Osteoporosis and Bone Health – the Surgeon General's Report

More than one in 10 Americans either has, or is at risk of developing, osteoporosis or other bone diseases. This poses a major, but largely unknown, health concern for the United States. Spurred on by concerns about cost, in both dollars and compromised lifestyle, that osteoporosis inflicts on the nation, the Surgeon General has launched a major campaign aimed at improving bone health

According to the Surgeon General's report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis there is both good news, and bad news.

The good news is that by making sure we getting enough calcium, vitamin D (remember, vitamin D promotes absorption of the calcium) and other nutrients such as magnesium, we are more likely to build strong bones, helping us stave off the effects of osteoporosis.

The bad news, however, is that more than 75% of Americans aren't getting enough calcium in their diet. The are calcium deficient, as it were.

Are you getting enough calcium? In trying to decide, consider the fact that a large majority of women in a recent study underestimated their daily calcium needs by at least half.

Taking calcium supplements every day can be a key element in the prevention and treatment calcium deficiency, helping your reduce your risks of osteoporosis.

How Coral Calcium Works in the Body

As mentioned before, coral calcium is calcium carbonate harvested from old coral beds. It contains not only calcium carbonate, but a few trace minerals as well. Calcium's role in the human body should not be misrepresented. It is an important element in in both bone formation and many metabolic functions. Most Americans don't get enough calcium in their diet, though. It is often recommended that they take calcium supplements, whether from coral sources or not, to supplement their diet.

Calcium is essential in the physiology of cells. The movement of calcium through the cytoplasm is a trigger for many cellular processes. It is the major mineral component in bones and teeth and is the most abundant metal, by mass, in almost all animals. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, an American volunteer health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and increasing bone health, calcium plays an important role in building stronger, denser bones early in life, and in keeping bones healthy in later life.

Approximately 99% of the calcium in the body is stored in the bones. The other 1% floats through the bloodstream, assisting in neural, cardiac, and muscle functions. Long term-calcium deficiencies can lead to rickets, poor clotting, and osteoporosis, especially in menopausal women.

The tricky part about eating foods high in calcium, such as dairy products, or even taking supplements, is the amount of calcium absorbed. Only about 30% to 40% of the calcium taken in through a normal Western diet is absorbed in the gut. The rest leaves the body in the feces. There are two things you can do to make sure you're getting enough calcium:

1. Take a calcium supplement, such as coral calcium. This increase the calcium available to the body for absorption.
2. Take measures to increase calcium absorption.

How do you increase calcium absorption?

Get enough Vitamin D. Vitamin D is converted by the body into a hormone that induces the production of the intestinal proteins responsible for calcium absorption. Without vitamin D, all that calcium your taking is just going down the toilet. Literally.


How do you get Vitamin D?

Some foods, such as milk, contain vitamin D supplements, and vitamin D pills are available. The best and most natural way to get vitamin D, though, is by getting out into the sun. Don't slather on the sunscreen, either. Sunscreen interferes with UV rays, and important factor in helping your body make it's own vitamin D. How long you can stay in the sun depends on your skin color. You don't want to stay out so long that you get a sunburn or risk increasing your chances of skin cancer, of course. As with most everything, the key is moderation. About 10 to 15 minutes a day seems to be the consensus among the experts.

Stomach acid levels may play a role in calcium absorption as well. Most calcium supplements, including coral calcium, are in the form of calcium carbonate, a known antacid. High stomach acid levels may neutralize some of the calcium carbonate, making it unavailable for absorption in the intestines. It's advisable, then, to take your coral calcium supplements towards the end of a meal, when stomach acid levels are lower.

Helping Children Prevent Osteoporosis

As juice, soda, and other soft drinks take the place of milk in our children's diets, calcium deficiency in children is becoming a huge concern. Preventing osteoporosis begins with childhood. If you have children, start now to help them prevent osteoporosis.

From birth to the age of eleven, about 45% of bone mass is created. According to the Amercian Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, US children are only consuming half of the calcium required for their age. Male teen-agers consume about 50% of what they need, while their females counter-parts are consuming only 14% of the recommended calcium levels for their age.

Children, ages 1 through 3, should get 500 mg of calcium per day. Children ages 4 to 8 need 800 mg per day. Those between ages 9 and 18 should get 1300 mg per day. Talk to your doctor about appropriate calcium supplement doses for your children.

The Importance of Exercise

Exercise is also important in fighting osteoporosis. Weight bearing exercises during childhood and adolescence help increase bone density. Appropriate exercises can include:

• Walking
• Dancing
• Jogging
• Stair-climbing
• Racquet sports
• Hiking

If you’ve been leading a sedentary life, check with your doctor before you begin any exercise program.

*Data gathered from the Osteoporosis Clinic in the Division of Rheumatology at Froedtert & Medical College.

Bone Density

Calcium supplements can be a significant help in maintaining bone health and density, an important indicator in diagnosing osteoporosis. As always, you should talk to your doctor about taking calcium supplements to maintain bone health, or any other health issues.

You may consider getting a bone density evaluation if you have, or have had, any of the following:

• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Seizures
• Thyroid disease
• Parathyroid disease
• Lupus
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Eating disorders
• Lactose intolerance
• Colitis
• Crohn's disease
• Kidney stones
• Kidney disease
• An irregular menstrual cycle or an early hysterectomy

Some medication can affect bone health include:

• Steroids
• Thyroid supplements
• Antacids
• Seizure medications
• Diuretics and inhalers

Talk to your doctor if you have taken any of these medications. You should also talk to your doctor if you have a medical condition that may interfere with calcium consumption (such as lactose intolerance) or vitamin D absorption.

