Calcium Kills!!???

Excuse the punctuation overkill…no don't, because in the world of meta-analyses they seem to be forgiven most of the time anyway.  Most especially when the handpicking of certain studies leads to big headlines, not just nationwide, but worldwide.  But that is the big story of the day (last Friday at least) when the results of a meta-analysis looking at safety and efficacy of calcium supplementation were unleashed into the media circus. Calcium supplementation causes an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.  By 30%.  Big numbers.  Big headlines.  Much creedence paid by western medical profession.  Interesting, because those are exactly the guys who have up until now, been recommending this sort of silver bullet approach to bone health.  You would be hard pressed (I hope) to find someone in the natural health industry recommending 1000mg daily of calcium carbonate to save you from osteoporosis.  What we get that the "conventional" medical wisdom misses (by a mile) is the intricate and delicate interplay between many nutrients in our bodies that come together to form strong, healthy bones. On Radio One that day, the head of Osteoporosis Ireland showed some smarts when she mentioned the need for vitamin D to be taken in conjunction with calcium to ensure its absorption in our small intestine.  Another mineral notable only for its absence from this shocking study was magnesium, another mineral found in its greatest proportions in our bones, and also involved in the regulation of calcium uptake in our bodies, as many studies have shown.  Add to this list boron, strontium, vanadium, zinc, vitamin C, essential fats and vitamin K, and you begin to get the picture that this is indeed a complex story, and one that this study (purpose unknown) has greatly mis-interpretted. You should give creedence though, to the point that this study illustrated that those taking food-form calcium did not submit to the same characteristic increase in stroke/heart attack.  Our body understands foods, and where we can, we should exclusively take our nutrients from our diet.  Where supplements are concerned, however- yes, you should stop taking calcium on its own, and instead opt for a: some sound advice in your local healthstore as to what you need to do with your diet and lifestyle to avoid thinning bones, and b: some smarter supplements, containing the spectrum of nutrients outlined above.