Calcium Requirements Increase With Age For Women

Calcium, a silvery metallic element and one of the alkaline earth metals is the most abundant metallic element in the human body. It is the fifth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and is essential for physiological functions. Calcium is a mineral that is essential for bones, to increase bone mineral density and improves the effectiveness of osteoporosis medications. Calcium has also been shown to decrease bone loss in postmenopausal women. According to a Woman's Health Initiative trial, incidences of hip fracture decrease in older women who supplement calcium in their diet.

As we age our calcium intake naturally increases due to the reduction of intestinal calcium adsorption after menopause for women. Post menopausal women also have reduced acid production in the stomach and lower intake of vitamin D therefore calcium citrate supplement should be taken increasing calcium levels to offset the lower intestinal adsorption and less efficient conversion of calcium by the kidneys. The national academies of sciences guidelines for calcium intake for women suggest 1,000 mg per day for women between the ages 31-50 years old; women older than 50 should take upwards of 1,200 mg calcium per day. The problem however is, most postmenopausal women in today's society either have poor diets, and or are vegans. The elderly may not have adequate calcium intake because of their dietary lack as well. In the USA, postmenopausal women have dietary intakes of around 600 mg per day which is below the recommended amount.

Calcium in the blood has roles in muscle contraction, nerve-impulse transmission, blood clotting, milk production (women), hormone secretion, and enzyme function. If there is a calcium deficiency in the diet, calcium is pulled from the bones and teeth so other body functions can continue. Therefore, it is important to calculate the amount of calcium supplementation you need. The first thing is to estimate your current dietary intake of calcium outside of any supplementation that you may take. Most women eat 2 to 3 meals a day so you can assume you get 250 mg calcium per day not counting dairy foods or calcium fortified foods. A lot of women take an additional 300 mg calcium by one serving of dairy products. If you drink one glass of milk then your total intake is calculated to be 550 mg calcium per day. Therefore you need an additional 650-950 mg per day.

Since we have determined that our intake of calcium is lacking, the next question you may have is what form of calcium should I be taking in a supplement to meet my needs? There are a few different forms of calcium found in your local health food store such as (i) calcium carbonate and (ii) calcium citrate. Some women who take calcium carbonate suffer from constipation, nausea and indigestion. Calcium carbonate is best taken with food because of improved adsorption. Calcium citrate on the other hand is best taken on an empty stomach for improved adsorption. Calcium citrate is less likely to cause constipation, nausea and indigestion therefore it is the better choice for older women with lower stomach acid and lower intake of vitamin D. Furthermore, some research has shown that combining Vitamin D with calcium can improve adsorption.
Calcium supplementation is extremely safe, even in quantities up to 1,500 mg per day from both diet and supplements there is no risk of increased kidney stones. However, calcium intake greater than 2,500 mg per day from diet and supplementation should be avoided unless recommended by your health care professional.

Vitamin D May Prevent Breast Cancer

There are two new reports by cancer prevention specialists at Moores Cancer Center, Univsrsity of California, suggest that vitamin D in new prescriptions may prevent up to one half of all cases of breast cancer.
The study is published online in the current issue of The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. It pooled data from two earlier studies by the Harvard Nurses Health Study and the St. George’s Hospital Study that alleged that people with the highest levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D, had the lowest incidences of breast cancer.

The research was based on 1,760 cases of individuals in the two studies and divided them into five equal groups, from the lowest 25(OH)D at less than 13 nanograms per milliliter, to the highest group with 52 nanograms per milliliter.
"The data were very clear, showing that individuals in the group with the lowest blood levels had the highest rates of breast cancer, and the breast cancer rates dropped as the blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D increased," said study co-author Cedric Garland, Dr.P.H. "The serum level associated with a 50 percent reduction in risk could be maintained by taking 2,000 international units of vitamin D3 daily plus, when the weather permits, spending 10 to 15 minutes a day in the sun."

However, women are warned not to run out and start supplementing their diet. There may be other factors that were overlooked in these studies. While the reports are valid, and the research solid, they only represent 1,760 people out of the entire population.
"Meta-analysis is an important tool for revealing trends that may not be apparent in a single study," said co-author Sharif B. Mohr, M.P.H. "Pooling of independent but similar studies increases precision, and therefore the confidence level of the findings."

