Calcium

Calcium supplements commonly given to pregnant women to prevent dangerously high blood pressure called preeclampsia don't work, a surprising new government study has found. Preeclampsia afflicts about 5% of pregnant women and can be fatal to both mother and child.

Perhaps you've seen it touted in television infomercials as a wellspring of long life and a treatment for, among other things, colon cancer, multiple sclerosis, lupus and heart disease. Federal regulators too have seen the advertisements for coral calcium, and they're not buying the claims. They have, however, claimed some of the goods. In late June, U.S. marshals, operating at the behest of the Food and Drug Administration, seized about $2.

Fruit-eating animals regularly choose figs even when other fruits are available, but researchers have not known why. The answer is probably calcium, according to a new study in today's issue of the journal Nature. A team headed by Timothy G. O'Brien of the Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia Program surveyed figs throughout the world and found that, on average, they contain three times as much calcium as other fruits.

Bones need calcium. Doctors, dietitians and researchers agree on this point. Conventional wisdom holds that dairy foods are the best source of calcium, and that American adults need to pump up their dairy intake to get the large amount of calcium their bodies need every day. Not everyone, however, believes the conventional wisdom. Researchers are even raising questions about whether children need as much milk as guidelines recommend.

Parents and their offspring sometimes seem as if they have little in common. But both often fall short on a key nutrient: calcium. This mineral is best known for building strong bones, but it does much more. Without sufficient calcium, the body can't maintain healthy blood vessels, produce enough hormones or enable nerves to signal each other.

Are calcium supplements safe? That's a tough call for consumers, considering that several prestigious health organizations and government agencies can't agree on the answer. But even the combatants in a new controversy about lead content in calcium supplements agree that Americans should continue taking the supplements, which help prevent the crippling bone disease osteoporosis. Adequate calcium intake is also crucial for pregnant women to assist in fetal development.

A federal advisory panel Wednesday called for a national public health strategy to encourage Americans--starting from childhood--to consume higher levels of calcium to ensure the growth of strong bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a crippling bone disease.

Every so often, we take a candid look at the private dietary lives of people whose food choices need a makeover. Up this week: the kitchen and dining habits of 22-year-old Jessica Watson and her boyfriend, 31-year-old Todd Preboski. She's a vegan; he eats fish but no other animal-based foods. Such diets may conjure up images of fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, tofu and whole grains. But a lack of time and planning have cornered the couple into relying too often on Taco Bell burritos, protein bars and potato chips.