Ryan Drum
Island Herbs
P O Box 25, Waldron, WA 98297-0025
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A Brief Note on Calcium and Bone density
03.November 2010
1. Human bones are constantly being remodeled. They serve both as structural support and as a Calcium Bank. When the many (100's) of Calcium-dependent body functions need Calcium, the endocrine system via parathyroid hormone secreted into the bloodstream, activates cells in the bones, osteoclasts, which chop off tiny bits of Calcium which are dissolved into the blood and carried thereby to sites in need.
2. Human bone density is mainly a function of bone-loading. The more weight/weight-bearing work the bones regularly must do determines a person's usual bone density. Astronauts in low-gravity space stations lose significant amounts of bone calcium due to very low bone-loading, no matter how much Calcium is/was in their respective diets.
3. Most diets, even unhealthy diets, contain plenty of dietary Calcium. Low Calcium intake is seldom a real cause of low bone density, Osteopenia, or Osteoporosis. The Calcium dietary supplement industry is basically a variation of fraud, promoted thru false advertising , cooperating physicians and dieticians. Too much dietary Calcium may be very unhealthy. Autopsies of women who died from the complications of geriatric hip fracture revealed Calcium-hardened arteries in osteoporotic women who had been taking Calcium supplements for supposedly Calcium-deficient diets.
4. Low Calcium uptake is usually a function of low Vitamin D in the Duodenum, the upper two feet of the small intestine, not low dietary Calcium. Vitamin D is essential for the uptake of Calcium from the food-stream and into the bloodstream.
5. Low vitamin D is usually a function of inadequate solar exposure=not enough ultraviolet sunshine to produce Vitamin D1 in/on our naked skins. As a naked species, we are expected to receive sufficient solar exposure to produce plenty of Vitamin D1. Clothing and facial make-up reduce solar radiation skin access.
6. A modest solar exposure for ongoing adequate Vit. D1 production is about 30-45 minutes./day on face and arms between 11Am and 2PM in the Denver area. Eye protection is recommended for those sensitive to full sunlight. Less Solar exposure is needed in the brighter half of the year (Mar-Sept.) than in the darker months(Oct-Feb.)
7. To produce Vitamin D, the body needs a supply of the appropriate dietary fats. Osteoporosis may develop from inadequate dietary fat intake, rather than from inadequate Calcium intake.
8. Vitamin D can be stored in the liver. A clean, receptive human liver can store up to 6-8 months of Vit. D. A congested liver may not be able to store much Vit. D. People with Liver Viruses (Hepatitis) may not be able to store adequate Vitamin D
9. Vitamin D occurs in Eggs, many cheeses, butter, leafy green vegetables, and most animal products.
10. Bone strength and flexibility are a function of hard mineral Calcium and flexible PROTEIN framework or scaffolding into which the Calcium is deposited.
11. Flexible bones, with good protein frameworks are much less likely to fracture than mostly calcified, brittle bones. This means that adequate protein intake and digestion are crucial for healthy flexible bones. This means that stomach acid production must be adequate to hydrolyze dietary proteins.
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P O Box 25, Waldron, WA 98297-0025
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