Concerns About Calcium

Can supplementary calcium cause a heart attack? 

At one time the main question we got about calcium was from women who weren’t sure they were getting enough to prevent osteoporosis. Today, both men and women wonder if taking supplementary calcium is going to give them a heart attack or get into their brains or other soft tissues.

Taking calcium in Beyond Health’s Bone Support will NOT do these things, and here’s why.

First, although calcium supplements have been called into question, calcium in food has never been shown to be a problem. The calcium in our supplements is identical to the calcium found in food.

This is not true of most calcium supplements!

We use only organic calcium, while calcium found in most supplements is usually inorganic. Our calcium is reacted with organic acids in such a way that the resulting molecules are identical to calcium found in food – organic calcium. The body doesn’t know how to handle the inorganic form, and it can easily be deposited where it shouldn’t be, like in the arteries where it leads to calcification of the artery lining. The body does know how to handle the organic form, including getting rid of it if there is too much.

Second, loading up on calcium tablets is not a good idea. In building bone, calcium works as part of a team of nutrients, including magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K. These teammates make sure calcium is directed to the bones where it’s supposed to be and doesn’t cause mischief elsewhere in the body.

At Beyond Health, our position is that deposition of calcium in the arteries and other soft tissues is the result of faulty calcium metabolism caused by the following four factors:

1. Using a poor form of calcium, specifically inorganic versus organic calcium.
2. Dairy, sugar and other pro-inflammatory factors in the diet.
3. An overly acidic system.
4. The absence of co-nutrients needed to incorporate calcium into bone.

Get the full team of nutrients needed for using calcium safely and effectively to build strong bones in Beyond Health’s Bone Support.

Since that article was written, I’ve come to more fully appreciate the widespread need for extra supplementation of vitamin D according to individual need. Get your vitamin D levels checked. Because most people today are deficient, you’ll probably want to add Beyond Health’s Vitamin D3 Formula, now with vitamin K2, to your bone-building regimen.

Hee KJ. Increased dietary calcium intake is not associated with coronary artery calcification. International Journal of Cardiology. June 2012; 157(3):429-431.