Calcium News and Research

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Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body, is found in some foods, added to others, available as a dietary supplement, and present in some medicines (such as antacids). Calcium is required for muscle contraction, blood vessel expansion and contraction, secretion of hormones and enzymes, and transmitting impulses throughout the nervous system. The body strives to maintain constant concentrations of calcium in blood, muscle, and intercellular fluids, though less than <1% of total body calcium is needed to support these functions.

The remaining 99% of the body's calcium supply is stored in the bones and teeth where it supports their structure. Bone itself undergoes continuous remodeling, with constant resorption and deposition of calcium into new bone. The balance between bone resorption and deposition changes with age. Bone formation exceeds resorption in growing children, whereas in early and middle adulthood both processes are relatively equal. In aging adults, particularly among postmenopausal women, bone breakdown exceeds formation, resulting in bone loss that increases the risk of osteoporosis over time.

Aging may trigger adaptive response to offset effects of oxidative stress on blood vessels

Although the causes of many age-related diseases remain unknown, oxidative stress is thought to be the main culprit. Oxidative stress has been linked to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases including diabetes, hypertension and age-related cancers. However, researchers at the University of Missouri recently found that aging actually offered significant protection against oxidative stress.

22 Jul 2015

New project aims to revolutionize application of optogenetics in neuroscience

The revolution that optogenetics technology has brought to biology -- neuroscience in particular -- could be transformed all over again if a new project getting underway at Brown University and Central Michigan University is successful.

17 Jul 2015

Following restrictive sun exposure advice may be harmful to health

Following restrictive sun exposure advice in countries with low solar intensity like Canada might in fact be harmful to your health, says the co-author of a new study on sunlight and vitamin D.

14 Jul 2015

Postmenopausal women with kidney, bladder stones not at increased risk for osteoporosis

Postmenopausal women with kidney or bladder stones are not at increased risk for osteoporosis, but they do have about a 15 percent increased risk of another painful stone, physician-scientists report.

14 Jul 2015

Imaging technique could help in diagnosis of atherosclerosis in at-risk patients

Researchers at the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, have shown how a radioactive agent developed in the 1960s to detect bone cancer can be re-purposed to highlight the build-up of unstable calcium deposits in arteries, a process that can cause heart attack and stroke.

13 Jul 2015

Study looks at effects of three levels of vitamin D supplementation in overweight, obese blacks

The current recommended minimum daily dose of vitamin D is not sufficient to restore healthy vitamin D levels in overweight or obese blacks, researchers report.

8 Jul 2015

Coronary artery calcification scans can help identify patients at risk for early death

A study in the online edition of Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that coronary artery calcification (CAC) scans could help physicians identify patients at risk for premature death.

7 Jul 2015

New portable system can produce life-saving NO from air by means of electrical spark

Treatment with inhaled nitric oxide (NO) has proven to be life saving in newborns, children and adults with several dangerous conditions, but the availability of the treatment has been limited by the size, weight and complexity of equipment needed to administer the gas and the therapy's high price.

7 Jul 2015

UCLA cardiologists use less invasive approach to replace heart valve

Last summer, after a long career as a successful entrepreneur and a brief retirement, Richard Whitaker was helping to start another new company. Unfortunately, a serious health concern caused a couple of interruptions in his work on the new venture. One of Whitaker's heart valves wasn't working properly, which caused congestive heart failure and led to two hospitalizations within several months.

2 Jul 2015

Majority of consumers recognize that supplements can help meet nutrient needs

The vast majority of consumers recognize that multivitamins, calcium and/or vitamin D supplements can help fill nutrient gaps but should not be viewed as replacements for a healthy diet, according to a new survey conducted on behalf of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).

2 Jul 2015

Study opens up new line of research into origin of digestive diseases

There are numerous studies related to the absorption of nutrients from the stomach since understanding what happens in our digestive system is crucial, for example, in order to be able to avoid in the future some of the diseases that affect part of the population to a lesser or greater extent.

29 Jun 2015

Researchers identify specific calcium channel that plays crucial role in healthy sleep

Sleep seems simple enough, a state of rest and restoration that almost every vertebrate creature must enter regularly in order to survive. But the brain responds differently to stimuli when asleep than when awake, and it is not clear what brain changes happen during sleep.

27 Jun 2015

Weight loss, combined with vitamin D supplements, reduces chronic inflammation

For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found that weight loss, in combination with vitamin D supplementation, has a greater effect on reducing chronic inflammation than weight loss alone. Chronic inflammation is known to contribute to the development and progression of several diseases, including some cancers.

26 Jun 2015

Weight loss along with vitamin D supplementation reduces chronic inflammation

25 Jun 2015

Sugar-gobbling enzyme helps restore normal function in heart muscles of diabetic rats

Working with heart muscle cells from diabetic rats, scientists at Johns Hopkins have located what they say is the epicenter of mischief wreaked by too much blood sugar and used a sugar-gobbling enzyme to restore normal function in the glucose-damaged cells of animal heart muscles.

25 Jun 2015

Overuse injuries more common in girls participating in high school sports

A new study performed by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center shows that when it comes to overuse injuries in high school sports, girls are at a much higher risk than boys.

24 Jun 2015

Johns Hopkins scientists use experimental therapy to reverse progression of atherosclerosis in rodents

In what may be a major leap forward in the quest for new treatments of the most common form of cardiovascular disease, scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have found a way to halt and reverse the progression of atherosclerosis in rodents by loading microscopic nanoparticles with a chemical that restores the animals’ ability to properly handle cholesterol.

24 Jun 2015

FASEB honors Max Planck Florida scientist with Glaxo Smith Kline Neuroscience Discovery Award

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology has honored Samuel M. Young, Jr. Ph.D., a Max Planck Research Group Leader at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, with the Glaxo Smith Kline Neuroscience Discovery Award.

23 Jun 2015

Purdue University researchers pinpoint gene that controls permeability, calcium content of soybean seed

Purdue University researchers have pinpointed the gene that controls whether soybean seed coats are hard or permeable, a finding that could be used to develop better varieties for southern and tropical regions, enrich the crop's genetic diversity and boost the nutritional value of soybeans.