studies have found bone loss is slower in those who engage in such weight-bearing physical activities as running and walking. In one survey, women ages 35 to 65 who took a 50-minute aerobics class three times a week lost only 2.5% of the density in their forearm bones, compared with 9.5% for women who did not exercise. "Osteoporosis is a total life-style problem," emphasizes Heaney. "You can't cure a bad life-style...