Excess Calcium May Increase Risk of Colon Cancer

[Reesacat]

If you're following conventional medicine's advice for your bones, you may be increasing your risk for colon cancer.
Conventional medicine says you should take lots of calcium for your bones. On the surface, the advice makes sense, as calcium does help bones stay strong. However, your body keeps most calcium outside of your cells. So taking a lot of it really doesn't help your bones. But it could increase your risk of colon cancer.
A large clinical trial has shown that calcium plays a major role in reducing colon cancer. But not in the way you might think. You see, calcium's beneficial effect on reducing colon cancer is based on a low calcium to magnesium ratio. That means that you want higher magnesium levels compared to your calcium levels. In people with the highest magnesium to calcium ratio, the risk of colorectal cancer adenoma recurrence was 32% less than those with lower ratios.

Amazingly, magnesium also helps your body absorb calcium into your bones. So if you want to prevent osteoporosis and colon cancer, don't take more calcium. Take more magnesium. In fact, most of us get plenty of calcium from our food. But many of us don't absorb it well because our magnesium levels are too low.
Magnesium is a premier mineral for your heart, blood pressure, immune system, brain function, and so much more. You can't make energy without it. Even a marginal deficiency can lead to higher blood pressure. And here we see that in relation to calcium, a deficiency can lead to cancer.

Magnesium is available in most high potency multiple vitamins/minerals. You can also buy it as a stand-alone supplement in the health food stores. I like magnesium in the lactate, glycinate, aspartate, or orotate forms. There's almost no downside to magnesium. If you take too much (say more than 500-1,000 mg) you can get loose stools. That's how magnesium cathartics work. If that happens, just reduce the dose to a more tolerable level.
If you have significant kidney impairment, check with your doctor about mineral supplements. In general, I think anyone interested in calcium supplements should supplement with at least equal amounts of magnesium. And, you don't need calcium supplements if you want to take magnesium. As I said earlier, most of us get plenty of calcium from our food. But most of us are deficient in magnesium.
Yours for better health and medical freedom,

Robert J. Rowen, MD
Ref: "Magnesium, Calcium, and Colorectal Adenoma Recurrence: Results from a randomized trial," Dai Q, Baron J, Findings Presented at the Seventh Annual American Association for Cancer Research International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research: Abstract A62.

March 5, 2010
www.secondopinionnewsletter.com

[Islander]

Oops! Must go take my daily magnesium!

I take Peter Gillham's Calm. I have cal-mag pills but the ratio is backward; using the tea, I can better control amounts of both supplements.

[mellowsong]

Well, this is the 3rd article I've come to post y'all beat me to, lol. Oh well...that's a good thing

[Reesacat]

Originally Posted by mellowsong

Well, this is the 3rd article I've come to post y'all beat me to, lol. Oh well...that's a good thing

Usually you and Islander beat me