When it comes to calcium, think moderation

Posted by Liz on Jun 4, 2010 in bone health | 3 comments

There’s a new condition emerging among postmenopausal women: calcium alkali syndrome (milk-alkali syndrome).

Milk calcium what?!

A wonderful commentary slated to appear online this month in the Journal of  the American Society of Nephrology highlights the dangers of consuming too much calcium . In it, the author  tells the tale of Chicago bartender Bertram Welton Sippy, who in 1915, introduced his bar patrons with ulcers to the Sippy diet, hourly intake of milk, cream eggs and farina cereal interspersed with Sippy powders on the half hour (i.e. dissolvable antacid like minerals that included calcinated magnesia, sodium bicarbonate and bismuth subcarbonate). A recipe for disaster? You bet, because the overkill of calcium and minerals led to symptoms that include headache, nausea, vomiting, mental clouding, a distaste for milk and eventually, kidney failure. Yikes!

While men were the primary victims of the condition in the last century, it appears that a new group of victims started to emerge in the 90s – postmenopausal women who have increased their intake of calcium and vitamin D to combat osteoporosis. And although calcium, not milk, is the primary driver, the condition is the third most common cause of hospital admission for significantly elevated blood calcium levels.

It appears that the necessity to preserve our bones has created a modern version of the Sippy diet.

The best strategy for reducing the risk of calcium-alkali syndrome is to moderate your intake of calcium supplements. In fact, the authors say that although an average of more than 4 g/day of supplemental calcium is most commonly linked to illness, small numbers of women have developed it on as little as 1 to 1.5 g calcium a day. Of note, while younger adults are able to store excess calcium in bone, aging seems to reduce this natural defense and instead, calcium tends to leave the bone (thereby leaving us more susceptible to fragile bones and osteoporosis) and in turn, a potential build up in the bloodstream. Still, the authors emphasize that calcium supplements in moderation are a necessary and beneficial option for women at risk for osteoporosis. The trick is to limit supplemental calcium intake to no more than 1.2  to 1.5 grams daily because our bones need protection. Read the label. And speak to your healthcare practitioner. When it comes to protecting our bones through supplementation, moderation appears to be the key.

p.s. Stay away from the Sippy diet. It’s a sippier slope (sorry, couldn’t resist!).