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.

Walgreens, Walmart partner with Coventry to offer First Health Value Plus in the U.S.

Coventry Health Care, Inc. announced today that it has joined in partnership for 2012 with the nation's largest and best known names in retail and pharmacy—Walgreens, Walmart, and Target—to offer a novel Medicare prescription drug plan known as First Health Value Plus.

1 Oct 2011

Researchers examine link between innate exercise capacity and survivability

Aerobic exercise capacity has proven to be a good indicator of health. A recent paper in Circulation Research whose authors include researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's KG Jebsen Center of Exercise in Medicine uses a rat model to show that innate exercise capacity can be linked to longevity.

1 Oct 2011

Bone and joint health supplements market to be worth over $9 billion by 2017

A globally ageing population, changing consumer lifestyles and a focus on preventative medicine is driving growth in the bone and joint health supplements market, which is forecast to be worth over $9 billion by 2017.

29 Sep 2011

$Women ages 65-69 with hip fracture more likely to die within a year$

Women ages 65-69 with hip fracture more likely to die within a year

Women ages 65-69 who break a hip are five times more likely to die within a year than women of the same age who don't break a hip, according to a Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published online today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

27 Sep 2011

Ibandronate controls pain in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases

Many prostate cancer patients develop bone metastases, and controlling the pain these cause can be difficult. Now the first large randomised Phase III trial of a bisphosphonate drug in these patients has shown that a single dose of the drug is as good for pain relief as single dose radiotherapy, the standard treatment for bone metastases. Results of the trial were presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress.

26 Sep 2011

Gold nanowires in engineered cardiac patches could help heart attack patients

A team of physicians, engineers and materials scientists at Children's Hospital Boston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have used nanotechnology and tiny gold wires to engineer cardiac patches, with cells all beating in time, that could someday help heart attack patients.

26 Sep 2011

First Radium-223 Chloride Phase III study in prostate cancer

Until recently, options for patients with bone metastases from advanced prostate cancer have been very limited. But now the first Phase III study of an alpha-pharmaceutical in these patients has shown that it can prolong survival significantly, according to research reported today (Saturday) at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress.

26 Sep 2011

Data from Amgen's XGEVA and Vectibix studies to be presented at EMCC 2011

Amgen announced today that data from XGEVA (denosumab) and Vectibix (panitumumab) studies will be presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress, Sept. 23 - 27, 2011, in Stockholm, Sweden.

23 Sep 2011

Levosimendan may effectively improve muscle function in patients with respiratory failure

Treatment with the calcium-sensitizing drug levosimendan may be effective in improving muscle function in patients with respiratory muscle weakness, which often accompanies chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure, according to researchers in the Netherlands, who studied the effects of the drug on healthy volunteers.

23 Sep 2011

Tips to fall-proof living environments for older adults

In observance of Falls Prevention Awareness Day Sept. 23, UnitedHealthcare is urging people to know the risks associated with falling and is encouraging older Americans to take simple yet essential steps to reduce fall injuries.

22 Sep 2011

Simple checklist to help the whole family excel in nutritional basics

It's September, and that means new clothes, backpacks, school supplies, and agendas — all tools required to keep your children, whether in elementary, high school or post-secondary levels, on a well-stocked, educational journey to success. But beyond equipping your children with the external fundamentals to good grades, are you also providing them with the best nutrients necessary for optimal learning, focus, concentration, energy and overall well-being? And as parents juggling hectic schedules, do you also pass the grade?

20 Sep 2011

Amgen's Prolia receives FDA approval for new indications to treat cancer patients

Amgen today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two new indications for Prolia® (denosumab) as a treatment to increase bone mass in women at high risk for fracture receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy for breast cancer and as a treatment to increase bone mass in men at high risk for fracture receiving androgen deprivation therapy for non-metastatic prostate cancer.

19 Sep 2011

NPS announces data about hypoparathyroidism to be presented at ASBMR 2011 meeting

NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for rare gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders, announced that data about hypoparathyroidism will be presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) in San Diego, CA, September 16-20, 2011.

19 Sep 2011

Landmark international study confirms common genetic contribution to mental illness

An international research consortium has confirmed that common genetic variants contribute to a person’s risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The largest study of its kind provides new molecular evidence that 11 regions have strong association with these diseases, including six regions not previously observed. The researchers also found that many of these DNA variations contribute to both diseases. The findings, reported by the Psychiatric Genome-Wide Association Study Consortium (PGC) and published online in two papers in the journal Nature Genetics, represent significant advances in the understanding the causes of these severe and often debilitating disorders.

18 Sep 2011

Good absorption of calcium linked to prostate cancer

A study by epidemiologists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues suggests that a high intake of calcium causes prostate cancer among African-American men who are genetically good absorbers of the mineral.

17 Sep 2011

OXTR gene associated with optimism, self-esteem and mastery

UCLA life scientists have identified for the first time a particlular gene's link to optimism, self-esteem and "mastery," the belief that one has control over one's own life - three critical psychological resources for coping well with stress and depression.

15 Sep 2011

Teen milk drinkers less likely to suffer from Type 2 diabetes

Developing healthy habits like drinking milk as a teen could have a long-term effect on a woman's risk for type 2 diabetes, according to new research in this month's issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

14 Sep 2011

UB transgenic mouse model of Timothy Syndrome improves understanding of autism

The first transgenic mouse model of a rare and severe type of autism called Timothy Syndrome is improving the scientific understanding of autism spectrum disorder in general and may help researchers design more targeted interventions and treatments.

12 Sep 2011

Au. sediba demonstrates unique combination of features, never before seen in early human ancestors

A series of five papers based on new evidence pertaining to various aspects of the anatomy of the species Australopithecus sediba will appear in the prestigious journal Science.

9 Sep 2011

'Chaperone' protein may play a critical role in pathogenesis of heart failure

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a new drug target that may treat and/or prevent heart failure. The team evaluated failing human and pig hearts and discovered that SUMO1, a so-called "chaperone" protein that regulates the activity of key transporter genes, was decreased in failing hearts.

8 Sep 2011