CALCIA 800^®
(Calcium and Magnesium Supplementation)

Usage

• Calcium is an essential nutrient that is involved in most metabolic processes and the phosphate salts of which provide mechanical rigidity to the bones and teeth, where 99% of the body's calcium resides. The calcium in the skeleton has the additional role of acting as a reserve supply of calcium to meet the body's metabolic needs in states of calcium deficiency. Calcium deficiency is easily induced because of the obligatory losses of calcium via the bowel, kidneys, and skin.
• Calcium is necessary for the prevention and treatment of diseases such as osteoporosis, hypertension, and, possibly, colon cancer. Supplementation is useful when dietary calcium intake is low.
• Based on present evidence, chelated calcium and refined calcium carbonate tablets may be safely and effectively ingested by most people at doses generally recommended for treatment or prevention of osteoporosis.
• Nutritional factors have a significant influence on the cause of osteoporosis. Calcium supplementation may be particularly effective in populations with a low calcium diet. Supplementations of 500 mg/d may produce about 4% gain in skeletal calcium in adolescents. Supplementations of 800 mg/d may prevent bone loss in postmenopausal women. The results of clinical trials also suggested that such supplementation may prevent hip and vertebral fractures in the elderly.
• Optimum Calcium intake is best obtained from food sources; however, the lower food intake of modern humans compared with the food intake of humans during involution has resulted in difficulty in gaining an adequate intake of calcium. Calcium supplements are destined to become and important source of dietary calcium and thus some attention must be paid to their nutritional value. Solubility of a calcium salt is not a major determinant of absorbability over a range of 5 orders of magnitude of solubility. However, there is a well-defined enhancing effect of the co-ingestion of a meal with calcium supplements. It would seem prudent to recommend that any calcium supplement be given at meal times.
• Magnesium is an important element in health and in disease. Its metabolic importance is well known. Magnesium regulates active calcium transport. As a result, there has been a growing interest in the role of magnesium (Mg) in bone metabolism. A group of menopausal women were given magnesium hydroxide to assess the effects of magnesium on bone density. At the end of the 2-year study, magnesium therapy appears to have prevented fractures and resulted in a significant increase in bone density.

References

1. Randomized controlled trial of calcium in healthy older women.
   Reid IR, Mason B, Horne A, Ames R, Reid HE, Bava U, Bolland MJ, Gamble GD.
   Am J Med. 2006 Sep;119(9):777-85.
2. Multiple sources of dietary calcium-some aspects of its essentiality.
   Fishbein L.
   Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2004 Apr;39(2):67-80.
3. Calcium in women: healthy bones and much more.
   Kass-Wolff JH.
   J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2004 Jan-Feb;33(1):21-33.
4. Are vitamin and mineral deficiencies a major cancer risk?
   Ames BN, Wakimoto P.
   Nat Rev Cancer 2002 Sep;2(9):694-704
5. Calcium intake and risk of colon cancer in women and men.
   Wu K, Willett WC, Fuchs CS, Colditz GA, Giovannucci EL.
   J Natl Cancer Inst 2002 Mar 20;94(6):437-46
6. Heinemann DF
   Osteoporosis. An overview of the National Osteoporosis Foundation clinical practice guide.
   Geriatrics 2000 May;55(5):31-6; quiz 39
7. Why oral calcium supplements may reduce renal stone disease: report of a clinical pilot study.
   Williams CP, Child DF, Hudson PR, Davies GK, Davies MG, John R, Anandaram PS, De Bolla AR.
   J Clin Pathol 2001 Jan;54(1):54-62
8. New SA
   Bone health: the role of micronutrients.
   Br Med Bull 1999;55(3):619-33
9. Dupont E, Savard PE, Jourdain C, Juneau C, Thibodeau A, Ross N, Marenus K, Maes DH, Pelletier G, Sauder DN
   The role of calcium in health and disease.
   Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999 Dec;181(6):1560-9
10. Nutritional aspects of calcium absorption.
    Bronner F, Pansu D
    J Nutr 1999 Jan 129:1 9-12
11. Calcium potentiates the effect of estrogen and calcitonin on bone mass: review and analysis [see comments]
    Nieves JW, Komar L, Cosman F, Lindsay R
    Am J Clin Nutr 1998 Jan 67:1 18-24
    
12. Adolescents and calcium: what they do and do not know and how much they consume.
    Harel Z, Riggs S, Vaz R, White L, Menzies G
    J Adolesc Health 1998 Mar 22:3 225-8
13. Dietary calcium, calcium supplementation, and blood pressure in African American adolescents [see comments]
    Dwyer JH, Dwyer KM, Scribner RA, Sun P, Li L, Nicholson LM, Davis IJ, Hohn AR
    Am J Clin Nutr 1998 Sep 68:3 648-55
    
14. Calcium supplementation.
    Whiting SJ, Wood R, Kim K
    J Am Acad Nurse Pract 1997 Apr 9:4 187-92
    
15. Nutrition, physical activity, and bone health in women.
    Lewis RD, Modlesky CM
    Int J Sport Nutr 1998 Sep 8:3 250-84
    
16. Nutrition and osteoporosis.
    Lau EM, Woo J
    Curr Opin Rheumatol 1998 Jul 10:4 368-72
    
17. Magnesium supplementation and osteoporosis.
    Sojka JE, Weaver CM
    Nutr Rev 1995 Mar 53:3 71-4