A Whole-Food Approach to Calcium Supplementation
– No more Rocks!
By Dr. Taryn Forrelli, ND

It is no wonder, then, that upon eating rocks some people’s kidneys make rocks or “stones”. More common side effects associated with calcium carbonate are gas and constipation. On top of that, since calcium carbonate is a very dense molecule with a small surface area, it requires a lot of stomach acid to dissolve and release the elemental calcium. Given that less stomach acid is produced with age, the calcium in calcium carbonate is not very bio-accessible for the people who need it most. Furthermore, by using up or “neutralizing” stomach acid when taken with food (think Tums®), it can also interfere with the absorption of other nutrients requiring stomach acid for absorption, like vitamin B12 and iron. Other forms of calcium, such as calcium citrate, may be better tolerated and absorbed, but they still fail to deliver calcium in the complex organic form humans were designed to eat – living whole food!

Whole foods naturally provide the perfect delivery system for the nutrients the body requires. Where as most supplements deliver single, isolated molecules, such as calcium carbonate, food sources of calcium provide other nutrients and co-factors that enhance its bioavailability and bone-strengthening effects.* Magnesium, for instance, functions alongside calcium to give bones their physical structure, and low levels are associated with low bone density. Trace minerals, like silica, vanadium, boron and strontium, have also been shown to be essential for normal growth and development of skeletons in humans and animals. Although they are minor building components, they play important functional roles in bone metabolism and turnover.* On the vitamin front, a growing body of research has demonstrated the critical roles vitamin K and vitamin D play in bone metabolism. Vitamin K is required for the production of a bone protein that keeps calcium in the bones and out of the arteries, while vitamin D regulates calcium uptake and utilization by the bones. Hence, the ideal bone-strengthening supplement would contain whole food sources of calcium, magnesium, trace minerals, vitamin D and vitamin K.

Enter Bone Strength Take Care, a new whole-food supplement formulated by master herbalist, Paul Schulick, to support healthy bone metabolism.* The product features a marine plant called Algas calcareas (AlgaeCal) that is sustainably harvested from clean, protected waters off the coast of South America. A unique feature of this plant is that calcium represents 30% of its chemical make-up. It is also rich in magnesium and dozens of other trace minerals, including strontium, vanadium, boron and silica. So, the full-spectrum of crucial bone-building minerals is present. More importantly, they are delivered in a very bioaccessible form. Scanning electron microscope images of the calcium in AlgaeCal reveal it to be very porous in nature. In other words, unlike calcium carbonate, it has a large surface area, so very little stomach acid is required to dissolve it. In fact, dissolution tests mimicking stomach conditions have shown that 97% of the calcium in AlgaeCal dissolves in 30 minutes, proving it to be very bioaccessible. Further testing demonstrated that over 75% of the calcium in AlgaeCal is actually absorbed versus only 43% in yogurt, a food considered to be an excellent source of calcium.

Based on these facts alone, one could easily argue that AlgaeCal is the perfect bone nourishing food.* But what really sealed the deal for Schulick, who bases all of his formulations on solid scientific evidence, were the preliminary results of a recently completed clinical trial on AlgaeCal. Bone scans from post-menopausal women who had been taking AlgaeCal for six months revealed an annualized increase in bone density of 2.4%. These results are especially impressive when you consider that most clinical studies using calcium carbonate show only a slowing of bone loss and no actual gains in density.

To complete Bone Strength Take Care, Schulick added whole-food forms of vitamin K and vitamin D: vitamin K2 (MK7) extracted from the traditional Asian fermented soy food, natto, and vitamin D3, the biologically active form of vitamin D, created using New Chapter’s signature dual-stage probiotic culturing technology.

Delivering therapeutic quantities of nutrients important for bone health in the form of whole foods is a true innovation for the dietary supplement industry. Bone Strength Take Care by New Chapter is the ideal choice for individuals seeking aggressive nutritional support for bone health in the form Mother Nature intended.* Each serving (3 tablets) delivers 685 mg of elemental calcium, 200 mg of elemental magnesium, 800 IU of vitamin D3 and dozens of synergistic trace minerals. With Bone Strength Take Care, there is finally a sensible and clinically effective whole-food approach to supplementing the extra calcium everybody needs. For more information on Bone Strength Take Care by New Chapter, Click Here.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.