The authors recommend further research to study individuals for the effect of vitamin D from sunlight, diet and supplements on the risk of cancer.
The dose-response data on 1,448 people in the study were put into order by serum 25(OH)D level and then divided into five equal groups, from the lowest blood levels to the highest.

Co-author Edward D. Gorham, Ph.D said: "We project a two-thirds reduction in incidence with serum levels of 46ng/ml, which corresponds to a daily intake of 2,000 IU of vitamin D3. This would be best achieved with a combination of diet, supplements and 10 to 15 minutes per day in the sun."

Vitamin D3 is available through diet, supplements and exposure to sunlight, or ultraviolet B (UVB) as long as the skin does not tan or burn. In a white woman, it will only take 10 minutes at noontime on a clear day, with 50 per cent skin exposure, to absorb adequate vitamin D. Darker skin will require up to 25 minutes.

It is important to eat a balanced diet. Vitamin D is linked to Calcium absorption, so overdosing on one will throw out the balance and may result in a depletion of one vitamin.
The reports continued and measured Vitamin D’s ability to prevent colorectal cancer and found similar results.

Dieters Need More Calcium

Women on diets need more calcium than normal to avoid bone loss, say Rutgers University researchers.
Studies showed a weight loss diet of 1.5 pounds a week for 6 weeks cuts absorption of calcium. In 57 postmenopausal dieters it was discovered that those women who took 1,800 mg of calcium a day absorbed 78 percent more calcium than those who took only 1,000 mg a day. To prevent bone loss, women dieting after menopause should get 1,700 mg of calcium a day, the experts say.

For people on low-fat, high fiber diets calcium requirements are also higher. Studies show that 19 percent less calcium is absorbed. It is theorized that the healthier diet moves food faster through the gastrointestinal tract.
While it is common knowledge that calcium is necessary for bone-growth research shows that calcium also fights fat absorption. Studies reveal that calcium blocks fat storage in fat cells. A minimum of 1,000 mg. of calcium daily improves total cholesterol and good HDL, but lowers bad LDL.

Despite the publicity of the importance of calcium for healthy bones research shows that consumption has gone down over the past 30 years.
Experts recommend 1,000 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D daily for people under 50, and 1,500 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D for those over 50. The safe upper limit for calcium intake has been set at 2,500 mg a day. Experts think going above that on a daily basis may invite kidney stone formation.

Once started, never stop taking calcium/vitamin D supplements daily. USDA researchers found that after a 3- year study over one-third of participants stopped taking the supplements. Within one year women lost all bone-density gains and men lost their gains in two years.
For those who are lactose intolerant calcium and vitamin D supplementation is even more important because it will be difficult to get the daily requirement through diet alone.
For those allergic to cow's milk. Drink enough soy milk to give you 500 mg of calcium per glass as compared to 300 mg in cows milk. Studies at Creighton University in Omaha, NE, showed that 25 percent less calcium is absorbed from soy milk as cows milk.

Supplements May Help Ailing Health Care System

Dietary supplements may be good for more than your health. They might be good for your pocketbook, too. In fact, a growing body of evidence indicates that dietary supplements could help lower health care costs in the U.S.

In some areas of recent research, the relationship between specific foods or dietary supplements and particular health outcomes is fairly clear. Supplements provide many of the vitamins and minerals generally missing from the American diet, helping to keep people healthy, longer. Analysts say that healthier people means less strain on health care-and that could save Americans money. Here's a closer look:

A Growing Cost
By the year 2030, there will be more than 70 million people aged 65+, with half over age 75. Health care for Americans over age 65 could increase to nearly $16 trillion per year. A number of age-related diseases contribute significantly to whether an older person can maintain his or her indepen-dence, including osteoporosis, coronary heart disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Experts say that many of these common chronic conditions might be less pervasive if supplements were taken regularly.

The Role Of Supplements
So what supplements might you need?
It largely depends on your diet, but if you're like most Americans, studies say you come up short when it comes to getting enough:

• Calcium with Vitamin D-to help reduce bone loss and/or osteoporosis, especially among postmenopausal women.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids-to help reduce the relative risk of coronary heart disease.
• Lutein with Zeaxanthin-to help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Lower Costs, Better Health
In one year alone, there were 309,500 hospitalizations for hip fractures in the U.S. Considerable evidence supports the association between taking 1,200 mg of calcium with vitamin D and reduced bone loss, and fewer hip fractures in elderly people. Similar arguments are made for taking omega-3 fatty acids to help maintain heart health, and lutein to help prevent age-related macular degeneration.
Of course, cost savings aside, doctors say the true value of supplements could be the role they play in good health-which is one reason many now encourage people to supplement their diets.

