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Is Calcium Supplementation Safe?

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Is Calcium Supplementation Safe? 

Did you know that 54 million U.S. adults age 50 and older have osteoporosis and bone loss? Women are more likely than men to experience bone loss. When a woman reaches menopause, she becomes at risk of developing osteoporosis due to the rapid bone loss during and about 5-10 years after menopause.
 
Given this, many women have resorted to taking calcium supplements, not knowing that this may do more harm than good.


 
Estrogen enhances calcium absorption in the bones and prevents the excessive breakdown of bone tissues (bone resorption), so when the production of estrogen stops, as in during menopause, bone loss occurs.
 
So, it’s really not the lack of calcium that is the problem, rather its absorption and bone resorption due to low estrogen levels.
 
This is an important point that not many practitioners are talking about. Calcium supplementation is one of the main recommendations given to people, especially women, if they show bone loss on a scan.
 
However, studies support that calcium supplements increase the risk for cardiovascular diseases, being associated with cases of heart attack, stroke, and risk of death. Moreover, cancer and kidney stones were reported to develop among men and women who took calcium supplements.

Calcium supplements are not universally safe. They may even increase your risk of developing, instead of preventing, osteoporosis. And since calcium from supplements gets absorbed easily, it can be deposited in your soft tissues, not in your bones. So it’s actually not doing what you’re thinking it’s supposed to do.

Diet & Lifestyle Tips for Strong Bones

 The good news is that dietary calcium, calcium from food rather than a pill, does increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis. It turns out that since food is absorbed gradually, unlike calcium supplements, it is a more bioavailable form.
 
Here are some calcium-rich foods:

  • Dairy products
  • Leafy vegetables
  • Cruciferous vegetables
  • Seeds and almonds
  • Sardines and canned salmon (with the bones)

 
Aside from food, make sure to do weight-bearing exercises or activities at least twice a week to increase your bone density. These are activities that force you to work against gravity, such as walking, jogging, and climbing. Tai chi and yoga also benefit bone density.
 
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

Phytate–Friend or Anti-Nutrient?

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Hi there!
This week, we’re going to talk about phytate or phytic acid and whether it’s healthful or harmful.
 
Phytate is a unique natural compound found in seeds, nuts, grains, and legumes. This compound stores phosphorus.  Once the seed sprouts, that phosphorus is released and used by the young plant for survival.


 
Phytic acid has been labeled as an anti-nutrient because it hinders the absorption of some minerals such iron, zinc, and calcium. It’s possible that this can cause mineral deficiencies among people who don’t eat a balanced diet.
 
So is it really an anti-nutrient?
 
Yes.
 
Is it totally bad for your health?
 
No, it’s not. In fact, it has a number of benefits!

Phytate Benefits

Phytate only blocks the absorption of the aforementioned minerals at the time it is ingested and doesn’t affect the absorption of minerals in subsequent meals.
 
And besides, the benefits of high-phytate foods far outweigh its anti-nutrient ability. The following are some of the health benefits of phytate:

  1. Phytate is anti-cancer. Not only does phytic acid stop the growth of cancer cells, but it also boosts the immune system so that the natural killer cells are able to get rid of cancer cells without hurting the normal cells. They cut down blood supply to tumors so that the tumor is starved and not able to thrive. What’s better news is that phytate allows cancer cells to go back into normal cells. It’s that fascinating?!
  2. Phytate protects from osteoporosis. In a study, women who had high phytate levels had the lowest levels of bone loss in the hips and spine.
  3. Phytate prevents kidney stones. The presence of phytate inhibits or stops the crystallization of calcium salts and thus prevents the formation of renal or kidney stones.

So generally, phytic acid isn’t bad for your health just because it is an anti-nutrient. Unless, of course, you don’t eat a balanced diet.

For example, meat is a heme source of iron and is more efficiently absorbed by the body in contrast to non-heme iron which is derived from plants. It’s the same with zinc.

So it’s ideal if your diet consists of both plant and meat sources of these minerals to avoid having problems with mineral deficiencies. Plus, you can try these 3 strategies to lessen or degrade phytate in your plant sources:

  1. Soaking. Legumes and cereals can be soaked in water overnight so that their phytate content can be reduced. 
  2. Sprouting. Also known as germination, sprouting degrades the phytic acid in seeds, nuts, and legumes.
  3. Fermentation. This process allows the formation of organic acids that break down phytate.

 Overall, your body receives more benefits than harm from phytate. It only becomes significantly a problem if your mineral sources are not varied. However, there are techniques that can reduce the phytate content of your food, such as soaking, sprouting, and fermentation.
 
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).
Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!


~Rebecca