STOP Taking Calcium (do this instead) - Dr. G's Quick Health Tip | EP 371.B

Summary

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The Dr. Gundry Podcast | EP 371.B

Episode Title: STOP Taking Calcium (do this instead) - Dr. G's Quick Health Tip
Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Dr. Stephen Gundry

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Episode Overview

Dr. Stephen Gundry dives into the calcium conundrum, busting common myths about calcium supplements, dietary calcium, and bone health. He unpacks why calcium pills may be more harmful than helpful, explains the dangers of excessive dairy consumption, and offers practical, research-backed advice for truly protecting your bones and long-term health.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Calcium Myth: Supplements vs. Food Sources

• Calcium’s Role:
  • Yes, calcium is vital for bone structure—but there is no evidence that calcium supplements help ferry more calcium into bone.
    • “There is no evidence that a calcium supplement will actually have any benefit in making the calcium go to your bones.” (Dr. Gundry, 01:55)
• The Dangers of Calcium Supplements:
  • Supplements may actually be misdirected to blood vessels, increasing cardiovascular risk.
    • A 2020 analysis of 42 studies: Dietary calcium did not increase cardiovascular risk, but supplemental calcium did. (Dr. Gundry, 01:55)
  • Notable Quote:
    • “Don’t believe everything that you hear.” (Dr. Gundry, 02:41)
• Bone Fracture Research:
  • Meta-analysis of clinical trials: No evidence calcium supplementation lowers fracture risk in older adults.
    • “Calcium supplement did not lower your risk of fractures.” (Dr. Gundry, 02:43)

The Dairy-Bone Health Fallacy

• Milk Does Not Prevent Fractures:
  • Harvard study: 72,000 women, two decades—no proof milk prevents fractures or osteoporosis. (Dr. Gundry, 03:19)
  • Other large studies: More milk in teen boys correlated to higher fracture rates as adults.
  • Adolescent girls who consumed the most dairy were at greater risk for stress fractures.
    • “Exactly the opposite of what you would have thought.” (Dr. Gundry, 03:40)
• Dairy Problems:
  • US dairy often contains casein A1, a lectin-like molecule that can cause leaky gut.
  • Most people lose the ability to break down lactose after infancy; evolution doesn’t support lifelong dairy intake.
    • “The idea that we have to have it goes against our design, goes against our evolution.” (Dr. Gundry, 04:52)

Understanding Calcium Status in the Body

• Blood Tests Are Limited:
  • Calcium is tightly regulated in the blood; blood tests may not reflect true calcium stores.
    • “We will keep those electrolyte levels within a very narrow range…so looking at a serum calcium level…doesn’t really tell you how much calcium you have in your body.” (Dr. Gundry, 05:27)
• High Calcium Levels—What Really Causes Them:
  • Most high calcium in patients is due to benign parathyroid tumors (parathyroid adenoma) or supplement use.
    • Clinical Insight: Removing calcium supplements often normalizes levels if parathyroid hormone is normal.
    • “The first thing I do is ask them to stop taking their calcium supplement, and lo and behold…they come back to normal.” (Dr. Gundry, 07:04)

The Role of Vitamin D and K2

• Vitamin D Lowers Not Raises Calcium:
  • Low vitamin D → high parathyroid hormone → high calcium; supplementing with vitamin D lowers both.
    • “Vitamin D doesn’t raise calcium levels, it actually helps lower calcium levels by suppressing parathyroid hormone.” (Dr. Gundry, 08:54)
• Vitamin K2 & D3 Combo:
  • Vitamin K2 works with D3 to channel calcium into bones, away from arteries.
    • “There’s a fascinating study…showing that vitamin K2 supplementation in patients with coronary artery calcification, the coronary artery calcification went down by supplementing with vitamin K2.” (Dr. Gundry, 13:13)

Food Sources of Calcium

• Optimal Calcium-Rich Foods:
  • Green leafy vegetables: collard greens, spinach, turnip greens, bok choy, kale, broccoli.
  • Aged cheeses: parmesan, pecorino.
  • Fish (especially small fish with edible bones): anchovies, sardines (“…not boneless!”).
    • “If you’re really worried about calcium, get yourself some canned sardines or anchovies…” (Dr. Gundry, 10:01)
  • Populations with longevity (e.g., Acciarolis, Italy) eat small fish with bones daily.

