The Dr. Gundry Podcast: "Are Calcium Supplements a Scam?" | EP 357

Date: June 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this myth-busting episode, Dr. Steven Gundry dives deep into commonly held beliefs about calcium supplements, dairy for bone health, and natural ways to support your bones. He also sheds light on the realities of liver health (and detoxes), debunks allergy remedies, and answers real-world health questions from listeners. The discussion is frank, research-backed, and delivered in Dr. Gundry's direct, no-nonsense style.

Main Topics & Key Insights

1. The Calcium Supplement Myth ([01:57]–[14:01])

The Problem

• Calcium is widely promoted for bone health, but the science doesn’t support supplement use.
• Dietary sources of calcium don’t carry the same risks as supplements.

Core Insights

• "There is no evidence that a calcium supplement will actually have any benefit in making the calcium go to your bones."
  — Dr. Gundry [01:57]
• Studies show calcium from supplements may increase cardiovascular risk, unlike calcium from food.
  • 2020 analysis: Calcium from diet ≠ increased cardiovascular risk, but supplemented calcium did.
• "Calcium supplement did not lower your risk of fractures."
  — Dr. Gundry summarizing a meta-analysis [03:09]
• Dairy products and bone health linkage is a myth:
  • Large Harvard study of 72,000 women: No evidence milk prevents fractures or osteoporosis.
  • Higher milk intake in teens linked to more fractures as adults.
  • Dairy in the U.S. contains casein A1, which is a "lectin-like molecule that causes leaky gut."

Evolutionary & Practical Perspective

• Most humans lose the ability to digest lactose (milk sugar) after infancy.
• "We were designed to not need the calcium from milk following weaning from breast milk."
  — Dr. Gundry [05:14]

Calcium from Food vs. Supplements

• Serum calcium level doesn't reflect total body calcium but can indicate problems if high.
• Causes of high blood calcium:
  1. Parathyroid adenoma (benign tumor)
  2. Calcium supplements
• "When I see patients with a high calcium level...the first thing I do is ask them to stop taking their calcium supplement. And...the vast majority of them come back to normal."
  — Dr. Gundry [07:31]

Vitamin D’s Role

• Low vitamin D increases parathyroid hormone, raising serum calcium.
• Supplementing with Vitamin D lowers calcium by reducing parathyroid hormone.

Where to Get Calcium

• Plenty of dietary sources: Dark leafy greens, aged cheeses (e.g., Parmesan, Pecorino), sardines, anchovies with bones.
• "If you're really worried about calcium, get yourself some canned sardines or anchovies. But make sure they're the ones that are not boneless."
  — Dr. Gundry [09:15]

2. What Really Builds Bone Strength ([09:47]–[14:01])

Movement & Gut Health

• Weight training, weight-bearing and high-impact exercise stimulate bone formation.
• Muscle pulls on bone = stronger bones (applies to both children and older adults).
• Most bone loss is caused by leaky gut and endotoxemia, not low dietary calcium.

Critical Nutrients for Bone Health

• Vitamin C: Essential for collagen and bone.
  "Some researchers believe that osteopenia and osteoporosis is scurvy of the bones." [12:02]
• Vitamin D & K2:
  • K2 directs calcium into bones (not arteries).
  • Dr. Gundry recommends D3 and K2 together.

Key Quote

• "Please, please, please ditch the calcium supplements. If you really want to improve your bone health, do strength training. Get the wall of your gut intact. No more leaky gut."
  — Dr. Gundry [13:10]

Real-Life Example

• Dr. Gundry’s wife resolved osteopenia by fixing her leaky gut and changing her diet, not by supplementation.
  • "Her bone loss was from leaky gut. And once we fixed her leaky gut, lo and behold...her osteopenia resolved." [13:50]

3. Liver Health & Detox Myths ([14:01]–[26:56])

The Liver’s Real Role

• The liver is the body's checkpoint for all nutrients and toxins from the gut.
• "Detox diets" often do the opposite of helping the liver, especially fruit-based cleanses (high in fructose, a mitochondrial and kidney toxin).

Supplements & Liver Damage

• CDC warned against excess green tea extract, turmeric, and borage oil for liver, but Dr. Gundry has rarely seen issues himself compared to high-fructose damage.
• Alcohol binge drinking damages the liver primarily by destroying gut barrier ("leaky gut"), letting bacteria into the liver.
• Type of alcohol matters: daily moderate wine consumption improves gut microbiome diversity, compared to gin.

Tylenol (Acetaminophen) Warning

• Overuse is dangerous for the liver.
• Tylenol toxicity is reversed with NAC (N-acetylcysteine).
• "If you are a Tylenol user, you really should consider taking one or two doses of NAC, about 500 milligrams each time."
  — Dr. Gundry [23:31]

Colloidal Silver

• Topical use is OK, but ingestion is dangerous and can cause irreversible side effects (e.g., blue skin).
• Silver is antibacterial but also kills normal cell growth.