Preventing Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a silent disease. It has no signs or symptoms until the bones have thinned to the point where they fracture under the lightest of stresses.

While osteoporosis can affect everyone, it strikes women the hardest. Nearly half of all Caucasian and Asian women over the age of 50 years will suffer from at least one fracture caused by osteoporosis. African and Latin women, and men of all races, face lower rates, but bone loss still occurs with the presence of additional risk factors.

Additional risk factors for osteoporosis include:

• Low weight (under 127 pounds for adults)
• Being a smoker
• Poor lifelong calcium intake
• Family history of osteoporosis
• Other chronic conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, thyroid disease or inflammatory bowel disease.
• Long-term use of the steroid medication prednisone and early menopause.

The most common, and devastating, non-traumatic fracture associated with osteoporosis are hip fractures. The low-bone mass caused by osteoporosis is so bad, that many people suffer from this disease can break their hip sockets simply by standing up. Some estimates show that in the US, over 300,000 hip fractures occur every year. Of those who suffer from hip fractures related to osteoprosis, twelve to twenty percent will die from complications caused by the fracture within the first year.(1) Those who survive face a substantial decrease in the quality of their lives due to pain and loss of mobility.

Because peak bone mass is achieved at approximately 30 years of age, it's vital to have a diet rich in calcium from infancy through early adulthood.(1) Calcium consumed later in life helps maintain bone mass, but it can't build more mass than you've already got by the time you're 30.

Ingest Calcium Throughout the Day

Calcium is absorbed slowly and the body can't take in more than 500 mg at one time. While naturally occurring calcium is more effectively absorbed than supplemental calcium, taking a coral calcium supplement can help.

Most people should take 1000 mg per day. Some coral calcium supplements contains 500 mg of calcium, along with other vitamins and minerals that pertain to bone health, per capsule. Taking one capsule during breakfast, and another at your evening meal, is the perfect way to get your daily doses in an optimal way.

If you're over the age of 40, you should take between 1200 to 1500 mg of calcium per day. After age 40, add a capsule coral calcium to your mid-day meal, and you'll optimize your calcium intake.

(1) Data gathered from the Osteoporosis Clinic in the Division of Rheumatology at Froedtert & Medical College.

What Are Coral Calcium Supplements?

Coral calcium supplements are calcium carbonate dietary supplements derived from fossilized coral reefs. Living coral reefs are endangered and cannot be harvested without damaging the ecosystem, and so coral calcium is harvested by grinding up above-ground limestone deposits that were once part of a coral reef. We don't want to hurt Mother Nature!

Calcium is an essential mineral for human life, and coral calcium is an effective source of it. While the calcium component of coral calcium is identical to any other limestone deposit, fossilized coral reefs contain other trace minerals helpful to the human body.

Why Take Calcium Supplements?

Calcium is an important part of a healthy diet. It is essential for the normal growth and maintenance of bones and teeth and calcium deficiencies can affect bone and tooth formation.

Calcium requirements must be met for a lifetime, though, not just during the developmental years. Long-term calcium deficiencies can lead to osteoporosis (where the bone deteriorates and fracture risks increase), a disease all too common in our society. Calcium has also been found to assist in the production of lymphatic fluids that are vital to the removal of toxins and other waste products from the body. Some studies have also suggested that, contrary to previous thoughts about calcium, that it can reduce the instance of kidney stones as well.

Why Can't I Just Drink Milk?

Dairy products are a well-known source of calcium, but some individuals are allergic to dairy products, and even more people are lactose-intolerant and unable to eat dairy products. Other people, such as vegans, may avoid dairy products for ethical reasons.

How Much Calcium Do I Need?

Calcium supplements are used to prevent and to treat calcium deficiencies. Most experts agree, however, that no more than 500 mg should be taken at one time because the percentage of calcium actually absorbed decreases when more is taken. Because of that, it's recommended that you spread out your dosages throughout the day.

The USDA recommended daily calcium intake varies from 1000 to 1500 mg, depending upon the stage of life.

Age	Reccomended Amount
0-6 months	210 mg/day
7-12 months	270 mg/day
1-3 years	500 mg/day
4-8 years	800 mg/day
9-18 years	1300 mg/day
19-50 years	1000 mg/day
51+ years	1200 mg/day

Why Take Coral Calcium Supplements?

It's best to take coral calcium supplements that contains many other vitamins and minerals essential for the proper absorption and utilization of calcium, and for general health. That way, you can make sure that you are getting the full benefit of taking a calcium supplement.

A typical coral calcium supplement capsule may contain the following:

• 500 mg of Coral Calcium. This is the optimum recommended amount for each calcium dose.
• 15 mg of Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) - an important antioxidant.
• 1 mg of Copper (gluconate) - an important mineral for proper enzymatic function.
• 50 mg of Phosphorous (aspartate) - an important mineral in many of the metabolic processes in the body.
• 5 mg of Zinc - an essential element for sustaining all life.
• 50 mg of Magnesium - an important element in many enzymes, including those that synthesize DNA.
• 15 mg of Boron (aspartate) - an element shown to inhibit calcium excretion, and activate estrogen and Vitamin D.
• 5 mg of Vitamin D - essential to the proper absorption of calcium.

Ultimately, if our lives allowed us to have a perfect diet, calcium and other food supplements would not be needed. We could get all of our nutrition through food. With today's fast pace and stressful lifestyle, however, it's become more important than every to supplement our diets to maintain optimal health. Coral calcium supplements may be the best choice for your calcium supplement needs.

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