Dip Your Way into Thanksgiving

It's almost turkey time!  Better start thinking about what appetizer you are going to bring to grandma and grandpa's house for this year's celebration of gluttonous eating!  Here is a calcium-rich recipe for everyone to enjoy!  No one can say “no” to spinach artichoke dip.  I suggest adding some substitutions though.  Opt for low fat cheese, light sour cream, and light mayonnaise to cut the calories and still reap the benefits of this dish. 

Total calcium per serving:  206 milligrams. 

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Serves: 15             Yield:  4.5 cups          Units: US | Metric


Ingredients:

• 2 cups parmesan cheese1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Mix together Parmesan cheese, spinach, and artichoke hearts.
3. Combine remaining ingredients and mix with spinach mixture.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
5. Serve with crackers or toasted bread.

Full recipe details are available at: 

http://www.food.com/recipe/spinach-artichoke-dip-1209

Soda: It does a body good.

I mean milk, milk does a body good.

So we all know how healthy soda is for us, right?  Yet for some reason, despite our knowledge of the consequences of sugary drinks, we continue to consume it.  The journal entry I am posting about this week discusses lack of calcium in children because they are drinking less milk and more soda-type beverages.  The Journal of the American Medical Association published a journal article on this issue in 2004.

The article is presented with the title “Experts Urge Early Investment in Bone Health.”  The issue being covered by author Tracy Hampton (a PhD in the area of genetics from Stanford University) is a lack of calcium in children resulting in fractures and osteoporosis.  She notes, “about 10 million individuals in the United States have been diagnosed as having osteoporosis.” (Hampton, 2004).  These high numbers have been linked to children not consuming enough calcium in their youth, as approximately 90% of bone mass is developed during childhood.  These individuals do not accumulate enough bone mass for their bones to be healthy, and fractures occur.  Hampton draws attention to the fact that children need to pay more attention to their bones. 

Supplements are being given to children with low bone mass who are at risk for fractures and osteoporosis.  One supplement trial Hampton mentions is that of a group of seven-year-old children who were given “300 mg/d of calcium for 18 months and gained 17.9% more bone mineral content than those in the control group… but the effect was balanced out a year after the supplementation was stopped.” (Hampton, 2004).  Though the supplements did work for a while, the bone mass of children receiving them reverted back to that of other calcium-deprived children in their age group.  This shows that calcium needs to continue to be consumed in order for bone mass in children to develop fully.  The best source of calcium, according to the article, is milk.  However, milk consumption in children is decreasing as soft drinks are becoming more available and more convenient. 

So how will this issue be solved?  The article does not address that point.  It does show the importance of calcium consumption in youth to develop bone mass and prevent future fractures as well as osteoporosis, but it does not offer a solution to the issue.  I personally would like to see milk more readily and easily available in schools again.  The schools could even offer lunches that were rich in calcium.  Supplements can also be continuously taken during developmental stages of bone to increase mass (as the article shows).  No matter how this issue is solved, it is one of importance.  The only solution I fear for this problem is soft drink companies adding calcium to their products and appealing even more to children.  Calcium should be consumed naturally, not as a supplementary ingredient in soda. 

Source:

Journal of the American Medical Association, 2004. Experts Urge Early Investment in Bone Health. doi:10.1001/jama.291.7.811.

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=198214

Say Whaaat?!

Guess what everyone:  calcium is beneficial!

Since I have been posting lately about issues with calcium, I have decided to give some positive information about the element and its properties.  Calcium is, in fact, essential and beneficial to the body.  I am going to make my posts this week about the good calcium is doing in this world.  So stay tuned!  Oh, and have a great week!

-Nathan

Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?

To get calcium supplements, of course!

I found this news article today from a website called "World Poultry."  It is about how calcium and vitamin D supplements are being given to poultry so "farmers can maintain and improve animal health."  I am aware the some farms medicate their animals for illness.  I am even aware that certain farmers increase muscle mass of their animals through supplementations and products such as Paylean in the pork industry (Paylean is a substance that contains Ractopamine Hydrochloride- a supplement that uses nutrients for muscle development that would otherwise be used for fats).  But I had never heard of giving calcium and vitamin D to chickens.  I am not really opposed to it; the chickens could be being fed a lot worse.  At least in this case they are being fed nutrients that naturally occur in the body.  We shall have to wait and see how this turns out.  I don't really care as long as they still taste like chicken.  

Here is the website for the article:
http://www.worldpoultry.net/Home/General/2012/10/Product-Improving-calcium-balance-in-poultry-1092713W/

Also, here is the website for information on Paylean:
http://www.pntechnologies.com/ourproductspayleandetails.htm

Enjoy what is left of the weekend!

-Nathan 

p.s. Do you think she is running to the calcium or away from it?  

Calcium Is A Real Pain In The...

Butt (apparently)! 