Risk Of Ovarian Cancer

What women should know?
Every year, 6,800 new cases of ovarian cancer are discovered in the UK, and there are about 4,650 deaths per year caused by the ovarian cancer. About 50 percent of ovarian cancer patients are already at an advanced stage by the time a correct diagnosis is made. She said I had had Stage IIIc ovarian cancer and she did not know if there was lymph node involvement.

Women who have a prior history of breast cancer will also have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer at some time in their life. It is also said to be that women is at high risk in her advanced age.
Some other factors are: A family history of osteoporosis. Abnormal absence of menstrual periods (amenorrhea). Anorexia nervosa. Vitamin D deficiency. Use of certain medications (corticosteroids, chemotherapy, anticonvulsants and others).

The statistics for osteoporosis related fractures is downright scary - according to the NOF, A woman's risk of hip fracture is equal to her combined risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer. One study linked dairy products to an increased risk of ovarian cancer.
It has been observed that the majority of women with epithelial ovarian cancer are not diagnosed early enough. Note that radiation is rarely used in ovarian cancer treatment. In most instances, different kinds of anticancer drugs are prescribed in combination in order to speed up ovarian cancer treatment.

Uterine Cancer - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

Cancer is a disease in which certain body cells don't function right, divide very fast, and produce too much tissue that forms a tumor. Cancer of the uterus is cancer in the womb, the hollow, pear-shaped organ where a baby grows during a woman's pregnancy. Endometrial cancer is one of the most common cancers in American women. In fact, about 40,000 American women receive a diagnosis of endometrial cancer each year, making it the fourth most common cancer found in women after breast cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer.

Cause
The cause of uterine cancer is unknown. Women who smoke over a pack of cigarettes a day actually have a lower risk of uterine cancer. But smoking raises their overall risk of early death so much that it cancels out any kind of protective effect. Endometrial hyperplasia is a condition that increases the risk for uterine cancer. About one-third of patients with hyperplasia develop endometrial cancer.

Common risk factors for the condition may include:

• Length of menstrual span
• Infertility
• Obesity
• Age
• History of breast cancer or ovarian cancer

Symptoms
Endometrial cancer rarely occurs before menopause, when a woman is having regular menstrual periods, but it does occur around the time that regular menstruation stops. In women who have not been through menopause or who are currently going through menopause, distinguishing normal menstrual bleeding from abnormal bleeding may be difficult. A heavier or more frequent period or bleeding between periods is sometimes linked to cancer in menstruating women.

Treatment
Endometrial cancer can almost always be treated successfully if it's caught early. You can increase the chances that endometrial cancer will be found early by telling your doctor about any unusual bleeding.

Radiation therapy involves the use of high-dose X-rays to kill cancer cells. If your doctor believes you're at high risk of cancer recurrence, he or she may suggest that you have radiation therapy after a hysterectomy. Brachytherapy is another form of radiation that involves the internal application of radiation, usually to the inner lining of the uterus. Brachytherapy has significantly fewer side effects than conventional radiation therapy does. However, brachytherapy treats only a small area of the body.
Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment that uses a combination of drugs to slow tumor growth and destroy cancer cells. It may be used in addition to surgery to treat metastatic endometrial cancer and to prevent recurrent disease.

Multivitamins Benefits: Fact Or Fiction?

Many people nowadays take a multivitamin than any other health supplement. It is very uncommon to encounter someone who is not taking a multivitamin. Multivitamins are combinations of vitamins that are come in capsule, tablet, liquid, and injection form. These health supplements are used to treat vitamin deficiency in the body that can develop because of illness, pregnancy, poor diet, and other circumstances. Insufficient vitamins may lead to many lead to many health ailments like weakness, poor resistance to infection, shaky movements, confusion, and numbness. Taking multivitamins can reverse illness caused by vitamin deficiency. Although most people do not suffer from serious malnutrition, these people might be slightly lacking some nutrients.

