Ionic Calcium Product Biography
Ionic Calcium – Product Biography
Osteoporosis is one of the most common age-associated diseases in industrial countries. As we age, our bone mineral density decreases and our bones become increasingly more brittle. This effect is most severe in women, as bone mineral density typically decreases by 2% every year after the onset of menopause. In addition to age, there is a strong nutritional component to bone demineralization.
Ionic Calcium™ – Patented Power Calcium
Fortunately, nutritional scientists have been able to isolate a mineral co-factor (a unique form of potassium) which plays a key role in allowing the absorption of calcium in the presence of animal protein.
Ionic Calcium™ contains an alkaline potassium salt that facilitates calcium availability for bone and neutralizes the calcium-eliminating side effects of dietary animal protein intake. As a result, Ionic Calcium™ provides bone mineralization benefits of calcium in lower dosages than common calcium products.
Development History
The 1981 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition quoted a team of researchers headed by Dr. J Lutz at the University of Wisconsin that found that the body lost more calcium in proportion to the amount of animal protein consumed.
Three years later, another article by Dr. Lutz appeared in the same journal. This confirmed earlier findings through experimental repetition and contributed the following: “While increased protein consumption led to increased calcium excretion, this effect can be neutralized when the body is supplied at the same time with sodium bicarbonate. A similar experiment was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1994 by a group headed by Dr. A. Sebastian at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Sebastian found that if endogenous acid could be neutralized in postmenopausal women, this would result in reduced bone resorption and increase the rate of bone formation.
Scientific Background
With the administration of sodium and calcium salts in the form of Ionic Calcium, it was possible to counteract the calcium loss and increase bone formation (Lutz and Linkswiler, 1981, Lutz, 1984, Sebastian, 1994). In an open investigation, a micronutrient powder concentrate of Ionic Calcium™ was administered to people with type 1 osteoporosis for a period of 12 months. The primary outcome parameter was the result of bone density measurements using the DEXA method (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) in the spine and thigh. The data collected during the study clearly indicated a beneficial effect of the micronutrient therapy. Ionic Calcium™ treated groups showed statistically significant increases in bone density compared to their initial pre-treatment values. However, the group which did not receive treatment, demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in bone density. The ingestion of nutrients in Ionic Calcium™ reversed the increase in urinary calcium associated with the higher protein intake; the mean net calcium balance became positive. (Fuchs et al.,1998).