A 2005 study conducted by four Harvard students found an association between high intake levels of calcium and an increase in the severity and risk of prostate cancer.  The four were familiar with claims that calcium both accelerated and worsened prostate cancer and decided to investigate the accusation further.
The population in question was a group of 47,750 male professionals in the health field without any history of cancers other than nonmelanoma skin cancer.  The data used for the study was from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from these 47,750 men.  The group “assessed total, dietary, and supplementary calcium intake in 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998, using a validated food frequency questionnaire.” (Giovannucci et. all, 2005).  Their hypothesis was that elevated levels of calcium intake would result in a positive association between increased risk and level of prostate cancer.
The results showed a positive correlation between elevated calcium consumption and prostate cancer.  Both dietary and supplemented forms of calcium were associated with the increased risk of developing the cancer.  The group identified that over a follow-up period of 16 years there were “3,544 total cases of prostate cancer, 523 advanced (extraprostatic) cases, and 312 fatal cases.” (Giovannucci et. all, 2005).  There was a 9% chance of getting prostate cancer with a 1 % chance of advanced cancer and .06% chance of it being fatal.  Higher calcium consumption was associated with a higher likelihood of advanced forms of prostate cancer as well as fatality from it.  The group defines elevated intake as greater than 2,000 milligrams per day. 
This study startled me and caught my attention, as I am a male who consumes a great deal of calcium.  I typically stay within my recommended daily dose, but I do exceed it on some days. I am fortunate that I came across this study, and I will now pay even closer attention to my levels of daily calcium intake.  I would like to avoid this particular pain in the “you know what.”

Citation:

Cancer Epidemiology, Markers & Prevention, 2005. A Prospective Study of Calcium Intake 

                  and Incident and Fatal Prostate Cancer. doi:10.1158/1055-9965

Mmmmm! Calcium: Delicious and Nutritious?

If this video and picture combination doesn't make you want to try calcium then nothing will! 


Just kidding.


The video below is from a Dirty Jobs episode where calcium and magnesium are filtered out of hard water and deposited into a vast tank.  They take on the form of a thick, greenish sludge and look like the least appetizing thing I had ever seen!

Or so I thought...



Until I found this image of calcium in its most elemental form.

Nooooo thank you!!!!


If the stories and articles I have posted about calcium do not make you weary of consuming excess quantities, then maybe the video and picture in today's post will help.




Happy Tuesday everyone!

-Nathan

Sawyer Soils the Idea of Supplements

Happy Monday everyone!

I found an online video segment today from ABC News with anchor Diane Sawyer discussing the recent issue of Calcium supplements.  The video discusses the hearts issues that calcium can supposedly cause (which I have previously brought up in this blog).  Sawyer soils the idea of taking calcium supplements for many by discussing a recent article on the damages calcium can do as well as interviewing Dr. Richard Besser, the ABC medical editor.  Dr. Besser suggests alternatives to supplements and notes that exceeding the recommended amount of daily calcium could be the causes of the heart attack issues.  I have provided the video below.

One Does Not Simply Take Calcium Supplements

You know that feeling you get when you see someone and your heart starts pounding like a djembe until it seems like it’s going to break and then suddenly stops?  Well now you can get that feeling simply by taking calcium supplements, according to the International Business Times (IBT) and Swiss researchers from the University of Zurich.  The IBT article “Calcium Supplements Could Increase Risk of Heart Attack by 86%” is making its way around the worldwide web.  The “study concludes supplements should be taken 'with caution' and boosting calcium offers no significant health benefit” according to the article details provided by IBT. 

The researchers supposedly found that people who took regular calcium supplements had an 86% higher risk of having a heart attack.  They also determined that subjects who took only calcium supplements had a two-times greater risk of a heart attack than those subjects who abstained from calcium supplements.  The overall conclusion drawn from two professors from the University of Auckland (Ian Reid and Mark Bolland) was that "the evidence is also becoming steadily stronger that it is not safe, nor is it particularly effective" to take calcium supplements.

A similar article reporting on the same study was also found on Science Daily as well as the British Medical Journal (BMJ).  The link and information about the article is provided below:

M. J. Bolland, A. Grey, A. Avenell, G. D. Gamble, I. R. Reid. Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D and risk of cardiovascular events: reanalysis of the Women's Health Initiative limited access dataset and meta-analysis. BMJ, 2011; 342 (apr19 1): d2040 DOI:10.1136/bmj.d2040

Calcium seems to be elevating itself in the public eye through studies such as these.  I believe it is too early to conclude anything since the studies are relatively new and do not address all of the variables from what I can tell.  Here is the hyperlink to the website:   http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/344811/20120524/calcium-supplements-heart-attack-risk.htm.  See, read, and study it for yourself.  And in the meantime, enjoy these memes.  Thanks!

Nathan

Of Obese Mice and Overweight Men

In late 2011 three departments of the University of California, Davis grouped together to carryout a study on the effects of non-fat dairy products on obese mice.  The departments of Nutrition and Animal Science came together with the Obesity and Metabolism Research Unit to conduct the study.  They hoped to find a relationship between calcium and the amount of adipose tissue as well as inflammation.

