Why is the fraction of the population that isn’t receiving the recommended daily amounts so high? The answer is simple: Most diets don’t include the primary food sources of calcium. Such items as spinach, broccoli, cabbage, sardines, tofu, and dairy products aren’t making their way into American diets at sufficient levels. The result is a skeletal system at risk.
What many Americans don’t realize is that calcium deficiency is a health concern at all ages, not just for those 60 years of age and older. In fact, the Dietary Reference Intakes established by the Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies is higher from the ages of 9 to 18 than it is from age 51 and older. Osteoporosis begins to affect children as young as 12, demonstrating that adequate calcium intake is just as important during the early stages of bone formation and growth.
In addition to its essential role in bone health, calcium is used by the body in several other ways. The nutrient is responsible for proper muscle contraction, central nervous system function, and hormone secretion. Research also suggests that a diet high in calcium may help lower and maintain blood pressure levels. Calcium is synonymous with bones and teeth, but that is not its only biological purpose.
The AIM Companies™ recognizes the importance of calcium to good health. Dietary supplementation is necessary for most Americans to receive adequate amounts of the nutrient and that is why the company developed CalciAIM™.
CalciAIM™ is a natural citrus drink mix that provides several nutrients crucial to proper skeletal function and overall wellness. The product underwent careful formulation to determine the most beneficial types of calcium, the most effective method of delivery, and a combination of nutrients to help you achieve superior whole-body health.
Types of Calcium
A casual glance at the calcium sources in CalciAIM™ may surprise you. AIM used calcium carbonate, one of the most difficult forms of calcium to digest. The reason behind using this source of calcium was two-fold. First, calcium carbonate is the most abundant naturally occurring form of calcium found on Earth. Second, AIM used science to turn this poorly absorbable mineral salt into its most absorbable form, ionic calcium.How did AIM do this? This phenomenon occurs when water is added to the balanced blend of calcium salts, and citric and malic acids. The mixture results in a conversion from insoluble carbonate to soluble forms of calcium known as calcium citrate malate and, better yet, free-ionic calcium. This transformation occurs in the glass before you drink CalciAIM™.
CalciAIM™ also contains two other forms of the mineral, calcium lactate and calcium gluconate. Calcium lactate is a soluble organic form of calcium that is bioavailable throughout the entire digestive tract. Calcium gluconate is a highly soluble form of calcium. It also inhibits kidney stone formation and stimulates bifidobacteria in the intestine, enhancing the absorption of calcium. Calcium gluconate also increases the solubility and absorption of magnesium, an important nutrient involved in metabolism, muscle contraction, nerve transmission, and bone mineralization.
As you age, your stomach cannot produce adequate amounts of acid to absorb calcium properly. The Physician’s Desk Reference states, “The average person can only absorb 20 percent of calcium from tablets and 30 percent from capsules. Solubilized in a beverage, calcium powder provides approximately 98 percent of its bioavailable elemental calcium.” It is important to note that CalciAIM™ creates a truly dissolved calcium solution when added to water, not a suspension. When calcium powder is simply suspended in water, it provides no greater absorption than calcium capsules or tablets.
Proper calcium absorption is also dependent on acid. Calcium and magnesium become highly ionized in the pH range of 1 to 4. CalciAIM™ pH ranges from 4.0 to 4.2. This low pH is achieved by the inclusion of citric acid (from citrus fruits) and malic acid (from apples) in CalciAIM™.
Each serving of CalciAIM™ provides 386 mg or 38 percent of your recommended daily intake of calcium.
Vitamin D
To complement the three forms of calcium, CalciAIM™ contains several other nutrients known to assist in good bone health and maintenance. Research during the past decade has identified vitamin D as essential for the absorption and utilization of calcium. Calcium is used in the blood to keep muscles, such as the heart and lungs, contracting efficiently. The body will preserve blood calcium levels at the expense of bone calcium and this can result in a bone deficiency. Vitamin D regulates calcium absorption and excretion, especially when calcium intake is low.When calcium levels in the blood drop, parathyroid hormone (PTH) is released. PTH causes calcium to be released from the bones. This occurs when PTH stimulates osteoclasts to reabsorb bone mineral, thus raising the calcium levels in the blood. Vitamin D is one of the primary components of the hormone calcitriol, which works synergistically with PTH. Vitamin D is modified by the liver to become 25(OH) D (also known as 5-hydroxy-vitamin D). 25(0H)D is then modified in the kidneys to become calcitriol. Calcitriol increases absorption of calcium in the small intestine and decreases its excretion in the urine. This results in a rise in blood calcium levels and a decrease in PTH levels.
Even though most Americans are not receiving adequate levels of calcium in their diets, low levels of vitamin D may be a bigger concern. In 2003, a report indicated that vitamin D could be more important than calcium in preventing hip fractures in postmenopausal women. Ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) found in CalciAIM™ is a natural source of vitamin D derived from plants. Vitamin D deficiency can be common among those with diabetes, arthritis, back pain, muscular weakness, and other degenerative and autoimmune diseases. CalciAIM™ provides your body with 283 international units (IU), or 70 percent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin D in every scoop.
