In this myth-busting episode of the ThriveHer Podcast, Rochelle Waite challenges the conventional advice on bone health, particularly for women in perimenopause and menopause. While calcium and vitamin D3 are commonly prescribed to protect bones, Rochelle reveals why these alone may be incomplete—and potentially harmful. She explains the critical roles of vitamin K2 and magnesium in directing calcium to the bones and preventing it from calcifying in the arteries.

Listeners will gain insights into the full picture of bone health and learn how to ask the right questions to advocate for comprehensive care that supports both bone and heart health.

Key Takeaways:

1. Calcium and D3 Alone Aren’t Enough: Without vitamin K2, calcium can contribute to arterial calcification, increasing cardiovascular risks. K2 ensures calcium goes to bones, not arteries.
2. The Role of Magnesium: Magnesium is essential for balancing calcium. Without it, calcium can’t be used effectively and may cause muscle cramps, fatigue, and other issues.
3. Vitamin D3 and Heart Health: While D3 is crucial for calcium absorption, it also impacts immune function, mood, and heart health. Low D3 levels are linked to a 50% higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
4. Advocating for Complete Health: Rochelle encourages listeners to ask their doctors about including K2 and magnesium alongside calcium and D3 for a more holistic approach to bone and cardiovascular health.

Why You Should Listen

If you’ve been told to take calcium and D3 without understanding the roles of K2 and magnesium, this episode will empower you with the knowledge to ask better questions. Rochelle uncovers the often-overlooked connections between bone and heart health and explains why standard calcium and D3 recommendations may fall short.

SEO-Optimized Takeaway Headline for Apple Podcasts

"Why Calcium and D3 Aren’t Enough for Bone Health | ThriveHer Podcast"

Research References for Show Notes

• Vitamin K2 and Calcium: Studies show K2 activates proteins that direct calcium to bones and prevent arterial calcification. PubMed Reference: The Role of Vitamin K2 in Vascular Health
• Vitamin D Deficiency and Cardiovascular Health: Research links low vitamin D to higher cardiovascular risk, especially in postmenopausal women. Endocrine Society Review
• Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency: 31% of Australian adults and 42% of U.S. adults are vitamin D deficient, with higher rates in African American and Hispanic populations. BMC Nutrition Study

Call to Action

Take control of your bone and heart health by asking the right questions! Don’t stop at calcium and D3—talk to your doctor about adding K2 and magnesium. Join our ThriveHer Tribe on Facebook here or connect in our LinkedIn Group here to share your journey with like-minded women.

Sneak Peek for Next Episode

Next week, Rochelle shares her top strategies for building a daily self-care ritual that fits into even the busiest schedules in Revive and Thrive: Your Daily Self-Care Ritual. Don’t miss it if you’re ready to prioritize self-care in a way that’s powerful, sustainable, and guilt-free.

Welcome to the ThriveHer podcast, where we empower women to take control of their unique health conditions and wellness journey during perimenopause and beyond.

Our goal is to help you dream big and reach your fullest potential in every part of your life.

Each week, the podcast dives into expert insights, natural solutions, and inspiring stories to support you on your journey.

And now, here's your host, your no nonsense naturopath, Rochelle Waid.

Well, hello.

Welcome back to another episode of the ThriveHer podcast, where we don't just follow the script on health advice.

We tear it up, we break it down, and we give you the real facts that you need to thrive.

Today.

I'm coming at you with something that's going to shake up everything that you know about think you know about bone health.

And trust me, this conversation is long overdue, especially if you've ever been told to just take calcium and vitamin D to protect your bones.

Now, before we get into it, let me ask you something.

How many of you have had a doctor tell you that once you've hit perimenopause or menopause, you need to start taking calcium and D3?

You know, maybe this was after a routine checkup or worse, after a bone density scan where they told you that you're osteopenic, you know, almost on the edge of osteoporosis.

And then they hand you that prescription and say, take these and you'll be fine.

Does that sound familiar?

