Advacal Research

Dr. Fujita's Advacal research results Perhaps it would helpful to allow Dr. Fujita to speak about AAA Ca (Advacal) himself. Here are some abstracts from his studies.

The first Advacal research study outlines the reasons why these studies have been so important:

1. Osteoporosis International . 1997;7 Suppl 3:S6-9.

   "Osteoporosis is an old and continuing problem which has been a challenge to medical research and care throughout the history of mankind. After the break-through with estrogen, many new agents as well as nutritional and physical interventions were found to be effective in preventing and controlling osteoporosis.

   Calcium represents one of the keys to all these methods, especially with the appearance of new highly biologically available forms influencing cell calcium metabolism. It appears to be important to focus our attention not only on the physical properties and strength of bone but also on its calcium storage function. By controlling osteoporosis and restoring the proper calcium storage function of the bone, many diseases of old age which are due to or exacerbated by calcium deficiency and disturbed calcium distribution in the body, such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis and senile dementia, may also be successfully controlled."

2. The second Advacal research study outlines some of the differences between the situation in Japan and the United States and Europe.

   These differences explain in some of the reasons why T. Fujita and his colleagues have spent so much time studying forms of calcium, while researchers elsewhere have concentrated on the effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy and pharmaceutical drugs:

   "In Japan, unlike in the United States and Europe, where osteoporosis is synonymous with postmenopausal osteoporosis, the need for treatment of osteoporosis has been emphasized only for elderly women with established disease. This may be because women in the immediate postmenopausal period in Japan are virtually free of symptoms such as lumbago and signs such as spinal compression fracture. Osteoporosis typically does not manifest itself until about age 65; therefore, postmenopausal osteoporosis with vertebral fracture below the age of 60 is quite rare in Japan.

   Unique features of treatment for osteoporosis in Japan include rare use of estrogen replacement therapy, common use of vitamin D derivatives (especially 1alpha(OH) vitamin D) without notable side effects, and use of calcitonin almost exclusively in a low-dose intermittent regimen (20 U/week). Similarly, the use of ipriflavone is common, and calcium supplementation, especially with an active absorbable algae calcium with high bioavailability (AAACa), is effective and popular.

   The emphasis on the use of calcium, vitamin D, and calcitonin in the treatment of osteoporosis may be explained by an extremely low dietary calcium intake in Japan. Other factors that favor reliance on the calcium-focused approach and avoidance of estrogen include a fatalistic and naturalistic view toward menopause; an uneasiness with hormone replacement therapy; an older female population who seek osteoporosis treatment because of uneventful immediate postmenopausal periods; and the efficient absorption of calcium from the intestine with favorable response to exogenous vitamin D due to a long-standing calcium deficiency and possibly a low incidence of vitamin D-receptor abnormalities."

3. It used to be somewhat of a truism that the older you are, the more difficult it is to increase bone density. But Fujita's Advacal research studies have challenged that assumption.

   If these Advacal research studies convince you to try this calcium supplement, you can order Advacal Ultra with Magnesium, Vitamin D etc. direct from the company that makes this product, Lane Labs. Here is a link to their web site at Compassion Net. Advacal and other products by Lane Labs

   You can also purchase the product at Vitacost discount supplements

   Another Advacal research study was done on hospitalized 80 year olds (Since they are hopsitalized they are certainly not doing 'bone density exercises"!). I know the abstract is long but it worth taking the time to really read it since the results are important for us to understand.

   Calcif Tissue Int. 1996 Apr;58(4):226-30by Fujita T, Ohue T, Fujii Y, Miyauchi A, Takagi Y. Calcium Research Institute, Osaka, Japan.

   "A randomized, prospective, double-blind test was carried out to compare the effects of heated oyster shell-seaweed calcium (AAA Ca), calcium carbonate, and placebo in 58 elderly, hospitalized women with the mean age of 80 divided into three groups.

   Group A received 900 mg/day Ca as AAA Ca, Group B 900 mg/day Ca as CaCO3, and Group C placebo besides regular hospital diet containing approximately 600 mg Ca/day for 24 months. From the 25th to the 30th month, all groups were given AAA Ca.

   Lumbar spine and radial bone mineral density (BMD) were measured at 3-month intervals. Urinary Ca/Cr and serum alkaline phosphatase, intact and midportion serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), and calcitonin were also measured at intervals.

   From the 6th to the 24th month of the study, the ratio of lumbar spine BMD (L2-L4 by DPX, Lunar) to the basal pretest value was consistently and significantly higher in Group A than Group C but not higher in Group B than in Group C. PTH, measured 12 months after the beginning of the study, was lower in Group A than in Group C, but no significant difference was found between Groups B and C.

   At 3 months after the placebo was switched to AAA Ca in Group C, serum PTH was significantly decreased from the level during placebo supplement. Morning urine Ca/Cr decreased in Groups A after 18 months and in B after 12 months, but not in C. Serum alkaline phosphatase decreased in Group A significantly compared with Group C, but not in Group B. AAA Ca appears to be effective for increasing BMD in elderly subjects."

(Note the carefulness of the concluding sentence! Nothing like hyped up advertisers in these research studies.)

SOURCES: All this information came from Pub Med an on-line database of scientific studies.

A bit of advice about taking calcium supplementsRemember that you should always take your calcium supplements with food.

It is most effective to divide your daily dose of Advacal and take some of your calcium before bedtime (unless you are also taking Strontium. If that is the case, then your Strontium WITHOUT calcium should be taken at bedtime. It counters the night time activity of your para thyroid hormone. So, if you are using Advacal, take one dose in the morning and the other at night. You will find Advacal in both the regular and Ultra form at Lane Labs: Compassion Net.

Read more about Advacal research studies