Consuming a multivitamin is an easy and safe way to achieve several health benefits from many nutrients without having to take several pills everyday. In addition, the human body vitamins to function properly. Essential vitamins (A, C, D, E,K, B12 and the seven B-complex vitamins) provide the important components for proper bodily functions.
People of all ages can benefit from taking a multivitamin. Growing children need nourishment for their organs and healthy bones. Elderly people need multivitamins because their bodies become less efficient in absorbing vitamins and minerals from food because of age. Pregnant women have special nutritional needs so their children might be born healthy. There are many formulas for different kinds of people and aid in the promotion of good health.

Another benefit of taking multivitamins is it helps eliminate stress. There are many stress formulations that can lead to improved mental health. Many health studies claim that taking a multivitamin everyday can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

The best source of vitamins and minerals is from food. Although there is nothing wrong with taking a multivitamin, if individuals eat well, taking a basic multivitamin will not be necessary. In addition, some synthetic vitamin components can cause toxic build up in the human body and cause several health problems. Vitamin overdose have been linked to liver problems, weakened bones, and premature mortality. Individuals who decide to take multivitamin supplements should be wary in purchasing the right multivitamin or dietary supplement. Several health claims promoted by many health companies are doubtful and baseless. Many of multivitamins out in the market contain lycopene, a substance that is thought to prevent certain kinds of cancer. But many cancer specialists oppose this claim.

Subsequent studies conducted by the Food and Drug Administration show that the potentially protective role of lycopene might be contradictory of inconclusive. There are no solid evidence that exists that tomatoes prevent lung, breast cancer, cervical or uterine cancer. While there are very limited evidence that lycopene can reduce the risk of prostate, gastric, and ovarian cancer. The FDA study adds that it's possible that tomatoes and lycopene could be helpful in preventing more advanced stage cancer, but may have no effect on the earlier-stage.

Despite many health warnings, the quest for the right multivitamin still uncontrollable. Individuals who decide to take multivitamins should consult doctors to know the right amounts of vitamins and minerals that should be consumed. Side effects and drug interactions that may occur while taking medical supplementation should also be known. Understanding the health benefits and possible adverse effects of multivitamins can lead to improved overall health.

Ovarian Cancer

The most deadly cancers to which most women are prey is the ovarian cancer. This type of cancer is however very rare but its overall chances of development are 1 out of every 100 as compared to the breast cancer that holds a ratio of 1 out of 9. The group that is most prone to this cancer is the age group of 50 and 60’s.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer
Since ovarian cancer shows any symptoms in the initial stage it is the most deadly cancer found. The problem is enhanced because of the fact that ovaries are located deep within the abdomen and there is no way out to self examine on a regular basis as it much possible in the case of breasts. The disease also produce symptoms that are often confusing and could also signal to other conditions.

Frequent symptoms of ovarian cancer are vague stomach discomfort, an expanded abdomen or even abnormal bleeding. Many women face these types of symptoms either throughout their lives and they make the mistake of not informing to their physicians. And by the time they feel it necessary to inform their physician, the tumor grows to an extent that it has spread too far to stop.

Even when your physician finds an ovarian mass, it does not always mean that there is a risk of cancer. The higher majority of ovarian masses detected in pre menopausal patients are benign and disappear as time passes by.

Greater risk
With most of the cancers, doctors don’t know exactly what causes the growth of cancerous ovarian cells. Current theory states that a number of factors of which some are controllable and some are not influence the development of ovarian cancer. One proposal also suggests that there is a link in between the number of times a women ovulates during her life and her risk of developing ovarian cancer.

The factors that contribute to the risk of ovarian cancer includes ovulation for more than 40 years, women who have never being pregnant or have the first pregnancy after the age of 30 or late menopause.

Other factor that is unrelated to ovulation but ought to increase the risk of ovarian cancer includes:
1. A family history of ovarian or uterine cancer
2. Having breast cancer or benign breast cancer
3. Having colon or rectal cancer or polyps

Stages of ovarian cancer
If your physician makes a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, he or she will make categorize it as one of the 4 stages of the disease whereby stage 1 is the earliest stage in which only the ovaries are involved. Stage 2 involves spread of the cancer from the ovary to other parts of the pelvis. The cases that are diagnosed after stage 3 are the least. The most advanced stage of ovarian cancer is the stage 4 that has least chances of survival.