Calcium cardio carnage

A 2012 study that looked at around 24,000 men and women aged between 34 and 65 who supplemented with calcium found that the risk of heart attack increased 139% during an 11-year period. Calcium from diet didn’t increase their risk.

A 2010 study found similar results, with an increased risk for heart attack reaching 30% in those supplementing with calcium. It also documented increased risks of stroke by 20%, and death from all causes by 9%.

Another study which looked at women’s risk for kidney stones found that while those who ate a lot of calcium in their diet had an overall lower risk than the general population, those who supplemented with calcium had a higher risk. The same is true, Kresser continues, for men and for prostate cancer.

Calcium is obtained mostly through animal products, or through the environmental absorption of calcium in the soil. However with almost 40 years of recommendations for eating less meat paired with declining soil quality resulting in less mineral-dense foods, it’s no surprise that calcium levels across America are quite low.

For people looking to fortify their bones and prevent fractures, they could consider adding more calcium rich foods in their diet like cheese, milk, and organ meats, and not rely on dark leafy greens that have a very low bioavailability of the calcium they do contain. There’s also the option of switching from calcium supplements to collagen peptide supplements.

Regarding the latter, it’s by no means clear that a collagen supplement will increase bone mineral density. A pair of randomized placebo-controlled trials, both done in post-menopausal women with low bone mineral density, testify to this.

The first found significant improvements to bone mineral density in the neck and spine, in around 106 women, while the second found no significant effect of collagen hydrolysates on bone mineral density in around 35 women, with the only difference between the studies being that in the second, non-significant finding, the women carried excess body weight.

However unlike calcium, the basic biological processes are more on the side of collagen in this case. The synthesis of type I collagen, like the kind found in collagen supplements, enhances bone mineral density, bone mineral content and increases the amount of type I collagen in the bone matrix.

Unlike the mineral calcium, collagen I is a protein, and readily digestible even in large amounts. A meta-analysis of 9 studies on mice, humans, and in vitro cells found that collagen “has a positive therapeutic effect on osteoporosis and osteoarthritis with a potential increase in bone mineral density, a protective effect on articular cartilage”.

These studies didn’t just look at base bone mineral density, but also for things like load weight on the femur bones of mice.

Most collagen peptide supplements will include the collagen proteins that support strong skin, hair, nails, and joints as well, and offer, when included in a nutrient-dense diet that includes animal-based foods, probably the best way to protect against age-related osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, osteopenia, or bone mineral density loss. WaL