Calcium Doesn't Help Kids

I haven't had the opportunity to read the guts of the research, but the media is proclaiming that calcium supplementation doesn't matter.

First, there are many different kinds of calcium. Some are very easily absorbed and usable by the body--calcium citrate malate aand calcium lactate, for example. Some are nearly impossible for the body to use--calcium carbonate and/or coral calcium.

So, which calcium did the study use? We don't know.

Also, calcium needs an acidic environment to be absorbed. Did the researchers ensure this? We don't know.

The researchers probably did what everyone does--use whatever vitamin is available, taken whenever, at the FDA recommended dose (which is just enough to keep one alive) and for only three months. Calcium is not a medication that manipulates the system into submission. Also, calcium can be forced out of the way when taken with other minerals (competitive inhibition). So, who knows?

Bottom line, young girls lay down all their bone in their early teen years. Get your girls good calcium, supplement with Vitamin D, get them in the sun and make sure they're active in sports.