Image Credit: cwbuecheler
Today’s guest article is by Tan Yew Wei.
For those of you taking calcium supplements or protein powders, listen up. I want you to figure out how much calcium you’re getting on a daily basis. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to hit the recommended 1000-1500mg daily intake.
Why the Alarmism?
Because too much calcium is bad for you.
While most people don’t get enough calcium, there are concentrated sources of calcium which can easily bring intake too high for those who consume such foods.
Potential for overdose
First off, I’d like to say that any of this information can be gleaned by READING FOOD LABELS. Please do so the next time you’re buying something which has a label.
Next, I am not an affiliate of any of the protein powder manufacturers/retailers below. I simply state facts.
Culprit 1: Casein and Milk Protein Powders
On the Optimum Nutrition site, one has to click the tiny link for Nutritional information to see this information. Optimum Nutrition 100% Casein Protein has the nutritional label displayed here.
Unfortunately, this isn’t displayed very clearly on the bodybuilding.com store page. The amount of calcium is displayed as a percentage, not as a value. (Click the image for a larger view)
This is the same with this protein, and this protein and many, many more.
Some casein powders don’t have too much calcium though. This Milk Protein from Trueprotein, doesn’t have excessive calcium. Interestingly, their Calcium caseinate does.
Even regular whey protein has some calcium in it, with anywhere from 0-200mg per serving.
With some fitness enthusiasts nowadays relying heavily on protein powders, it’s not uncommon to see daily intakes of >100g protein from protein powder. Combine that with a calcium supplement or multivitamin, and it’s possible to see calcium intake shoot through the roof.
With the “dedication” to the lifestyle and the (very real) benefits of protein, some people may inadvertently have a chronically high calcium intake, leading to problems in the long run.
I’d recommended that you get protein powders that have sensible levels of calcium, while still watching your intake. Most importantly, READ THE LABELS.
Culprit 2: Breakfast Cereals
Some breakfast cereals are fortified with added nutrients. This is a nice way to get some needed minerals, but it’s also a possible path to overdose. This isn’t helped by the fact that such foods are so easy to overeat.
Take Special K as an example. Over here in Australia, their nutritional page tells us there is 200mg of calcium in each 30g serving. Knowing the appetite of some adolescent males, they would easily pound down 5 servings of the stuff topped off with a liter of milk, putting their daily calcium intake at a whopping 2200mg from just a single meal. However, Special K in the US doesn’t seem to have any calcium at all.
Therein lies a good lesson: Food policies are different all over the world; get to know your own country/state’s food labeling policies. The corollary to that is if you’re traveling to another country for an extended period, it pays to know the food labeling policies of that country and act accordingly.
But of course, calcium isn’t the only thing that you have to worry about. Corn Flakes can easily lead to excessive iron in the diet (45% of the RDA in one 28g serve). The point is: Read the labels and know what you’re eating.
Take Home Message
Forget about calcium supplements, go buy some cereal instead!
Seriously though, the message should be ringing loud and clear right now: Read Food Labels and Know What You are Eating. Whether it be calcium, iron, or basically any other compound in food, it pays to know what you are eating.
That said, with all this artificial processing of food, it’s hard to keep track. Add to that the fact that the synergistic effect of some supplements in widespread use today may cause complications; there is just too much to keep track.
It’s a fact that we live in an unnatural world, with it’s share of novel stressors. And while I’d much rather you choose potatoes over cereal, fruit over candy and meat over protein powder, it’s sometimes neither desirable nor practical.
The best we can do is to gain as much knowledge as we can, and avoid making as many pitfalls as we can. Or you could just say…
Today’s article was written by Tan Yew Wei of Scrivle.com and YewHealth.com.
@Siggi: yea, I used to eat a ton of cottage cheese + yogurt, too…
Damn, I eat aprox. one pound of cottage cheese each day plus green veggies :O
@Tanner and @wazzup: Yeah, I don’t think we’ll know the exact mechanism here for sure, especially if the cause was too much calcium, or a result of too little vit D.
It seems that most subjects in the study had a mean plasma 1,25(OH)2D in the 30-35 range, which is arguably on the low side of what proponents like Dr Michael Holick recommend (at least 30ng/ml and preferably 40-60)
Personally, my preference is to supplement with Vit D (especially now that it’s winter here) just because it probably does more good than harm.
@Eric: Yes to both points, and as a student myself, I surely remember all the times that protein shakes helped me hit protein requirements.
Hypercalcemia is never good. I noticed an increase in anxiety when supplementing with calcium citrate..Cut back on calcium and it went away. Thinking I was getting hypercalcemic.
>> higher calcium intake was associated with lower circulating 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D levels
What if we added more Vit-D to our supplement regime (or skip the skimmed milk stuff and go for the full fat stuff (which contains more vit-D in itself) ?
Being lactose intolerant I don’t have milk so I used to.be worried I didn’t get enough. I thought I was missing out on some of the benefits that calcium gives you. I decided to check my diet and saw that I got enough from my protein powder and cheese sticks. Even spinach has decent amount so mix up some spinach, eggs, and cheese for breakfast and you got a pretty good of calcium to start the day.
Yikes! Thanks for the heads up JC. You may have saved me from a great deal of trouble down the line.
I’ve been using milk with my protein powder and having 2-3 shakes a day. That puts me in the range of 1,450mg of calcium! (If my math is correct. My whey label only states 15% per scoop and my milk states 35% per cup.)
I do feel like I have stronger bones, but it definitely isn’t worth increasing my chances of prostate cancer as the study suggests.
I’ll admit that I’m fairly dependent on whey powder for my 1g/bodyweight a day. I guess I’ll just have to eat more lean meat and legumes?
Well, that’s just a single study. And your intake of approx 1500mg puts you in a good range. It’s only when you get double that amount when you should be concerned. (not unrealistic considering that 250ml milk + 1 scoop casein ≈ 700mg calcium, with some fitness junkies getting 2-3 of those a day on top of intake from other foods)
Calcium isn’t evil. In fact, high calcium intakes are good. Moderation needs to be exercised. More importantly, moderation needs to be defined by numbers when possible. Hence there is nothing wrong with protein powders in reasonable amounts.
Still, meat is king! And who would give up a steak for a protein shake? =)
But if not a whole lot is needed than why take the extra supplement I think the point is that we get enough calcium from our foods…but then again I’m reading this half asleep
I would never choose steak over protein but:
1 protein is convenient when one is out and about, you can’t carry a steak everywhere you go, wish you could.though
2 it supplements the diet for those that have a hard time eating a large amounts of food.
Sorry Tan, but I just now realized that this was your guest post, not JC’s!
Thanks for the reassurance. Your post still opens my eyes to the fact that I still rely a great deal on protein shakes to cover my macros. I just wished I consumed this much protein in my teens! I may be a few inches taller today had I done so.
@Eric: I think you mean you would never choose “protein over steak,” right? (=
I’m also trying to gain lean body mass, but I feel as if I have a mental block in my head preventing me to eat the extra amounts of food I might need.
Are you a FFB, Johnny?
Lol, Yup, like I said I was half asleep. As a matter of fact I think my tone was a bit confrontational, hope it didn’t come out that way.
JC: I am. I think I have only gained a pound in a few weeks so far. The odd thing is that I’m still making gains in size and strength, but I’m sure it could be better if I was eating more calories.