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The Calcium Paradox: Four Questions, Many Answers
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Waistline
Many of you reading this article may have heard of the term “calcium paradox.” What you may not realize is that this title has been used over the years to describe four distinct phenomena related to health. Let’s dive into these paradoxes and explore what they reveal about calcium’s complex role in our bodies.
The most well-known calcium paradox highlights a once puzzling trend: countries with high dairy consumption, like the United States, Sweden, and Norway, also have some of the highest rates of osteoporosis. This paradox has sparked debates about whether dairy is truly the best source of calcium. Research suggests that relying solely on dairy may not be the optimal choice for bone health. Organic tofu, dark leafy greens, and other plant-based sources of calcium are excellent and potentially better sources. For more insights on bone health, check out this podcast episode “Bone Health and the Problem with Bone Density Scans (feat. Dr. John Neustadt).”
Let’s also explore the first use of this name. The term “calcium paradox” first emerged in the 1980s and 1990s in a vastly different context. Heart surgeons discovered a critical issue during transplants. During surgery, they need to keep fluid going through the heart muscle. Surgeons saw that if they used a fluid…
