Calcium Chew Limits Osteoporosis Marker

OMAHA, Neb.Calcium carbonate delivered in chew form may have an advantage over other forms of the vitamin, at least in inhibiting a key serum marker of osteoporosis, according to a recent research report published Jan. 8 online ahead of print in the Journal of Bone Mineral Metabolism. Researchers from the Osteoporosis  Research Center at Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, tested different calcium sources (calcium carbonate chew, milk mineral chew, milk drink and placebo chew) using either serum measurement of cathepsin K, which is a indicator of osteoporosis, or direct mass spectrometry (dMS) profiling, which they said is promising for plasma  biomarker discovery.

The dMS tests showed characteristic ion peaks after different calcium supplement interventions, with ion peak 4281.0 m/z commonly inhibited by all treatments tested. Other differential peaks included 1786.5 m/z, which upregulated only after calcium chew treatment, 3504.7 m/z, which was upregulated after milk drink, and 3359.6 m/z, which was downregulated after milk mineral chew. Cathepsin K was only inhibited by calcium carbonate chew treatment.