In this latest study the researchers looked at a group of 182 post-menopausal women. All of the women were statistically at risk for cardiovascular disease because of their elevated cholesterol levels. The researchers gave half of them an 800 mg calcium supplement every day for two years. The other half received a placebo. The researchers monitored the affects that the extra calcium had on the cholesterol levels and on something much more important — the carotid intima-media thickness or CIMT.
CIMT is a measurement of the thickness of the innermost two layers of the carotid artery. The most common to measure it is with an ultrasound. As the carotid arteries become laden down with atherosclerotic plaque, they show up thicker on CIMT. Doctors use CIMT to detect the presence of atherosclerotic disease. They also use repeated CIMT measurements to see if the plaque is getting better or worse. Doctors also can use CIMT scores to determine the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. The higher the score, the greater the risk.
Can You Restore Your Hearing by Taking Nutrients?
Most doctors don't think nutrition has anything to do with hearing loss. But several new studies show just how important nutrition is to your ears - and how some people are actually reversing their hearing loss.
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For the past 23 years, I have been warning women about the dangers of taking large doses of calcium supplements. A large dose is any dose over 500 mg per day. I have told you in previous issues of Real Cures about how calcium supplements increase the chance of heart attacks and breast cancer. I also have explained to you that the largest study ever published on the use of calcium supplements, The Women's Health Initiative, clearly showed that the extra calcium from supplements does not go on the bones. If you are taking calcium supplements because someone told you that it would strengthen your bones, ask them to look at the results of this study. It doesn't.
So taking calcium supplements in doses over 500 mg per day not only doesn't help your bones, it puts you at increased risk of disease. This is why I have never put any calcium into my
Super Immune QuickStart. And I never routinely recommend it. Every now and then I do find a patient who needs to take some extra calcium. But in those few cases, I always make sure that the daily dose is under 500 mg. Advanced Bionutritionals makes a great bone support product called
Ultimate Bone Support. And guess what? They were smart enough to leave out the calcium and put in just the good stuff.