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Bone Strength Take Care
Evidence suggests that calcium from whole food sources may produce more
favorable effects in bone health than isolated calcium supplements. Similar
to most nutrients, the body can utilize calcium much more effectively when
it is paired with its natural co-factors such as magnesium and other trace
minerals.
The most common form of calcium supplement today is derived from limestone.
You don’t eat rocks as part of your balanced diet, why would you
choose to supplement your bone health nutritional needs with limestone?
Our bodies understand and seek whole food sources of nutrition, not
rocks, which is why New Chapter formulated this product with a whole food
plant source of this important nutrient complex. As whole food, it’s easy on
the digestive system.
The calcium complex in Bone Strength Take Care™ is derived
from a special form of plant called Algas Calcareas (AlgaeCal®)
that is harvested from the pristine shores of a protected national
reserve park in South America. Much like the vegetables from an organic
garden, the algae is harvested live and then cold processed to retain its
nutritional value.
Calcium must be completely dissolved in order to be absorbed. The
plant-based calcium found in Bone Strength Take Care is porous, which
dramatically increases the calcium’s surface area. Stomach acid can then
come into greater contact with the calcium, making it easy to dissolve.
In addition to the whole-food source of calcium and magnesium, we have also
added other bone-nourishing nutrients to complete the food complex.
Vitamin K is an essential co-factor in calcium absorption and retention.
Human cell proteins that don’t get enough Vitamin K can’t hold onto calcium,
causing this critical nutrient to drift away from the bone. Vitamin K2
(MK-7), sourced from fermented whole food, gently redirects “lost” calcium
back into the bone bank.
Vitamin D3 completes the complex. Numerous studies have found that Vitamin D
aids bone support and function.
AlgaeCal
Calcium is an essential mineral for health as it is required both for
building bone density and for maintaining electrolyte balance in the body.
For more information on electrolytes, please click here. There are a number
of different forms of calcium available, each with different ability to be
absorbed and utilized by the human body. For more information on the various
calcium sources available, please click here. AlgaeCal is a proprietary bone
building supplement made from an extract of a South American algae called
Algas calcareas™. When this form of calcium is combined with other bone
building minerals and vitamin D in the patented AlgaeCal formula, it has
been shown to improve bone density over the course of one year of
supplementation.
Normal Loss of Bone Density
Bone density peaks around the age of 20, and then begins to decline from
that point onwards, throughout our lives. Research has found that depending
on age and hormone status, the average female over 40 loses between 0.5% and
1% of her bone density each year, with potentially larger losses occurring
after menopause (potentially around 2% yearly). In men the numbers are
around half what we see in women for corresponding age groups. The
measurement of bone density is used to calculate fracture risk and to
diagnose osteoporosis. For more information on osteoporosis, please click
here.
Boosting Bone Density
Most calcium supplements are targeted at simply helping to prevent further
loss of bone density, and hope to hold the body at the current bone density
level. Even with regular calcium supplementation with normal calcium
sources, bone mineral density tends to decrease by 0.1% over the year.
AlgaeCal goes above and beyond normal calcium supplements by actually
increasing bone mineral density by an average of 1.3% over one year of
supplementation when combined with 1000IU of vitamin D. For more information
on vitamin D, please click here. So, AlgaeCal not only stops bone loss, but
can actually help you to once again regain lost bone mass.
How does it work?
The research on this particular supplement is still quite new, so there is
much that is not yet understood. It is believed that the calcium extracted
from algae is more absorbable in our digestive tracts and thus more
available for our body's use. Some test-tube research on bone cells soaked
in different forms of calcium found that the AlgaeCal form allowed for
increased cell activity and calcium absorption relative to other forms of
supplemental calcium. It is thought that like many other nutrients, the
plant form of calcium, coming from a "whole food" source is more absorbable
than the mineral-based forms. When the plants absorb the nutrients from
mineral sources, they alter them to make them more bioavailable. In addition
to this increased absorbability, other bone-building vitamins and minerals
have been added to boost the effect of this active calcium.
How should I take AlgaeCal?
According to the maker of this particular supplement, and going along with
their research results, the recommended dose is 750mg of calcium from
AlgaeCal bone health supplement daily combined with 1000IU of vitamin D.
That was the dose that created a 1.3% increase in bone density over the
course of one year. Be sure to dose according to the calcium content of the
supplement, and not its total weight. Many AlgaeCal supplements will already
contain vitamin D to ensure benefits to bone health. If it does not, be sure
to get at least 1,000IU of vitamin D as well. In general it is a good idea
to take calcium supplements away from food to avoid blocking absorption.
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