Calcium Citrate halts postmenopausal bone loss!

New study released as the 1999 Willner Chemists catalog was going to press!

According to as Reuter’s press release, on December 8th, a study substantiating claims that have been made for the efficacy of calcium supplements in preventing osteoporisis received a boost.

Research by Dr. Khashayar Sakhaee, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, showed that Calcium citrate supplements preserved bone mass in early- and mid-postmenopausal women after 2 years of daily treatment.

"This is the first study that shows this effect with a calcium supplement," Dr. Khashayar Sakhaee announded, after a presentation of his findings at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research meeting.

The subjects of the study were divided into two groups. The two groups were similar in body mass index, dietary calcium, lumbar bone density, age and postmenopausal years at baseline. One group took calcium citrate, and the other group took a placebo.

Bone mass density in the radial shaft, femoral neck or in the lumbar vertebrae did not change in 17 women taking calcium citrate, 400 mg twice a day, after 2 years of treatment. In contrast, 28 women in a placebo group showed a 2.38% reduction in bone density in the lumbar vertebrae. Radial shaft bone density declined 3.03% and femoral neck density did not change in patients on placebo.

Dr. Sakhaee believes that calcium citrate exerts its bone-sparing effects through the inhibition of parathyroid hormone function and the fact that calcium citrate is better absorbed, when taken on an empty stomach, than other types of calcium. "In those postmenopausal women not able to take estrogen, calcium citrate may be used to preserve bone mass," Dr. Sakhaee noted.

This is very important information. Their continues to be some controversy—generated to a large extent by the anti-supplement group—as to just how effective calcium supplmentation really can be in preventing, and treating, osteoporosis.

This study supports the value of calcium supplementation.

An ongoing, large-scale screening study of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women has revealed that between 55 to 65% of American women have low bone density. This latest information was presented at the 1998 joint meeting of the Amer Soc for Bone and Mineral Research and the Int. Bone and Mineral Society.

After screening over 130,000 postmenopausal women, they were able to break down the results as follows: 55.5% of Hispanic women, 65.1% of Asian and 58.9% of Native American women have low bone density.