Why Calcium Is Bad For You In Supplement Form But Not In Food Form
Calcium is important for the immune system by helping the body respond to infectious invaders (1) and heal wounds (2). This is part of how vitamin D improves the immune system. Vitamin D is important for the absorption of calcium. So, it would make sense that you can’t get the full benefits of vitamin D if you’ve got 0 calcium in your diet.
Similarly, the first problem that happens in zinc deficiency is a lack of calcium absorption (3). From our previous articles on zinc, we know zinc is also very important for the immune system. This is partly because of its effect on calcium absorption and also the synergy between zinc and vitamin D (Check out our previous article for more on that). So, it would make sense that you can’t get the full benefits of vitamin D if you’ve got 0 calcium in your diet.
So let’s supplement calcium right? Unfortunately calcium supplements may do harm.
One meta-analysis (which is a study that looks at lots of other studies) found that heart attacks went up by 27-31% in the group having calcium supplements compared to those not having calcium (total of about 20,000 patients). Overall risk of death was increased by 9% and strokes went up 20% (the increase in death was not deemed statistically significant (4)). This is deemed insufficient evidence of harm by some scientists (5). We and other scientists (6), however believe it is a reason to be cautious about supplementing calcium and to prefer food based calcium.
It is thought that calcium supplements also increase risk of kidney stones (7) , which are made of calcium typically. Calcium can also end up in mitochondria, which are the energy production factories of our cells (8). This can lead to the mitochondria not working properly (8), meaning your cells are not able to produce the energy they need to function. When mitochondria don’t function, it can cause a huge range of diseases. Many age-related, inflammatory, degenerative diseases are related to dysfunctional mitochondria (9).
On the other hand, certain papers note that low calcium intake has also been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular problems (5). Higher intake of calcium from foods has been associated with less fat round the midsection and a better insulin response (often used as an indicator for lower risk of type 2 diabetes) (10). In fact, calcium when used properly by mitochondria can lead to improved energy production (11).
Why might food-based calcium have a different effect when compared to supplements?
Let’s take dairy for example. Dairy contains vitamins A and K in the fat part of the dairy. Vitamin A was named as such because it was discovered that vitamins in the fat of milk were necessary for growth (12). The “A” stood for accessory factors which were needed for the body to access the nutrients (12). We now know that vitamin A helps incorporate calcium into bone (13), whilst avoiding it from forming kidney stones (14) and depositing into arteries. In fact, low vitamin A levels are a strong risk factor for heart attacks… as strong a risk factor as having low levels of HDL cholesterol (also referred as “good cholesterol”) (15). The bottom 10% of vitamin A levels were linked with 4.7 times increased risk of coronary events. It seems like vitamin A is a “calcium management” kind of vitamin. Evidence shows the same may be true for the vitamin K found in the milk. Vitamin K seems to place the calcium into bones (16) (17), whilst keeping it out of arteries (17) and kidneys (18).
Food based calcium always comes packaged with calcium management vitamins. For example, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K in the case of leafy greens. This is why we have decided to not put any calcium into the ThinkPharm Formula and would rather tell you how to get it from food naturally in order to optimise your health. In our free guide we also mention how certain foods can deplete our calcium levels and should be avoided for a good calcium balance.
You may notice in our ingredients list that calcium is listed. The amount of calcium added equates to about 15.3mg. Didn't we just establish taking calcium is bad? Yes, but usually calcium is required in the diet at around 800mg and supplements will range from 500mg to 1500mg. The amount of calcium in our formula is about 32 times less than the lowest possible calcium dose used by the patients from the trials presented in the meta-analysis that found a harmful effect (4). In practice many of the patients from these trials would have been taking 600mg twice a day. In the case of our formulation the calcium phosphate providing these 15.3mg was absolutely necessary as it acts as a carrier for the selenium we put in the formula. As the selenium is in quite minute amounts, ingredients like calcium phosphate allow the selenium to be measured out more accurately. In this case the amount of potential harm is far outweighed by the benefits coming from the inclusion of the selenium in the formula.
There is also reason to believe that calcium is particularly safe when packaged alongside phosphorous (like in the case of calcium phosphate). In one trial they used a form of calcium called MCH (19). They found that this form didn't produce the same increases in blood levels of calcium (which can lead to harm) but still had the same beneficial effect on bones like other forms of calcium. Why? Because bones are made of calcium and phosphorous, not just calcium. Providing just calcium doesn't make so much sense if you're trying to build bone. Calcium and phosphorous balance each other out. When someone's calcium levels are too high, you give them phosphorous to help reduce the levels of calcium. Likewise if someone's phosphorous is too high, you give them calcium to help reduce the levels of phosphorous. So when you take calcium and phosphorous at the same time it helps avoid either of them getting too high.
You may also notice that the pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is listed as Calcium Pantothenate and the vitamin B9 (L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate) is listed as a calcium salt. The amount of calcium coming from these ingredients is even more insignificant at 0.61mg.
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Disclaimer: Food supplements are intended to correct nutritional deficiencies, maintain an adequate intake of certain nutrients, or to support specific physiological functions. The ThinkPharm Formula (or any other food supplement) is not a medicine and therefore cannot and does not claim to treat or prevent disease. All content on this website is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. None of the scientific studies quoted on this website qualify as proof or implication that ThinkPharm Health's supplements treat or prevent disease. Findings of scientific studies do not always represent reality. It is always difficult for scientific studies to reach accurate conclusions regarding nutrition and its relationship to diseases. Please consult your healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet and lifestyle. ThinkPharm Health is not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting on information from this website.