Prenatal & Nursing Moms; Balancing Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D & Vitamin K2 for Bone Health

By Bella Bellies Owner, Anne Martens

Goal of the Day;

Find a Vitamin / Supplement with Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D & Vitamin K2

First and foremost, if you take a supplement for better bone health, it’s important to maintain the proper balance between calcium, vitamin D,  magnesium and vitamin k2. Lack of balance between these nutrients is why calcium supplements have become associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Also, it is important to have the balance, to help prevent indigestion and constipation. Dr. Oz advises: "Calcium without one-third the amount of magnesium leads to constipation, so choose your combo carefully." During pregnancy and postpartum the body has a shift in hormones which softens our smooth muscles tissue. The good? -this helps prevent preterm labor / early contractions. The bad? -this makes a pregnant and postpartum woman more prone to sluggish digestion and thus constipation. Make sure you have you have the proper balance of nutrients to prevent this.

Balance is what I like to stress here. Every individual is different. Your best resource is your care provider. Speak with him / her about the best daily supplement.

In the meantime, here is what Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen recommend in their book You: Having a Baby

• Calcium; 600 mg three times a day when pregnant; twice a day prior to pregnancy
• Magnesium; 200 mg three times a day; twice a day prior to pregnancy
• Vitamin D 600 IU twice a day
• Vitamin K2 (?)

As for Vitamin K2, Dr. Rheaume-Bleu writes:
" The optimal amounts of vitamin K2 are still under investigation, but it seems likely that 180 to 200 micrograms of vitamin K2 should be enough to activate your body's K2-dependent proteins to shuttle the calcium where it needs to be, and remove it from the places where it shouldn't. "

Here are a few other important points to consider:

Why Vitamin K2?

• If you take oral vitamin D, you also need to take vitamin K2, this will help prevent toxity of vitamin D in your bloodstream. Third trimester and the immediate postpartum period are particularly taxing on the body -this is when K2 levels drop the most.
• Helps "shuttle" calcium throughout the body and into the bones and teeth
• Want more information? Check out -Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue; Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life. -Personally, I read it -pretty compelling and concerning. Dr. Rheaume-Bleue estimates 80% of the general population is Vitamin K2 deficient
• May help to prevent nausea during the first trimester

Why Vitamin D?

• Help Mom's muscles function properly; helping to reduce the chance of those pesky leg cramps!
• Help Baby's muscles function properly!
• Proper intake of the above minerals / vitamins will help reduce the chance of prenatal depression, postpartum depression and depression in general, including vitamin D

Why Calcium?

• Long term proper intake will help reduce osteoporosis in both mom and baby
• Provide the uterus with enough minerals to produce Corin, which will help regulate blood pressure and reduce the chance of preeclampsia, Calcium and Vitamin D are needed to produce corin. A deficiency of corin may contribute to higher blood pressure and difficulty absorbing proteins. Here is an excellent article: http://www.lerner.ccf.org/news/notations/16/4/1.php
• In utero, your little one accrues roughly, 30 grams of calcium in bone mass

Why Magnesium?

• May help prevent preterm labor; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7603732
• May help to prevent nausea; especially during the first trimester
• Helps the muscles function properly in both mom and baby
• Helps prevent leg / toe cramps
• Check out Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., author of The Magnesium Miracle. -Personally, I read it, and realized my kiddos vitamins are lacking this critical nutrient, thus switching.