Well, here's the thing.

That advice isn't just outdated, it's flat out incomplete.

Worse, it might be putting you at risk for bigger health problems.

I'm talking cardiovascular disease.

Yep, the very calcium you're taking to protect your bones could be hardening your arteries instead.

Here's the deal.

That's lazy medicine, plain and simple.

If your doctor isn't explaining the full picture of what's happening in your body, how calcium behaves during menopause, how it can affect your heart as well as your bones.

They're missing the mark.

And frankly, if they don't know about the latest research, they shouldn't be giving you advice at all.

They should be referring you to someone who does.

We've got to stop blindly accepting these one size fits all recommendations, and you deserve better than that.

We need to ask more questions of our doctors and other healthcare providers.

What else do I need to know?

What's missing from this prescription?

Is this advice really going to help me?

Or could it be doing more harm than good?

Let's be honest here.

Sometimes doctors are just ticking the boxes on their flowcharts, making sure they hit the basics.

Calcium, check.

Vitamin D, check.

But that's not enough.

We need more than flowchart medicine.

Now, let me be very clear here.

I am not saying that all doctors are in the dark here.

There are some very good doctors out there, But a large majority are stuck on the old calcium and D3 script without fully understanding how it fits into the complex changes of your body that happen during menopause.

And let me tell you, you deserve more than lazy medicine.

So today, we're going to talk about what's really happening in your body during menopause.

We'll talk about why bone health and cardiovascular health are way more connected than you've been led to and what you need to do to protect yourself both inside and out.

Okay, so let's take a look at what's really happening in your body during menopause, because it's not as simple as just take calcium and vitamin D and you're good to go.

When you enter perimenopause and menopause, your estrogen levels start to drop.

And that drop triggers a lot of changes.

Bone loss being one of the biggest estrogen plays a crucial role in balancing bone formation and bone breakdown.

So when your estrogen levels drop, bone breakdown begins to outpace bone formation.

And that's why women face an increased risk of conditions like osteopenia and osteoporosis during menopause.

But here's the part that really gets enough attention.

It's not just your bones that affected when estrogen declines.

It's your arteries, too.

Estrogen has a protective effect on your cardiovascular system.

It help keep.

Helps keep your arteries flexible and prevents calcium from depositing in them.

So when estrogen drops, not only does your bone loss accelerate, but your arteries become more prone to.

To arterial calcification or the hardening of your arteries.

Why?

Because as your bones break down, calcium is released into your bloodstream.

And without estrogen to help direct it, some of that calcium will end up in your arteries, causing them to harden.

This is why we see a sharp increase in cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women.

You're losing bone mass, and at the same time, your arteries are being calcified.

Now, what's worse, you're now being told to add even more calcium to the mix without anyone actually explaining the full picture of what's happening in your body.

Now, doctors are right about one thing.

Calcium is essential for bone health.

But it's only one piece of the puzzle.

And this isn't just about keeping your bones strong.

It's about protecting your heart, too.

So let's get into the real missing piece, and that's vitamin K2.

This is the key to making sure calcium goes into your bones and stays out of your arteries.

Now, I'm sure many of you have heard of vitamin K before, like when newborns are given a vitamin K shock to prevent bleeding, because vitamin K plays a huge role in blood clotting.

But what most people don't know are there are different types of vitamin K.

There's K1, which is involved directly in blood clotting, and then there's K2, which plays a completely different role.

It directs calcium in your body.

Think of vitamin K2 as the traffic cop for calcium.

It makes sure calcium gets deposited in your bones where it belongs and stays out of places where it can cause harm, like your arteries.

Without enough vitamin K2, that calcium you're taking can float around in your bloodstream.

And instead of going to your bones, it might end up in your arteries, contributing to arterial calcification.

What vitamin K2 does is activate two important proteins in the body.

Osteocalcin and matrix GLA protein, or MGP.

Now, osteocalcin's job is to help bind the calcium to your bone matrix, which makes your bone stronger.

