New Calcium Supplements prevents Osteoporosis

[chris31650]

Hi all. I read this with interest and..
1) want to know your experience with calcium supplements.
2)Do you need to stand and for how long for effectiveness of calcium supplements.
Thank you. Be well. Christina

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New Calcium Compound Prevents Osteoporosis-Related Fractures: Researchers Hail First-of-Its-Kind Data from ASBMR Meeting


PHOENIX, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Research presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) concludes that a new calcium compound from Japan (calcium oxide/hydroxide) scientifically known as AAA Ca can prevent fractures in postmenopausal women. Other calcium forms have failed to show the ability to prevent fractures in peer-reviewed research.

The study, conducted and reported by Takuo Fujita, MD, director of the Osteoporosis Foundation in Japan, involved three groups of elderly (mean age = 80), hospitalized, osteoporotic women. One group received 900 mg/day of AAA Ca (marketed under the trade name AdvaCAL(TM)); a second group took 900 mg/day of calcium carbonate; a third received a placebo. All three groups received about 600 mg/day of additional calcium from food. None of the 58 patients underwent simultaneous drug or hormone therapies while under study.

After 27 months of study, the AdvaCAL calcium group reported zero fractures per 1,000 patient years. The calcium carbonate group reported 357 fractures per 1,000 patient years, while the placebo group recorded 500 fractures per 1,000 patient years.

"This data is almost too good to believe," comments Fujita, who is Director of the Japan Osteoporosis Institute. "I've studied most every calcium supplement and have published over 400 papers on this mineral. I've never seen one that prevented fractures this dramatically."

Dr. Fujita's study revealed even more good news for postmenopausal women. The incidence among the AdvaCAL group of cervical spondylosis, the compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots that often causes diminished height, deformity and back pain during aging, was significantly reduced. By measuring what's known as the lumbar vertebral body over the 27-month study period, Dr. Fujita found that only 22.2% of AdvaCAL users lost more than 20% of this measurement, as opposed to 36.4% among calcium carbonate users and 50% in the placebo group.

Today's research is a significant addition to an already-compelling dossier on AdvaCAL, a non-prescription, natural calcium supplement. Patented in the United States and Japan, AdvaCAL has been proven effective at building bone mineral density (BMD) in men and women of all ages. More than twelve published clinical studies support its position as the number-one bone-building calcium compound available today (http://www.publishedresearch.com).

To see a reference copy only of the ASBMR abstract, which is under strict embargo until Sunday, October 14th, access http://www.publishedresearch.com/AA/a-double.htm.

For more information on the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, go to http://www.asbmr.org. For more information on AAA Ca, marketed under the trade names AdvaCAL, AdvaCAL Ultra, 3A Calcium and 3A Calcium Ultra, contact LaneLabs at 800-526-3005, or visit them at http://www.lanelabs.com.

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[SCI-Nurse]

Christina - This is interesting information that needs more study by me to be able to comment. However, it is reported that after the initial bone loss in the early post SCI injury period, the amount of loss stabilizes and approximates that of the non-SCI population. I am going to ask Dr. Young to comment on your post and the studies cited. CRF

[Wise Young]

If this is true, it is a real breakthrough. As the commentator in the article said, people have tested literally hundreds of calcium supplements and none have shown this kind of result. It can and should be repeated and, if it is confirmed, I would very much like to see this tested for people with spinal cord injury.

In spinal cord injury, I believe that the loss of calcium is related to the lack of mechanical stress on the bones. This is because the bones above the injury site do not show significant loss of calcium. Only those bones that are below in the injury site and that are not being mechanically stressed are showing loss of calcium.

This contrasts with the cause of calcium loss in post-menopausal woman which is due to hormonal loss although simple estrogen supplement in and of itself does not always seem to replenish the calcium. In any case, this is good and very interesting news. By the way, it sounds as if this combination of several different forms of calcium will be easy to manufacture and should not be very expensive.

Wise.

[chris31650]

Thank you for the reply.
In other words you are also saying that you need not to be able to stand for calcium supplements to be effective?
Can TUMS be used as a calcium supplement?
Once you have further info re my original post please let me know or email me privately.
Thank you. Christina
Chris31750@aol.com http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

[SCI-Nurse]

Christina - I will try to answer your several questions. First, some comments bone mass: A person's peak bone mass develops by age 30 to 35. This development is directly related to your dietary habits and intake of calcium prior to this age. At this peak age, Caucasian and Asian persons have a low peak bone mass in relation to the general population as a whole. The risk factors are greater in these females and impacted by family history, low dietary dairy and diminished physical activity.

Dr. Young has noted that bone mass loss in the SCI person is related to the lack of mechanical stress as the loss of bone mass is present below the level of injury but not above. You concluded that a SCI person does not "have to stand for a calcium supplement to be effective". I would not make this conclusion as an absolute. In my earlier post I noted that most of the loss below the level of injury occurs very early following one's injury and then stabilizes. The question then is whether the use of a calcium supplement will impact bone mass only above the level of injury.

For you, the question then seems to be related to the reason that you need a calcium supplement. Do you have several of the risk factors noted? Are you above age 30 - 35 when there is a natural beginning loss of bone mass? Can you engage in any activities that would benefit the bone mass below the level of injury?

When Dr. Young refers to mechanical stress, there are two means of achieving this for persons with SCI, i.e. either standing or through the use of functional electrical stimulation (FES) which is the only technology that actively stimulates the muscles of the lower extremeties. FES has been shown to be beneficial for the paralyzed lower extremeties. You asked for the length of time necessary to be beneficial. For standing, one can work up to an hour a day; for FES, 30 minutes 3 times per week or no more often than every other day.

Calcium supplements: supplements that are composed of calcium citrate are more soluble and therefore more bioavailable to the body. Tums are composed of calcium carbonate which is less soluble and therefore the body is less able to use this form of calcium. If one needs to manage his/her sodium intake, Tums is a less desirable choice. For more information on calcium go to: www.calciuminfo.com (http://www.calciuminfo.com) CRF