Real Liver Support

• Best way to support the liver: Increase detoxification enzymes with polyphenols (milk thistle, artichoke extract, D-limonene).
• These work by altering the gut microbiome, helping the liver indirectly.
• Prevent lipopolysaccharides (LPS) crossing from gut to liver:
  • Fish oil, perilla oil, flaxseed oil help block LPS entry.
  • Dandelion greens and intermittent fasting support natural repair.

Memorable Quotes

• "Prevent these guys [LPS] from getting through the wall of the gut. Fish oil is incredibly useful to prevent LPSs from getting through."
  — Dr. Gundry [29:11]
• "The more you rest your gut by intermittent fasting...the more downtime your gut has to repair the damage to the wall of the gut."
  — Dr. Gundry [32:41]

4. Seasonal Allergies: Causes & Natural Remedies ([35:23]–[46:38])

What's Changed?

• Pollen seasons are longer and more intense (climate change).
• The root cause of rising allergies: hyperactivated immune systems, largely due to leaky gut and dysbiosis, not just more exposure.

Effective Remedies

Dr. Gundry reviews and rates popular natural remedies:

• Saline nasal irrigation (neti pot): Proven for allergic rhinitis. [38:25]
• HEPA air filters: Highly recommended.
• Butterbur: "Equally effective for itchy eyes as a commonly used oral antihistamine." [39:44]
• Bromelain: Enzyme in pineapple/papaya; may reduce swelling and improve breathing.
• Acupuncture & Probiotics: Both supported by research for allergic rhinitis.
  • "Probiotics...will help change your gut microbiome to make more gut buddies and less of the bad guys." [40:44]
• Honey: Anecdotal support for local honey, but “go easy” because it’s sugar.
• Spirulina, stinging nettle, quercetin, rosmarinic acid: All have some research backing anti-allergic effects.
• Timed release Vitamin C: Needed due to rapid excretion.
• Essential oils: Peppermint, eucalyptus, frankincense – possible anti-inflammatory/allergen support.
• Perilla oil, okra, sea buckthorn, yarrow: Herbs and plant-based nutrients with some anti-allergy or anti-inflammatory evidence.

Root Cause Approach

• Healing the gut (as per Dr. Gundry’s books) can resolve long-standing allergies.
  • "I retrained my immune system and all you got to do is follow the yes and no lists in any of my books...and watch what happens." [37:59]

5. Listener Q&A ([46:38]–[49:52])

Q1: Are all calcium supplements bad, or just cheap ones? ([46:38])

• "You really don't want to blast your body with a load of calcium because you're really not going to distribute it properly...many calcium supplements will actually be taken into the blood vessel wall rather than the bone." — Dr. Gundry

Q2: What about “bone drugs” for high T-score osteoporosis?

• Dr. Gundry does not prescribe them due to firsthand observation of serious side effects and reiterates bone loss is mostly due to leaky gut.

Q3: Elevated phosphate levels and calcium supplement suggestion

• In the absence of chronic kidney failure, an isolated elevated phosphate isn’t significant; Dr. Gundry does not recommend calcium supplementation for this.

Notable Quotes

• "There is no evidence that a calcium supplement will actually have any benefit in making the calcium go to your bones." [01:57]
• "Calcium supplement did not lower your risk of fractures." [03:09]
• "Most bone loss, most osteopenia and osteoporosis, is actually caused by leaky gut and by endotoxemia, not low dietary calcium." [11:06]
• "If you're really worried about calcium, get yourself some canned sardines or anchovies. But make sure they're the ones that are not boneless." [09:15]
• "Please, please, please ditch the calcium supplements. If you really want to improve your bone health, do strength training. Get the wall of your gut intact." [13:10]
• "The real way to protect your liver and detoxify your liver is to prevent these bacterial particles called lipopolysaccharides or LPSs [from] getting through the wall of the gut." [29:08]
• "You could bathe your liver in alcohol all day and you won't develop cirrhosis. However, you can easily damage your liver by the drinking the effects of alcohol rapidly." [19:38]
• "I retrained my immune system and all you got to do is follow the yes and no lists in any of my books...and watch what happens." [37:59]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Calcium & Bone Health Myths: [01:57] – [14:01]
• Real Bone Support (exercise, gut, vitamins): [09:47] – [14:01]
• Liver Health & Detoxes Debunked: [14:01] – [26:56]
• Supplements to Avoid & Use for Liver: [26:56] – [32:41]
• Seasonal Allergies (roots, tips, remedies): [35:23] – [46:38]
• Listener Q&A: [46:38] – [49:52]

Tone & Language

Dr. Gundry is candid, myth-busting, and practical:

• Directly challenges mainstream health advice ("Don’t believe everything that you hear").
• Emphasizes evolution, real-world patient data, and recent research.
• Urges listeners to trust diet, exercise, gut health, and proven habits over fads and supplements.

Summary

This episode delivers a throrough critique of the calcium supplement and dairy-for-bones industry, supplies actionable advice for sustainable bone, liver, and immune health, and answers pressing listener questions. Dr. Gundry’s main takeaways: Ditch the calcium pills, fix your gut, move your body, eat nutrient-rich real food, and be wary of wellness trends that aren’t backed by solid science.