MGP's job is to prevent calcium from sticking to your arteries, keeping them flexible and free from dangerous plaque buildup.

So when you are taking calcium without K2, you're missing the guidance system that makes sure calcium is going to the right place.

That's why just calcium and D3 isn't enough.

K2 ensures that the calcium goes to your bones and stays out of your arteries.

Now, of course, nothing's that simple, too.

I want to now talk about magnesium, because this mineral is often overlooked but absolutely critical for maintaining the balance between calcium and magnesium in your body.

I like to think of it as a seesaw.

A magnesium calcium balance, and things can get seriously out of whack.

So here's where it gets interesting and also a bit confusing.

Magnesium deficiency and calcium excess have similar symptoms, but so can calcium deficiency and magnesium excess.

And this is where a lot of people get confused.

And frankly, it can even throw off the best of doctors.

When you're experiencing symptoms like muscle cramps, fatigue, irritability, or even heart palpitations, it can be difficult to figure out whether you're dealing with too much calcium, too much magnesium, or not enough of either one.

That's because these two minerals are so interdependent, they Both play a role in muscle contraction, nerve function and heart health.

So when one is off balance, it affects the other.

Think of calcium and magnesium like a tug of war.

If you have too much calcium without enough magnesium, your muscles and tissues don't function properly.

Magnesium helps regulate your calcium levels, ensuring that it goes to the right places, like your bones, and doesn't end up where it can cause harm, like in your soft tissues and arteries.

But here's the kicker.

If you have too much magnesium and not enough calcium, you can end up with similar symptoms.

So how do you know which one is off?

This is where you need to be very cautious about blindly supplementing one mineral without considering the other.

Now, balance is the key here.

Now, while some people say the ideal ratio of calcium to Magnesium is about 2 to 1 or 1 to 1, the reality is that everyone's body is different and your needs can vary.

The important thing is that you're not overloading one and neglecting the other.

For instance, if you're loading up on calcium and without thinking about magnesium, your body might struggle to use the calcium effectively, leading to issues like muscle cramps or even calcification in your arteries.

On the flip side, if you're taking too much magnesium and not enough calcium, you might experience similar issues like muscle weakness and fatigue.

So when your doctor prescribes calcium and doesn't mention magnesium, they're also missing out a huge part of the picture here.

Magnesium is crucial because it helps your body absorb.

Use calcium correctly.

Without it, you're at risk of a whole bunch of other problems.

This is why you should never supplement calcium without thinking about magnesium.

They work together in harmony, but if they're out of balance, they can go and, you know, cause all kind of issues, whether it's muscle cramps, heart palpitations, fatigue.

These minerals really need to be in sync for your body to function optimally.

So now that we've talked about the calcium magnesium balance and why it's crucial, let's move on to vitamin D3, another piece of the puzzle that often gets prescribed by doctors alongside calcium.

And trust me, your doctor isn't wrong to recommend it.

But here's the thing, it only is part of the solution.

And without the missing piece, K2, you'll be putting your health at risk.

So why do doctors prescribe vitamin D3 so readily?

That's because vitamin D3 plays a huge role in helping your body absorb calcium.

If your vitamin D levels are low, even if you're taking plenty of calcium, you won't absorb it properly.

And once Again, it can leave you vulnerable to osteopenia, osteoporosis, and an increased risk of fractures.

Here's where it gets interesting.

Vitamin D3 isn't just about your bones.

It's also essential for your heart health, your immune system, and even your mood.

So here's a surprising fact.

Low vitamin D levels are linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

In fact, studies have shown that people who are deficient in vitamin d have a 50% higher risk of developing heart disease.

So while your doctor is absolutely right to check your vitamin D levels, they're missing something critical if they're not addressing K2 alongside it.

So let's get back to what we've been discussing, calcium and its impact on your heart.

So when doctors Prescribe Calcium and D3 together, they're trying to strengthen your bones without addressing the full picture.

And they might be contributing to arterial calcification.

