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New Benefits of Calcium Citrate
Most health-conscious people know how important calcium is to
the human body in protecting against a myriad of diseases and
deficiencies, especially osteoporosis. Along with playing an
essential role in the formation of bones and teeth, calcium is
intimately involved in with many other vital body functions. It
is integral to the transmission of nerve messages, the proper
function of muscles including the heart, the activation of
certain enzymes for digestion, the nourishment of cells, and the
release of energy.
A debate has raged for decades among nutritional experts
as to which form of calcium is beter absorbed by the human body.
Now, a recent double-blind study conducted by the Southwestern
Medical Center at the University of Texas has confirmed that
calcium citrate has an absorbtion rate 2.5 faster than cacium
carbonate when both types were combined with Vitamin D and
Boron.
The blood uses calcium for so many functions that if there is
a dietary deficiency of calcium, and therefore a decreased
amount of calcium in the bloodstream, the body pulls the calcium
it needs from the bones. This, in addition to the natural
mineral loss, causes the bones to weaken and be dangerously
susceptible to fractures, a serious condition termed
osteoporosis. Other symptoms of calcium deficiency are muscle
cramps, nervousness, increased cholesterol levels, insomnia, and
numbness in and/or legs.
In 1994, the National Institute of Health reported that
Recommended Daily Allowance, 800 mg, for calcium is too low, and
that half of American adults are not getting enough calcium on a
daily basis. They (NIH) recommend a dosage between 1,000 and
1,500 mg daily. Calcium expert Robert Heaney, M.D., of Creighton
University believes that women need 1,500 mg of calcium a
day-almost double the RDA. The average American diet fails to
provide half of that amount.
In a recent study at the University of Southern California
School of Medicine, calcium was also found to help prevent
hypertension, a serious risk factor for heart disease. A daily
diet including 900 to 1,000 mg of calcium lowered hypertension
risk by 12 percent.
In research conducted at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, 1,000 mg a
day has helped ease PMS symptoms (i.e. mood swings, water
retention, cramps).
According to 'The Doctor's Vitamin and Mineral
Encyclopedia" (Simon & Schuster, 1990) by Sheldon
Hendler, M.D., Ph.D., calcium in the form of calcium citrate
does not require stomach hydrochloric acid for absorption. This
means that it is more readily absorbed and utilized by the body
and can also be taken on an empty stomach.
Calcium citrate never leads to the formation of calcium
kidney stones.
Another unique advantage that comes with taking calcium
citrate is that unlike other forms of calcium, it never blocks
iron absorption.
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