Marecamin: Plant Based Bone Building Minerals
Many people still believe that taking a calcium supplement is a simple way to prevent bone fractures associated with osteoporosis. What they have not been told is that increased bone mineral density does not necessarily mean greater bone strength. Taking calcium supplements in the traditional manner may increase bone density, but it can also have serious adverse effects, such as calcium build up in coronary arteries and subsequent heart attacks. Moreover, there is a solid body of evidence indicating that higher bone density may actually increase the risk of malignant breast cancer by 300% or more. Traditional calcium supplements contain inorganic substances such as calcium carbonate (limestone, or board chalk!), or calcium citrate, a more soluble form. Recently, increasing concern has surfaced with three reports in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), suggesting that the long term usage of calcium supplements led to a higher risk of heart attacks or strokes, the reason being that the body cannot utilize the inorganic calcium effectively, resulting in increased amounts being stored in the arteries.
Animal-based sources of calcium like dairy have also traditionally been regarded as a “natural” way to build strong bones. However, Dr Amy Lanou, nutrition director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has this to say: “The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. […] the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost non-existent”.
So if we shouldn’t get our calcium from supplements or from dairy, where should we get it from?
From plants! The above reports in the BMJ led to John Hopkins Hospital investigating the role of providing organic calcium through dietary means. The results showed that calcium from dietary sources is typically better utilized than the inorganic forms of calcium contained in most supplements.
Studies involving calcium from natural food sources have shown favourable results, including a 25% lower risk of dying from all causes, and a 23% lower risk of dying from heart disease. And before you think plants don’t contain enough calcium, consider the fact that, after weaning, elephants get all their calcium from plants!
FortiFood now offers “Marecamin” capsules, a completely organic source of dietary calcium together with a host of other minerals which are essential to maintain and promote healthy bone skeletal formation and other bodily requirements that depend on calcium. Made from calcified coralline Thallphyta (seagrass), Marecamin is literally real food in a capsule. One capsule typically contains 400mg of calcium and 40mg of magnesium together with a host of other bone-building minerals.
Vitamins D and K are equally important if you are concerned about osteoporosis and general good health. In order for calcium to do your body good, it must be in a biologically active form and balanced out with vitamins D and K and other trace minerals as part of a total nutritional plan. Vitamin D assists bone development by helping to absorb the calcium, while new evidence suggests that vitamin K2 directs the calcium to your skeleton while preventing it from being deposited where you don’t want it.
If you are at risk for developing Osteoporosis, we recommend FortiFood’s MARECAMIN together with our “VITAMIN D3 & K2”