Why You Should Stop Taking Calcium Supplements

In this video, I review the research on calcium supplements and explain why you probably shouldn’t be taking one. I also give you some tips and resources on what you should do to improve your bone health INSTEAD OF supplementing with calcium.

Research & Relevant Articles:

[lilydauber]

Weight-bearing aerobic activities
Examples include walking, dancing, low-impact aerobics, elliptical training machines, stair climbing and gardening. These types of exercise work directly on bones in the legs, hips and lower spine to slow bone loss. They also improve blood flow and are good for the heart.

[caitlinann]

Great video. As a dietitian working in long term care over 10 years ago, the nurse practitioner and I were busy, recommending many of the elderly patients discontinue their high dose supplemental calcium due to lack of efficacy for preventing fractures, and concerns with increased risk of soft tissue calcification. It takes a long time for evidence to be translated into common knowledge

[jeannielong]

I have just run across your site. Very impressed. I think it is very wonderful of you to take time to reply to people's comments and questions. Means so much because it is not usually done

[gloriagolemboski]

Doctor had me on 2000 with Prolia Shots twice year. Was on it two years. Never an improvement but he kept me on it. Then last test it got worse so did cAt scan and X-rays. It went to my main aorta in my heart causing a 4.1 aneurism that I need to have checked and worry about. Can you believe dr. Got mad that I went off it.

[Yall_dont.know_me]

Thank you, Chris, this is a bit of an eye opener for me. At 82 and still thinking old school.

[dapolcio]

This video is not professional, lacks reliable knowledge and misleads people. Demonizes all types of calcium from supplements without knowing the difference. Most studies use calcium citrate, which is quickly absorbed and therefore levels in the blood rapidly increase. In addition, citrates cause the removal of calcium in the urine. Egg shells, hydroxyapatite or shell calcium are digested very slowly and will gradually release calcium ions. In addition, they have other minerals such as strontium that increase the absorption of calcium. I'm writing this because I myself take 1000 mg of calcium hydroxyapatite and it has changed my life in an amazing way. Thanks to it, I have a lot of energy, my stomach bloating has disappeared, tooth sensitivity and wrist pain have disappeared. Read the works of Raymond Peat on calcium, which recommends supplementation with egg shells. Ray has a PhD and 40 years of experience in metabolism research, and Kresser is just an acupuncturist. Who will you trust?

[laurabond]

Chris Kresser always delivers the goods! Thank you so much for your exceptional research and great resources.

[CaptainStottlemeier]

Working in the supplement retail business I see so many people with bone and joint issues but more so osteoporosis. Folks are consistently taking high dose calcium with vit D and magnesium and I don't think it is making any difference. I think must get our calcium from food and maybe in some cases take a small amount of calcium in supplement form like twice a week just to make sure you have adequate calcium in the body. Men are now getting osteoporosis in somewhat greater numbers which is concerning. I think folks need to see how much caffeine they take in everyday as caffeine leaches nutrients from the body. Working out, eating healthy and people are still coming down with osteoporosis. Dieting, being too thin, prolonged deficiences etc lead to osteoporosis down the road. A wide variety type diet with as little consumption of coffee I believe helps protect your bones. Many cases of plantar fascitis plus a whole host of other injuries is often osteoporosis but just undiagnosed. They need to test men and women early with dexa scan to give them a fighting chance of preventing osteoporosis from cripplng them later on in life. Calcium is highly over rated and it seems from resesrch leads to heart problems in women. If you subscribe to say vegetarian, or keto or whatever is the latest fad diet lifestyle you have to be willing to live with its side eeffects too. That is what I have observed in the supplement business.

[Tridhos]

How do you explain that those countries with the highest consumption of dairy products also have the highest incidence of bone related problems?

[Florida_gyrl]

I learned a lot! I never knew this stuff! I have always had doctors as a kid telling me to take calcium supplements and I was wondering why doctors stopped telling me to do that as an adult. Now I know why. Wow!

[claudiasilvanacanova]

Thank you doctor. I used to take calcium supplements myself, until my analysis showed high levels of calcium in my blood. I eat some cheese every day now instead. I am 65 now.

[Feg]

Does this also apply to calcium supplements from seaweed?

[raghadalmazrouei]

Thank you. Well-explained. I was about to buy calcium supplement, but I am buying almond milk instead.

[bowlampar]

Thinking just by taking calcium supplements is the way to counter osteoarthritis and prevent osteopenia is oversimplified a cure for a complex medical problem.

[christinashawgo]

This video is packed with info. Thanks

[j.love_lee]

Thank you for this video! I was actually thinking of whether or not to supplement with Calcium. I have a question though does this also apply to getting calcium through egg shells? I read about this method using egg shells to supplement calcium carbonate through egg shells.

[dot.]

Question: Does calcium citrate cause kidney stones?
Thank you!

[violetallanos]

Thanks for the great video Chris. Do you have any information on the best form of calcium supplementation post-thyroidectomy? I understand that ethically it would be difficult to create these studies but perhaps study groups of partial thyroidectomy patients can be examined.

[learnuxid]

Great video, been following you for a few years. Respect from Pakistan

[sector]

I know it's best to get our nutrients from food but do you think that it is generally safe to take a silica supplement?