Citra Calcium (w/Vit D)

FORM: 90 Tablets

Osteoporosis or brittle bone disease is a major health threat to 28 million Americans. Even though this problem really doesn't fall into the category of a 'disease', it is still a serious problem because if affects so many people. About 10 million people have this problem, and 18 million more are at increased risk due to declining bone density caused by the loss of calcium within the bones. Forty percent of women and 13 percent of men will suffer a bone fracture due to osteoporosis during their lifetime. Some populations have less osteoporosis than others and changes in diet, life-style and the intake of supplements may prevent it. It is just a matter of what path to follow. One of the problems with deciding what to do is the fact that there is so much dis-information floating around out there concerning this issue, all it seems to do is increase the confusion of an already confused user base. Should I take an anti-acid product because it contains 'calcium', or should you take something that costs more and has been shown to work?

It is well-recognized, and research shows that certain types of calcium supplements taken at the proper time can help prevent bone loss in some populations. Some would say that you can get what you need from foods. Are they right? Should you eat more dairy products, other such foods that are supposed to contain calcium? The dairy industry has used osteoporosis as marketing hype for many years, but milk does not seem to be the answer. It is a bit more complicated that just telling a person to 'drink more milk'. Other nutrients play a substantial role in the utilization and incorporation of calcium into the bones. Just choosing the right calcium product is the first step, because if you don't absorb it, you can use it!

To give you an idea of how this works, in countries where dairy products are commonly consumed, there are actually more hip fractures than in other countries. Calcium absorption is heavily regulated by hormones. So if you are taking (and absorbing) calcium and your hormonal system is working properly you should be able to maintain a normal level of this mineral in the blood, as well as in the bones. Very low calcium (and it support nutrients such as magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin D etc.) intake will probably lead to deficient bone formation for the vast majority of people over time. The other side of the coin is not so much what you 'take in', but preserving what you have already and limiting calcium loss. With that in mind, this is why the high protein fad diet that is currently is so popular is so unhealthy. There are so many levels that this kind of diet is NO GOOD on, but with regards to its affect on systemic calcium loss, it is especially detrimental. One of the major culprits that leads to osteoporosis may be protein (to much of it). Diets that are high in protein, especially animal protein, causes more calcium to be excreted from the body. Some studies are showing that especially women loose calcium at twice the rate that they should while on a high protein diet. This occurs because the body tries to buffer the acid that the proteins produce, this leads to calcium loss through the urine, and can lead to brittle bones down the road.

So what type of calcium do you take? There are many forms out there, but Calcium Citrate is a form of calcium that is more soluble and better absorbed by the body than other forms of calcium. There are many reasons why calcium in general is not well absorbed; they range from low stomach acid, vitamin deficits to just taking the wrong product. Research suggests that people who experience low levels of hydrochloric acid in the stomach may absorb more calcium from Calcium Citrate than from calcium carbonate. Calcium Citrate can help support and maintain a healthy skeletal system, especially during the menopausal years when bone loss increases. In the November, 1999 issue of The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Howard J. Heller, MD and his colleagues compared the calcium absorption of calcium citrate and calcium carbonate after a single oral dose (500 mg calcium), taken with a meal. By measuring blood levels of calcium, they demonstrated that calcium citrate is 2.5 times more bioavailable than calcium carbonate.

What you need to do is keep your eyes on the horizon, and understand that everything that you do today may affect you in later years. Nutri-Force wants you to have a long and healthy life, so we are providing you with a Calcium Citrate product that can be taken with your other supplements long into the future as a preventative measure for health. †

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