For Bone Health Protection: Dietary Calcium, Better than Supplements

Filed in archive Studies , Treatment on June 16, 2007

Listen up ladies!

Getting our daily calcium from food (dietary sources) will give us healthier bones than those whose calcium are mainly supplied by supplementation.

Such were the findings of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Consumption of calcium helps maintain bone density by preventing the body from stealing the calcium it needs from the bones while enough calcium is very important in the prevention of osteoporosis.

According to senior author Reina Armamento-Villareal, M.D., assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases and a bone specialist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital:

"This suggests that dietary calcium is associated with a shift in estrogen metabolism that favors production of active forms of estrogen.Although we're not yet certain what underlies this effect, it could be that nutrients other than calcium cause this shift. It's also known that dairy products, which are a major source of calcium, can contain active estrogenic compounds, and these can influence bone density and the amount of estrogenic metabolites in the urine.

Only about 35 percent of the calcium in most supplements ends up being absorbed by the body. Calcium from the diet is generally better absorbed, and this could be another reason that women who got a high percentage of calcium in their food had higher bone densities."

While dairy products are the excellent sources of calcium, calcium-fortified orange juice and dark green leafy vegetables may also be consumed especially those individuals with sensitivity to dairy and dairy products.

Findings above (published in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) is another evidence that dietary sources of vitamins are minerals are far better (sometimes safer and more effective!) than the supplemental versions.

Find more details from the full report.