Calcium Orotate — not only a bone-saver but a formula for inflammatory conditions, too
Calcium is an essential mineral used by the body to make
structural material for bones and teeth, and to assist in communications
within and between cells. Orotate is a raw material that the
body uses to make DNA.
The optimum dietary calcium intake for humans ranges from about 400 to 1500 mg/day depending upon age — an amount that most
people fail to get.
The consequences of calcium deficiency can be tragic:
Muscle cramps, pain, and convulsions
Bone weakness, osteoporosis, and deformity
Sexual dysfunctions
High blood pressure
Skin, hair, and nail disturbances
Listlessness and fatigue.
Calcium supplements are universally recognized as
preventatives for bone loss and osteoporosis. Calcium orotate has, in
addition,
several other applications:
Inflammatory conditions, such as psoriasis, lupus, arthritis, spondylitis, encephalitis, retinitis, phlebitis, colitis;
viral infections, such as hepatitis;
cardiovascular conditions, such as angina and hypertension;
neurological problems, such as chronic overeating and glum moods.
Read Calcium Orotate Monograph
Calcium orotate is a mineral salt that is normally found in small
amounts in all living things. Each molecule of calcium orotate consists
of two molecules of orotic acid in which a single calcium atom replaces
a pair of hydrogen atoms (one from each orotic acid molecule).
Orotate (orotic acid) is a biochemical substance made by all cells. It is a necessary raw material for making the genetic
substances RNA and DNA.4
Calcium
is an essential mineral used by the body to make structural material
for bones and teeth, and to assist in communications within and between
cells.1 The optimum dietary calcium intake for humans ranges from about 400 to 1500 mg/day depending upon age.1,2,3
What we can’t tell you
In
the U.S. and some other industrialized countries, government agencies
like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have adopted censorship as a
method for intensifying their control over supplement users and their
suppliers. Thus, FDA regulations prohibit us from telling you that any
of our products are effective as medical treatments, even if they are, in fact, effective.
Accordingly, we will limit our discussion of calcium orotate to a brief summary of relevant research, and let you draw your
own conclusions about what medical conditions it may be effective in treating.
Calcium orotate was introduced as a supplement by Dr. Hans Nieper, the innovative German physician,5 who used it to treat or prevent the following conditions:6,7
bone loss and pain due to inflammation or osteoporosis
psoriasis
lupus erythematosus
arthritis and spondylitis
high blood pressure
angina pectoris
multiple sclerosis
encephalitis
retinitis
phlebitis
hepatitis, and
colitis.
Nieper considered orotates to be superior to carbonates, chlorides, sulfates, and other anions as bioavailability enhancers
for minerals like calcium.7
Nieper
was a controversial figure whose treatments were denounced by many in
the medical profession and were targeted by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration — despite the fact that these critics had done
essentially no investigation of these treatments, and despite the fact
that countless thousands of Nieper’s patients and followers found the
treatments to be superbly effective.5 Nieper died in 1998, but his influence lives on.
Other
researchers have also studied some of the medical applications of
calcium ororate. Let’s look briefly at these applications.
Bone strength and osteoporosis
Calcium supplements are universally recognized as preventatives for bone loss and osteoporosis.8
While other calcium salts, such as calcium citrate, can effectively
inhibit bone loss, Hans Nieper’s studies concluded that calcium orotate
supplies the bones with more usable calcium per amount of supplement
consumed, and also benefits the user in other ways — such as
controlling appetite and suppressing inflammatory conditions.9
The element boron has been shown to be important for preventing calcium loss from bones.13 But dietary boron intakes vary widely among different individuals,15 and average around 2 mg/day14 — whereas 3 to 10 mg/day seems to be indicated for maintaining bones and joints.16 Calcium supplements should therefore include boron to improve the calcium’s bioavailability.
Weight loss
In
one of Nieper’s research papers he mentioned having noticed that
calcium orotate usage suppresses the appetite of chronic overeaters.
Nieper’s observation was explored by science writer Ed Sharpe who found
that this supplement, at 745 mg once or twice a day, is an excellent
regulator of appetite. “Over a period of months I lost over 25 pounds
without dieting in any way. During this time I ate all the food I
wanted without counting calories.”9
Cognitive enhancement
Anecdotal reports, such as those of Ed Sharpe, suggest that calcium orotate has mood-elevating, cognitive-enhancing effects
which begin about half an hour after taking the supplement and last several hours.9
Inflammatory diseases
Many
of the ailments which Hans Nieper treated with calcium orotate are
inflammatory in nature. These include psoriasis, lupus, arthritis,
spondylitis, various cardiovascular ailments, encephalitis, retinitis,
phlebitis, colitis, and multiple sclerosis. This suggests that calcium
orotate may be acting as an anti-inflammatory agent and could be
helpful for other inflammatory conditions, such as IBS, bursitis,
chronic runny nose, diverticulitis, gastritis, laryngitis, otitis,
mastitis, pancreatitis, pinkeye, sinusitis, shin splints, tendonitis,
vaginitis, and many others. No studies have been done to test this
concept but one piece of indirect supporting evidence is the fact that
calcium supplements are a proven preventative for colorectal cancer, a
well-studied disease in which inflammation plays an important role.10
Conclusion
Are calcium orotate supplements useful for the conditions and purposes mentioned above? We aren’t allowed to tell you, so
you should take a look at some of the references cited here, and then decide for yourself.