To administer the study, the group measured the weight and adipose tissue in obese mice.  The mice were all males and purchased at the same age from the same place at the same time.  The obesity of the purchased mice was diet-induced via one of three diets composed of 45% energy over a period of 12 weeks.  There were 29 mice in the control group (soy protein only with limited fat), 30 mice in the high-calcium and high fat diet group, and 30 mice in the high-calcium and non-fat dairy milk group (NFDM on the graph).  The results were determined by measuring the amount of body weight and adipose tissue in each of the group of mice as well as the energy intake.

The data collected is displayed below in two graphs.  The body weight of the mice who were fed the high fat, high calcium diet was highest; they also had the most energy intake.  The non-fat high calcium group had the median amount of energy intake but the lowest body weight.  The control group of the experiment had the median body weight of the two groups and the lowest amount of energy intake, however it was very narrowly the lowest.  The high calcium, high fat intake group had more fat and adipose tissue than the control group or the NFDM group.  The study concluded that calcium directly does not affect the obesity of mice; however, calcium in combination with other factors does.  The research group determined that another variable (in addition to calcium) must be causing the weight changes and tissue changes in the mice.  The researchers suggest the a combination of non-fat dairy as well as high calcium contribute to lower weights and lower adipose tissue.

This study and its conclusions make sense to me.  Since the mice were treated with non-fat, basic fat, and high-fat dairy intake, the fat is the most likely the additional cause of the weight variations along with the calcium.  If high calcium and high fat are both included in the animal's diet, it seems to me that the elevated fat would cause increases in weight as well as adipose tissue, not the calcium.  The study's results support this as the mice with non-fat, high calcium diets had the lowest body weight.  My thoughts as well as their evidence lead me to conclude that fat is the primary cause of the weight variations (gains and losses) of the mice in association with calcium.  It would be interesting to see if humans react the same way.  An experiment measuring the levels of fat, weight, and adipose tissue as well as heath risks discussed in Tuesday's blog would be very interesting.


See graphs below:

Nutrition & Metabolism, 2012. Research. A high calcium diet containing nonfat dry milk reduces weight gain and associated adipose tissue inflammation in diet-induced obese mice when compared to high calcium alone. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-9-3 

Sweet, Practical Health Website

Hey guys!

I stumbled across this website while I was looking for entertaining videos on calcium.  It is called "Fit for Two," and it has a ton of videos and information about workout routines, healthy recipes, and other daily needs (even instructions for making an eco-friendly, at-home bug repellant).  The site provides updates on what  the couple who maintain it is eating along with the activities and exercises they are doing.  It has great variety as both a man and a woman are participating and educating viewers.  I encourage everyone to check it out!

I am posting a video they have for making vegan cashew cheese (a nice non-dairy way to increase your calcium intake)!

Vegan Cashew Cheese Recipe:

Breaking Hearts?

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recently completed a study assessing the causes of elevated coronary calcium levels.  This study notes that heightened amounts of coronary calcium lead to such issues as cancer, blood clots, and mental health issues.  The report of the study was presented in May of 2007.

The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, as it was called, focused on following a group of 5,115 people aged 18 to 30 for a period of 15 years.  It was an observational study that would detect the levels of calcium deposits in their arteries.  The deposits within the hearts of these participants were measured and resulted in a notable correlation between habitual actions and elevated levels leading to health issues.

The CARDIA study depicted a positive correlation between poor habits (such as smoking, maintaining a high body mass index, neglecting to control high blood pressure, having elevated blood sugar levels, and living with high levels of lipoprotein cholesterol) and a three times higher risk of elevated coronary calcium levels.   The study concluded that the subjects were models for poor health and candidates for several health issues.  Their risk for cancer was elevated along with their risk for blood clots and sarcomas.  The participants also showed an increase in the risk for mental health issues such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.   

This study's results were not surprising to me.  It is a generally accepted health idea that poor living choices such as smoking, elevated blood sugar, high lipoprotein cholesterol, and above suggested levels of blood pressure will result in health issues such as the ones determined by the study.  Their conclusions do correlate with the results, as an increase in calcium within the coronary arteries would result in an imbalance in the body leading to mental issues as well as other health issues.  I do not have concerns with their population size; it is not the size of the sample that matters but rather the quality of the subjects.  The subjects in this study appear to have the necessary variation to show accurate correlation.  Overall, this was an educational study that reaffirmed health ideas that had previously been presented to me.




Journal of the American Medical Association [JAMA], 2007. Health Agencies Update. Coronary Calcium Risks, 297(20), 2188. doi:10.1001/jama.297.20.2188-a

Cal-sea-um

Hey there everyone!

This is my first post onto this blog.  I am using it to encourage everyone to explore the pages I have added throughout it.  Check out the articles, journals, videos, recipes, and local resources to start things off.  There will be more to come.  Thanks!

Also, I am including a trailer for the movie The Calcium Kid.  The movie is about an unusual fighter (that has actually never been in a fight) who drinks 3 pints of milk daily to keep his bones strong and supposedly unbreakable.  It's a little different but pretty funny.  Enjoy!