Consequences of Too Much Calcium

Are you getting too much calcium? Great importance is placed on this by the media. We are told over and over that we need more calcium for our bones and to prevent osteoporosis. But we are not told the facts about calcium supplements, or that calcium is only part of the picture and one of many minerals and vitamins that the body needs. 

If you take calcium supplements alone, or if you don't have what's needed to absorb the calcium, this excess calcium leads to elevated blood calcium.

The body can not absorb more than 500 milligrams of calcium at once so if you take supplements it is important to spread your calcium consumption over the day.

When taking a calcium supplement ensure that it is easily absorbed. One test to see if it dissolves easily is to place it in a glass of apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar mimics the hydrochloric acid in the stomach. If your calcium supplement is not completely dissolved after half an hour you can be sure it is not dissolving in your stomach.

Other factors that contribute to calcium absorption:

• Having what is needed to transport and absorb the calcium, such as vitamin D, magnesium, silicon, protein
• Inability to absorb the calcium due to excess acidity in the body,
• Weak kidneys
• Parathyroid problems

Side effects of high and imbalanced calcium intake:

• Calcium deposits in the arteries. The excess calcium attaches itself to the lining of the arteries, along with plaque, and starts clogging the arteries, leading to cardiovascular disease and stroke.
• Kidney and gall bladder stones
• Calcium deposits in the joints, which promotes arthritis and bone spurs
• Prevents cellular regeneration
• Blocks certain enzyme reactions
• Interferes with the absorption of magnesium
• Blocks manganese uptake
• Decreases iron absorption, which can lead to anemia or iron deficiency
• Causes a loss of phosphorus and zinc from the body
• Interferes with vitamin K synthesis
• Reduces the effectiveness of thyroid medication
• Increases cancer risk
• Increases acidity in the body
• Gout

Symptoms of too much calcium:

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Abdominal pain
• Urinary frequency
• Increased thirst

Any mineral taken in excess will unbalance the others. You can have your blood calcium levels checked with a blood test.

In order to ensure you are not taking too much calcium the most important thing you can do is to ensure your calcium supplements are of the highest quality.

I spent years researching nutritional supplement companies in order to find the highest quality products for myself and my clients. There are so many companies it is easy to get lost in a health food store and not know which ones contain quality ingredients.

This is especially true for calcium supplements. If your supplements contain calcium carbonate, this is a chalk like substance that is not absorbable by the body that will cause all the problems listed above. Also, if the dose is high, around 500 or 600 milligrams this will cause excess calcium in your body.

I found the best natural calicum supplements made by a company with the highest quality, most reasonably priced supplements and vitamins available.

Some of my clients have claimed that their regular calcium supplements made them feel sick! Not when they switched to the ones I recommended.

I encourage you to click here to get further information about these calcium supplements.

Can calcium consumed from bottled spring water cause iron deficiency?

Question by Carrie
(Mackinaw)

My dad and I have been drinking a natural spring source bottled water which has quite a bit of calcium and magnesium in it. Recently we discovered that we are both iron deficient.

I read your article about too much calcium and wonder if all this extra calcium is preventing iron uptake. I knew the water had this in it and was using it purposefully because my dad was diagnosed with osteopenia, and I wanted to help him. How do you know when you have too much?

Sue-Anne's Reply:

That is a great question Carrie. It is difficult to know if you are getting too much calcium. But you would have to worry more if you were taking a large amount of calcium supplements, especially of poor quality such as calcium carbonate. I actually saw some in the dollar store the other day, scary!

The things that hinder iron absorption are: having a body that is overly acidic, antacids, (most women taking antacids will become anemic) antibiotics, and taking to much zinc, copper and magnesium.

Also, one of the main causes of osteopenia or osteoporosis is again, a body that is overly acidic. So the best thing for your father would be a pH test and to ensure that he keeps a proper acid, alkaline balance.

Is he getting and absorbing his protein well? Most people over the age of 50 would do very well with digestive enzymes, and in his case a protein digestive aid. There are many more suggestions on the pages about osteoporosis on my site.

You may want to find some good quality pure water with a little less calcium and magnesium.