Calcium from food better than from supplements

A Finnish study appearing in this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found young girls who get extra calcium from food tend to gain more bone mass than those who get it from supplements.

Steve - this study echoes many of the things that we have been saying for years.

It is always preferred to get calcium from food. Although, unless we eat tons of dairy (which is not advised) or leafy green vegetables (which we should tons of, but do not), we have to supplement. The key point to this study is that when one gets extra calcium from food sources, the calcium is usually accompanied by many other trace minerals and micronutrients that enhances its absorption.

When taking calcium supplements, most just take calcium by itself, rarely accompanied by vitamin D, magnesium, and other trace minerals. This is when calcium can become ineffective and harmful. This is precisely why we always harp on the fact that one must always take calcium with magnesium and vitamin D to assure proper absorption.

MCHC calcium (microcrystalline hydroxyapatite) is our preferred calcium source because it is a whole bone food that contains many of the trace minerals that form the matrix of bone. This is why we have been using MCHC for approximately 15 years.