Building & Maintaining Bone Health (Without Calcium Pills)

• Weight Training is Key:
  • Weight-bearing and high-impact exercise stimulates new bone formation.
    • “That’s one of the biggest stimuluses for you to strengthen your bones.” (Dr. Gundry, 10:36)
  • Research: Both kids (during growth) and adults (to prevent loss) benefit from lifting weights or strength training.
• Leaky Gut’s Role:
  • Gundry suggests osteopenia/osteoporosis are more often caused by leaky gut/endotoxemia than low dietary calcium.
    • “Most bone loss…is actually caused by leaky gut and by endotoxemia, not low dietary calcium.” (Dr. Gundry, 11:17)
• Vitamin C Is Essential:
  • Needed for bone and collagen formation; “some researchers believe…osteoporosis is scurvy of the bones.” (Dr. Gundry, 11:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 01:55 | Dr. Gundry | “There is no evidence that a calcium supplement will actually have any benefit in making the calcium go to your bones.” | | 03:40 | Dr. Gundry | “Exactly the opposite of what you would have thought.” (on higher fracture rates in teen milk drinkers) | | 04:52 | Dr. Gundry | “The idea that we have to have it goes against our design, goes against our evolution.” | | 07:04 | Dr. Gundry | “…lo and behold, the vast majority of them come back to normal when we check them again.” (after stopping calcium supplements) | | 08:54 | Dr. Gundry | “Vitamin D doesn’t raise calcium levels, it actually helps lower calcium levels by suppressing parathyroid hormone.” | | 10:01 | Dr. Gundry | “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.” | | 11:17 | Dr. Gundry | “Most bone loss…is actually caused by leaky gut and by endotoxemia, not low dietary calcium.” | | 11:39 | Dr. Gundry | “Vitamin C is essential for bone formation and collagen formation. In fact, some researchers believe that osteopenia and osteoporosis is scurvy of the bones.” | | 13:13 | Dr. Gundry | “That’s why with my patients who are on a very good dose of vitamin D3, I always supplement with a low dose of vitamin K2 as well.” | | 13:44 | Dr. Gundry | “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.” |

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Personal Story: Penny’s Bone Health Turnaround

• Dr. Gundry shares how his wife, Penny, a marathon runner who suffered from osteopenia, resolved her bone loss after switching from a standard runner’s diet (heavy in pasta, chips, and popcorn) to one focused on healing leaky gut.
  • “Imagine her shock when we changed her diet that her osteopenia completely resolved and has stayed resolved for over 30 years. 30 years just by changing her diet.” (Dr. Gundry, 14:26)
  • Key Insight: Her bone loss was caused by leaky gut, not calcium deficiency, and was reversed without supplements.

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Practical Takeaways

• Stop calcium supplements unless personally directed by your doctor.
• Focus on getting calcium from bioavailable food sources, especially leafy greens, aged cheeses, and small fish with bones.
• Emphasize weight-bearing and strength training activities for bone health.
• Address gut health to prevent bone loss (follow Plant Paradox/Gut Check principles).
• Supplement with vitamin D and K2 as needed, and ensure adequate vitamin C.

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Key Timestamps

• [01:55] Calcium myths & supplemental risks
• [02:43] Studies on milk and bone health, Harvard study
• [04:52] Evolutionary perspective on milk
• [07:04] High calcium causes—parathyroid adenoma & supplements
• [08:54] Vitamin D & parathyroid hormone regulation
• [10:01] Best food sources of calcium
• [10:36] Exercise for bone health
• [11:17] Leaky gut link to bone loss
• [11:39] Vitamin C and bone health
• [13:13] Vitamin K2 and coronary artery calcification
• [13:44] Dr. Gundry’s clinical recommendations
• [14:26] Penny’s story—diet heals bone loss

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This episode delivers actionable, myth-busting advice on bone health, encouraging listeners to rethink supplements and focus on holistic lifestyle changes—emphasizing food, movement, gut integrity, and select vitamins as the real keys for strong, healthy bones.

Transcript

[Dr. Stephen Gundry]

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Where Dr. Stephen Gundry shares his groundbreaking research from over 25 years of treating patients with diet and lifestyle changes alone. Dr. Gundry and other wellness experts offer inspiring stories, the latest scientific advancements and practical tips to empower you to take control of your health and live a long, happy life.

You need calcium for strong bones yes, calcium is part of the makeup of bone structure, but there is no evidence that a calcium supplement will actually have any benefit in making the calcium go to your bones. In fact, there's some evidence that calcium supplements will deposit calcium in your blood vessels where you definitely do not want it. In fact, a 2020 analys of 42 studies found that calcium from dietary sources did not raise cardiovascular disease risk, but supplemental calcium did. So don't believe everything that you hear.

Consider this study.

