A nutrient to avoid

The nutrient is calcium, and you need to avoid it.

Calcium contributes to a broad spectrum of disease. These included hardening of the arteries, osteoporosis, arthritis, and can weaken your bones in the long run. I had a heart attack in 2014 and the culprit was calcium—not cholesterol.

You have probably never been told this. Most people believe that calcium is a good, necessary, nutrient—vital for strong bones and teeth. This is true, up to a point. Your bones and teeth are primarily calcium, but the real problem is “free” calcium.

Free calcium floats around in your bloodstream, looking for a place to stay. If it takes up residence in your joints, spine, brain, or coronary arteries, it can begin a cascade of nasty medical conditions.

According to a report in the New York Times, calcium can increase blood levels of a protein associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

“A study published in May 2012 showed that calcium supplements may increase risk of cardiovascular disease. This study tracked almost 24,000 Europeans and suggested (in a subgroup analysis) that people taking only calcium supplements were about twice as likely to have a heart attack.” (Source: http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine).

Milk can be beneficial
Newborn babies need mother’s milk, which is the perfect food for them. Mother’s milk contains all of the essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes a growing baby needs.

However, the baby does not need cow’s milk; cow’s milk is for calves, not humans. Anyone who drinks cow’s milk—regardless if it’s fortified, pasteurized, or enriched with Vitamin D—is taking a risk. You don’t need it, because—over time—it can do more harm than good.

Many people develop arthritis, osteoporosis, or coronary plaque. They are generally unaware of the connection between calcium (usually in the form of dairy products, such as milk and cheese) and the health problems it can cause.

That is why it is important to cut out all dairy products—with one exception: grass-fed butter (Anchor brand). It’s foolish to drink milk and it is especially dangerous to take calcium supplements, or even antacid tablets, which are calcium carbonate (chalk). Each little antacid wafer contains 500mg of calcium. This, according to some scientific research, is the daily requirement for calcium.

If you are drinking milk or taking calcium supplements, you are voluntarily putting yourself in harm’s way. Nor should you add milk to coffee or tea.

More about calcium
Because calcium is usually in the soil in which vegetables are grown, there are a lot of “healthy” foods with high calcium content.

These foods include broccoli, spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, bok choy; and other foods, such as tofu, sardines, and most cheeses.

And yet, your body needs calcium, so eating broccoli and spinach is good for you. You’re not getting a whopping amount of calcium; usually fewer than 100mgs per serving. This is a good amount; you need no more.

Some good news
One essential nutrient you need every day is magnesium.

The trouble is, many people take calcium supplements, but neglect to take supplemental magnesium, which is essential for the absorption of calcium. Your body needs magnesium, and few individuals get enough (1000mg per day).

That is why supplemental magnesium is so important, because it’s nearly impossible to get 1,000mg per day from dietary sources. As a result, many people—especially women—have way too much calcium in their bodies and almost no magnesium. This is a health risk. Magnesium supplements are widely available and are inexpensive. Think of magnesium as “health insurance in a bottle.”

More good news
There is a little-known nutrient, vitamin K2. It is something you should know about, even if your milk-drinking days are over.

You have probably never heard of vitamin K2, and your doctor is probably unaware of it also.

Vitamin K2 has the fantastic ability to seek out “free” calcium—from coronary arteries, from joints, from the spine, and the brain—and to redirect it into the bones and teeth, where it is needed.

If you have arthritis, osteoporosis, or clogged coronary arteries, taking vitamin K2, along with vitamin D3, will help to reverse these conditions.

It won’t happen overnight, however. It may take months for the K2 to clear the calcium out of your system and to put it where it belongs.

What can you expect from taking 100 micrograms of vitamin K2 every day?

“26 percent reduction in all-cause mortality; 52 percent reduction in severe aortic calcification; and, 57 percent reduction in coronary artery disease.” (Source: Lifeextension.com)

“The ability of vitamin K2 to activate calcium-regulating proteins, and thus maintain bone density and inhibit calcification is undisputed; yet the majority of aging Americans do not supplement with vitamin K2. This is slowly changing as word spreads about the critical importance of this overlooked nutrient.

“Regrettably, belief about the benefits of calcium in protecting against osteoporosis has been widespread for over 30 years, and the result is that aging women have been gobbling down large potencies of calcium supplements without concurrently taking magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2.

“Therefore, it is not surprising for a study to show higher rates of heart attacks and stroke in those using calcium supplements without also taking magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2.” (Source: Lifeextension.com)

Vitamin D
Vitamin D can be taken in two ways. The best way is to sit in the hot sun for 15 minutes every other day, exposing as much skin as possible. The cholesterol sulfate in your skin makes vitamin D, and this is extremely beneficial.

Another way is to take vitamin D3 gel-caps, 5,000iu’s.

Because vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it need not be taken every day. If you take one 5,000iu’s gel-cap once a week, this is an appropriate dose. That is because this nutrient breaks down slowly (compared with vitamins C and B, which are water-soluble and are gone within hours).

In sum: cut way back on your intake of calcium. Be sure to supplement with magnesium (1,000mg per day); take vitamin K2 (100mcg – micrograms) daily; and be sure to get enough vitamin D (either by direct sunlight or by the D3 gel-caps).

If you can do this, you will significantly cut your risk of heart attack, osteoporosis, arthritis, and other calcium-related diseases. It’s well worth the effort. (Russ Mason, M.S.)