D3 does increase calcium absorption.

Yes, but where does that calcium go without the K2?

Some of it may end up in your arteries, hardening them and increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease.

And this is the part that gets left out of the conversation.

So while you're absorbing more calcium with the help of D3, the calcium needs guidance.

And that's where K2 steps in.

It directs it to your bones and keeps it out of your arteries where it's going to do damage.

Now, you'd think that in a sunny place like Australia and parts of the US for instance, vitamin D deficiency wouldn't be an issue, right?

But that's not the case.

In Australia, about 31% of adults are vitamin D deficient.

And in the US it's 42% of the population.

Now, these numbers are even higher for people with darker skin tones, with, for instance, because there's more research.

And that's yet another shameful sort of part of our history.

There's 80% of African Americans are being vitamin D deficient.

I couldn't find much research on Australia's Aboriginal population.

Why?

Well, because we might get sunlight, but we're also using sunscreen, staying indoors, wearing clothing that blocks UVB rays.

All of these factors reduce our bodies to produce enough vitamin D.

So even if you live in a sunny place, you might still be deficient.

And a deficiency like that isn't just about bone health.

Low vitamin D levels are linked with mood disorders like depression and anxiety.

And, you know, we spoke about heart disease.

Low vitamin D is tied to increased cardiovascular risk.

Yet without K2, simply increasing your vitamin D levels could push more calcium into your arteries.

So I think it's pretty clear here.

You should know what I'm talking about.

Here's the bottom line.

Doctors are right to prescribe D3.

They're right to prescribe calcium and especially because it's common to be deficient.

But they're missing the key part of the solution if they're also not recommending vitamin K2.

So if your doctor has prescribed calcium and vitamin D3, don't ignore that advice, but just ask them about K2 because the last thing you want is for that calcium to end up hardening your arteries instead of strengthening your bones.

So thrive her Tribe that's a wrap.

On today's episode, we have dug into some serious truths about calcium, vitamin D3 and why K2 is the missing piece to really protect your bones and heart health.

It is something that is extremely common to see.

So if you have been given the advice to Kate take vitamin K2 by your doctor.

Feel reassured.

I hope today has given you some fresh insights and the tools to ask better questions.

When it comes to your health, Remember, you deserve more than lazy medicine.

It's your health and you have the right to know the full story.

So I will, just because it's so important.

Recap the Takeaway issues calcium and D3 are necessary for bone health, but without K2 you risk arterial calcification.

Vitamin D3 is essential for absorbing calcium, but also plays a huge role in your immune system, heart health and mood regulation.

If you've been prescribed calcium and D3, ask your doctor about the full picture, including magnesium and K2.

You have the power to advocate for your health and demand more.

So take this knowledge and make sure you're getting the right support for your bones and heart.

Now, before I sign off, I want to give you a sneak peek into next week's episode Revive and Thrive youe Daily Self Care Ritual if you've ever felt like self care is just another thing on your to do list, or like you don't have time for it, next week, this episode is for you.

I'll be sharing simple, powerful ways to create a daily ritual that doesn't take hours but still makes a huge impact on your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

We're going to talk about the science behind daily self care and why small, consistent actions are more powerful than grand gestures, and how you can start prioritising yourself without guilt.

I promise it'll transform how you show up in your life.

So if you're ready to go from surviving to thriving, don't miss episode 10 next week until then, remember, keep believing in yourself, keep striving for more, and keep thriving.

Because your best life is just ahead.

Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Thrive her podcast.

We hope you found valuable insights and practical tips to help you on your path to achieving everything you want in life.

Remember, with the right support, you can achieve anything.

If you loved this episode, please share it on Instagram stories and tag nononsensenaturopath.

Also, if you enjoy the podcast, you'll love a ThriveHer membership.

Check it out at ThriveHer VIP.

Each interaction helps others find this valuable information.

Connect with us on social media media and join our community of thriving women.

Until next time, stay empowered, stay healthy and keep thriving.