A meta analysis of randomized clinical trials showed that calcium supplementation was not associated with a low risk of fractures among community dwelling older adults. Let me say that again. Calcium supplement did not lower your risk of fractures. And don't get me started on those milk ads. The dairy and bone health link is also a huge myth. One large scale Harvard study followed 72,000 women for two decades and found no evidence that drinking milk can prevent bone fractures or osteoporosis Another study Of more than 96,000 people found that the more milk men consume as teenagers, the more bone fractures they experience as adults. Exactly the opposite of what you would have thought. Similarly, another study found that adolescent girls who consumed the most calcium, mostly in the form of dairy products, were at greater risk for stress fractures than those consuming less calcium. Plus, most dairy products here in the United States are loaded with casein, A1, a lectin like molecule that causes leaky gut. You're doing far more harm than good by taking these products. Let me remind you, most of us do not break down lactose, the sugar molecule, in milk following infancy. So the idea that we were designed to need calcium and milk throughout our childhood or in adulthood doesn't make sense from an evolution standpoint because most of us lose the ability to make lactase that breaks down the lactose in milk. So once you weaned off of breast milk, there's clearly no evidence that we were ever designed to need calcium from milk after that time. Now, what about the idea that children who don't get enough calcium will be growth stunted? Well, that's the point. Children do great without milk because we were designed to not need the calcium from milk following weaning from breast milk. So the idea that we have to have it goes against our design, goes against our evolution. We don't need milk. So how much calcium do you actually need? Now, it's difficult to actually assess calcium status in humans. As I've talked about before, electrolytes like potassium, like magnesium, like sodium, like chloride, like calcium, are maintained at a very tight level in our bloodstream. And we will keep those electrolyte levels within a very narrow range by taking those electrolytes out of the cell when we need them. So looking at a serum calcium level, which I do in all my patients, doesn't really tell you how much calcium you have in your body. What's important is that if you have a high calcium level, that's indicative of a problem. Now, interestingly enough, most of the patients I see with a high calcium level are patients who have a benign tumor in a parathyroid gland in their neck that produces a hormone called parathyroid hormone, which literally regulates calcium in our blood. And parathyroid hormone will pull calcium out of bones to support blood levels of calcium. If your parathyroid hormone is high, you'll often have a high calcium level. And it's often a tip off for me and other doctors to look for a parathyroid adenoma. I used to take out a lot of parathyroid adenomas when I was a chest and heart surgeon. That's one of the biggest causes of high calcium. The second biggest cause that I see in my patients is supplementing with a calcium supplement. And remarkably, when I see patients with a high calcium level with a normal parathyroid level, the first thing I do is ask them to stop taking their calcium supplement and lo and behold, the vast majority of them come back to normal when we check them again.

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Lastly, interestingly enough, if you have a low vitamin D level, you often will have an elevated parathyroid hormone and an elevated calcium by increasing vitamin D levels by supplementing vitamin D. Remarkably, I see many of my patients once their vitamin D is high, their calcium levels come down because their parathyroid hormone level comes down. And I see this literally every week. So vitamin D doesn't raise calcium levels, it actually helps lower calcium levels by suppressing parathyroid hormone. Now, unless your doctor tells you otherwise, you don't need to go crazy about getting your calcium. There's plenty of bioavailable calcium in food alone. It's readily available from dark leafy greens, collard greens, spinach, turnip greens, bok choy, kale, broccoli. It's also really available in aged cheeses like parmesan cheese for instance, like aged pecorino cheese. So plenty of calcium. It's available in fish. Now. Interestingly, one of the people with the longest life expectancy in the world, the Acciarolis in southern Italy, are small fish eaters. They daily eat anchovy and sardines. They're actually eating the calcium in the little bones of these fish. So 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. Now, if you really want to support bone health, there's a lot of other things you can do and they have nothing to do with calcium. For first of all, weight training, weight bearing or high impact exercise helps promote new bone formation. That's because your muscles are anchored to bones and literally, as they pull on your bones, that's one of the biggest stimuluses for you to strengthen your bones. Now, studies in children found that it increases the amount of bone created during the years of peak bone growth. And studies in older adults show that weight training, strength training literally helps prevent bone loss in older adults. You can also do increased strength training to increase your muscle mass, which in turn will protect against bone loss by pulling on your bones. Now, if you've read Gut Check, you may have been shocked to learn that most bone loss, most osteopenia and osteoporosis, is actually caused by leaky gut and by endotoxemia, not low dietary calcium. Secondly, get yourself on a vitamin C supplement, preferably a timed release vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for bone formation and collagen formation. In fact, some researchers believe that osteopenia and osteoporosis is scurvy of the bones. And scurvy, of course, is the hallmark of low vitamin C. Finally, vitamin D and K2. People with low vitamin D levels have low bone density and are more at risk for bone loss than people who get enough. Now, interestingly, vitamin K2 supports bone health by vitamin D's action of taking calcium and putting it into the bone matrix. In fact, there's a fascinating study in humans showing that vitamin K2 supplementation in patients with coronary artery calcification. The coronary artery calcification went down by supplementing with vitamin K2. So that's why with my patients who are on a very good dose of vitamin D3, I always supplement with a low dose of vitamin K2 as well. 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. Just follow the rules of the plant paradox or gut check and watch what happens to your bones. I'll finally give you a story of my own wife, Penny. Penny, as many of you know, was a great marathon runner. She competed and finished in the hundredth running of the Boston Marathon, qualified for it. She suffered from osteopenia. A marathon runner now, she ate a typical marathon runner's diet of pasta and chips and popcorn and she even wore weighted vests to stop her osteopenia. Imagine her shock when we changed her diet that her osteopenia completely resolved and has stayed resolved for over 30 years. 30 years just by changing her diet. Her bone loss was from leaky gut. And once we fixed her leaky gut, lo and behold, miraculously, without calcium supplements, without wearing weighted vests, her osteopenia resolved and stayed resolved.

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