Evening Primrose Oil Controls Where Calcium Goes

Naturally Savvy
Naturally Savvy

Numerous factors such as hormonal levels and the presence of vitamin D and vitamin K will all play some role in determining the absorption of calcium from the gut into the bloodstream. However, when a person absorbs calcium, regardless of the amount, there is no guarantee that this same calcium will be deposited into the bones.

Calcium tends to gravitate towards areas of injury in the body. If the lining of the arteries is damaged, calcium deposits there and causes hardening of the arteries. This could make cardiovascular disease worse. If the kidneys are damaged, the result of calcium deposition could be kidney stones. Calcium also tends to deposit in other injured soft tissue areas like tendons and ligaments, causing stiffness or other disability.

Several studies in the past decade have shown that EFAs (essential fatty acids), when combined with calcium, can ensure that calcium deposition will take place in bone and not in the arteries, the kidneys, or other soft tissues. EFAs enhance the effects of vitamin D in the gut and improve calcium absorption from the small intestine, reduce the urinary excretion (loss) of calcium, increase calcium that is deposited in the bone, and improve the strength of bone.

The dosage required for evening primrose to do this in both men and women is 1500-6000 mg daily. Of course, calcium deposition also depends to variable degrees on the frequency of weight-bearing exercises as well as the presence of minerals such as magnesium, zinc, copper, strontium, silicon, manganese, and boron.

If your calcium supplement does not contain evening primrose oil, make sure you take an extra 1500-6000 mg of this omega-6 source of essential fatty acids each day to prevent or reverse osteoporosis with much greater assurance.

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Dr. Zoltan Rona

REFERENCES

Horrobin K. "Calcium metabolism, osteoporosis and essential fatty acids: a review" Progress in Lipid Research, 1997; 36(2-3):131-151.

Papendorp D, Coetzer H, Kruger M. "Biochemical profile of osteoporotic patients on essential fatty acid supplementation" Nutrition Research, 1995; 15(3):325-334.

Tulloch I, Smellie W, Buck A. "Evening primrose oil reduces urinary calcium excretion in both normal and hypercalciuric rats" Urological Research, 1994; 22:227-230.

Claasen N, Potgieter M, Seppa M, et al. "Combination of evening primrose oil and fish oil influence bone resorption and bone calcium content" Bone, 1995; 16(Suppl):385S-392S.

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Dr. Zoltan P. Rona is a graduate of McGill University Medical School (1977) and has a Master’s Degree in Biochemistry and Clinical Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut (1984). He is past president of The Canadian Holistic Medical Association (1987-88) and is the author of three Canadian bestsellers: The Joy of Health (1991), Return to the Joy of Health (1995) and Childhood Illness and The Allergy Connection (1997). He is co-author with Jeanne Marie Martin of The Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook (1996) and is the medical editor of the Benjamin Franklin Award winning Encyclopedia of Natural Healing (1998). He has had a private medical practice in Toronto for the past 35 years, has appeared on radio and TV as well as lectured extensively in Canada and the U.S. Dr. Rona currently writes regular articles for Reader’s Digest, Alive, Vitality magazine and for several web sites. His latest book “Vitamin D, the Sunshine Vitamin” was published in 2010. In 2011, Dr. Rona was named Chief Medical Advisor for NAKA Herbs and Vitamins and has developed a line of nutritional supplements (TriStar Naturals) which are sold in health food stores across Canada. He can be found at www.highlevelwellness.ca