Calcium Citrate Effective in Averting Bone Loss

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW STUDY FINDS CALCIUM CITRATE SUPPLEMENTATION EFFECTIVE IN AVERTING BONE LOSS AND STABILIZING BONE DENSITY IN EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

-- Parathyroid Suppression Leads to Inhibition of Bone Resorption --

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- A new study presented December 2 at the Second Joint Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and the International Bone and Mineral Society documents that calcium citrate supplementation (400 mg Citracal(r) twice/day) averts bone loss and stabilizes bone density in the spine, femoral neck and radial shaft in early postmenopausal women. These findings from The Effect of Calcium Citrate on Bone Density in the Early and Mid-Postmenopausal Period: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study were presented by co-author Khashayar Sakhaee, M.D., Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.

Dr. Sakhaee explains, "While the exact physiological mechanism of calcium citrate's inhibition of bone loss in this study is not clear, the superior bone-sparing action could be explained by differences in the bioavailability and dosage of calcium supplements used in previous studies. For instance, calcium citrate given on an empty stomach is better absorbed than calcium carbonate and has also been shown to suppress parathyroid function more effectively than calcium carbonate."

In the study, 63 healthy, postmenopausal women were separated into two groups -- 29 subjects were allocated to the calcium citrate group and 34 to the placebo group. Twelve subjects in the calcium citrate group and six in the placebo group withdrew before completing two years of the study.

Mission Pharmacal Company of San Antonio, TX supplied calcium citrate in the form of Citracal(r) at a dose of 400 mg of elemental calcium twice daily to subjects in the calcium citrate group. Those in the placebo group took tablets of identical appearance also prepared by Mission Pharmacal. Subjects' bone mass was evaluated at baseline and after one and two years of treatment. The data indicates:

Calcium citrate supplementation preserved bone mass in the spine, femoral neck and radial shaft in a group comprised mostly of early postmenopausal women during two years of the trial, as measured by the DEXA.

The difference in the bone mass between the two groups was significant after two years of calcium citrate treatment.

This bone-sparing action was probably due to the inhibition of the bone resorption from parathyroid suppression.

Osteoporosis affects an estimated 75 million people in the United States, Europe and Japan. New treatments including alendronate, calcitonin and raloxifene have been recently introduced for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis, often in conjunction with calcium supplementation.

This study documents the effectiveness of calcium citrate supplementation in averting bone loss and stabilizing bone density in the spine, femoral neck and radial shaft in early postmenopausal women.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For an opportunity to interview Dr. Sakhaee or one of the authors, please contact: Jerri Ann Yznaga (212) 527-8884 or Bill Glitz (703) 532-3797, wglitz@aol.com.

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