Calcium The Most Abundant Mineral In The Body

Many people believe they consume enough calcium, but studies continue to show otherwise. According to the USDA'S Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals, 90% of adult women, 88% of teenage girls, 73% of adult men, and 68% of teenage boys are not getting enough calcium from their diets. It is important to remember this: calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, but your body does not produce calcium.

In a study of 35,000 post-menopausal women, researchers found that those who consumed more than 1500 milligrams of calcium per day had 30% less colon cancer than those who consumed less than 600 milligrams per day. Furthermore, a strong link between lower colon cancer risk and high intakes of calcium and vitamin D was also found in a 19-year study of men. Although it's as yet unclear precisely how calcium may prevent colon cancer, some experts believe that the mineral may have an effect on bile acids.

Changes in these secretions may play a role in the development of the disease. However, keep in mind that calcium supplementation is not a substitute for colon cancer screening. Colon cancer kills about 56,000 Americans a year surpassing both breast cancer and prostrate cancer in mortality rates. Colon cancer is second only to lung cancer in terms of numbers of deaths because it occurs equally in men and women.

Both the American and Canadian Cancer Societies advise men and women to have regular colon cancer screening beginning at age fifty. When detected at an early stage, there's a 90% survival rate.

For additional information visit the American Gastroenterological Association at http://www.gastro.org

Dr. John T. Schafer is a Chiropractor and body builder in San Diego, California. The following information is on his best-selling audiotape, Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk. This tape addresses critical, practical, everyday health issues associated with calcium.

The following are some quotes from his tape:

"The recommended RDA for calcium is 1000 milligrams per day. In my practice I recommend a bit more, approximately 1500 milligrams per day to menopausal, post-menopausal, lactating, and pregnant women. It's important to remember that the RDA is simply a starting point for nutritional dosages. However, for some people (other than those just mentioned) 1000 milligrams of calcium per day works out just fine."

"Other studies have shown that calcium can reduce blood pressure in African-American adolescents, reduce the rate of kidney stone formation, decrease the number of recurrences of colon polyps which are a precursor to colon cancer, reduce the risk of premature delivery in those women at high risk, and reduce the risk of death from heart disease by a whooping 45%."

"Milk is an ideal source of calcium. IT'S NOT! The pasteurization process destroys a critical enzyme needed to assimilate calcium." "There is always a concern to be had for the issue of antibiotics and growth hormones given to cattle. Do we really want such chemistry entering our bodies, and those of our children? I certainly don't and neither do my patients after being properly debriefed! By the way, rice milk and soy milk are delicious alternatives, plus they come in vanilla and chocolate flavors."

"I bet you heard that if you have a history of kidney stones, you shouldn't take calcium supplements, right? WELL, THAT THEORY IS PURE BUNK, GARBAGE!" "In the 1997 issue of Mineral and Electrolyte Metabolism, it clearly states that restricting dietary calcium may INCREASE the risk of kidney stone formation."

BOTTOM LINE -MAKE SURE YOU'RE GETTING ENOUGH CALCIUM "Just make sure you take the right kind of calcium and not TUMS or oyster shell calcium. Also be sure to take it with magnesium and vitamin D for proper assimilation." "Your health depends on it!"