Here is an interesting email and reply that I shared with a patient today about the “safety” of calcium supplements:
Hello Dr. Charlie:
Cooincidently, following yesterday’s discussion & purchase of Standard Process’ calcium lactate powder, I came across an alternative viewpoint today.
Please click on the first link below: Chauncey Crandall is a fairly well-respected cardio doc, but I’m certainly not taking his input as gospel: Rather, I seek your perspective regarding my taking a tablespoon of calcium daily vs. the pretty dire heart implications below.
As a diabetic, I certainly don’t want to stack the odds against me any more than they already are………..I’m sure you can appreciate this layperson’s confusion in the face of such diametrically-opposed messages.
Thank you in advance for your wisened perspective.
Mr. <>
Dr. Crandall: Stop Taking Calcium, Hikes Heart Risk 86%
Hello Mr. <>:
Thanks for your question.
Few regular doctors have much familiarity with nutritional supplements. Those that do have some knowledge are more familiar with synthetic products than natural.
The answer is that calcium lactate from Standard Process is a purely vegetable source (no dairy), is manufactured by nature and has all the enzymes and other phyotochemicals nature puts into it. The company just puts it into convenient dosing forms and bottles it. Nature always provides the means for our bodies to absorb, digest, distribute and properly use the nutrition she grows for us.
We can’t do all that in a laboratory, or by using sources of calcium that were never meant for human consumption. (Example – OSCal® is a popular product that FDA says is legal to market because it contains what it says on the label. The “OS” stands for “oyster shell”. When in human history have we chewed on oyster shells for nutrition? Calcium carbonate is another form of legally marketable calcium – it’s cheap to make and contains lots of calcium – such as that found in rocks and concrete.)
I have articles written by doctors for doctors about topics in medical care; a supposedly trusted and reliable source of information – that says doctors should advise their patients against taking all supplements – because it could kill them.
I believe it’s dangerous for doctors to be giving advice on topics they don’t understand well. Ask how much Dr. Crandall has studied natural nutrition. I have dedicated a career to understanding nutritional medicine. You won’t have any problems taking 1 tablespoon of natural calcium lactate once daily. Dr. Crandall acknowledges this in that article. He says that evidence shows calcium from natural foods doesn’t cause heart attacks.
Regards-
Dr. Charlie Schwengel
