Calcium Deficiency Symptoms: 17 Signs To Watch Out For

Hi Mathilde,

Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing your story with us. I reached out to Lara Pizzorno, Bone Health Expert and author of Your Bones, for her best suggestions:

It sounds like this family’s genetics predispose them to osteomalacia due to vitamin D insufficiency, but supplemental vitamin D does not help.

My guess is that this is because of genetic issues that affect their ability to metabolize and utilize vitamin D, possibly because it is being taken as a capsule, which is what I hope is the case because that’s an easy fix.

In brief, I suggest they try taking their vitamin D in sublingual form to see if this helps. And please ask if they will keep us posted on how they are doing!

Here is my reasoning for this suggestion:

Osteomalacia, which typically presents as bone pain and muscle weakness, occurs when newly formed bone is not mineralized in time during modeling (bone formation) in children, or when existing bone is replaced by unmineralized bone matrix (osteoid) during remodeling in children and adults. The main causes of this defective mineralization are a lack of needed minerals (primarily calcium). Calcium insufficiency results from insufficient dietary intake or insufficient sun exposure (not sure where this family lives or if they don’t get sun exposure because of sunscreen and clothing that covers too much skin) or lack of supplemental vitamin D, which as you know is required for our active absorption of calcium in the intestines.

In this instance, vitamin D levels are low, but vitamin D supplements have not been helpful.

One potential reason for this is that the genetic inheritance of this mother and her sons includes slow, less effective versions of the enzymes that convert D3 to 25(OH)D and then those that convert 25(OH)D to 1,25-D. They may also have inherited poorly formed vitamin D receptors, so the 1,25-D they do manage to produce does not bind well to cells, which is what initiates all vitamin D’s beneficial actions, including calcium absorption.

When vitamin D is taken in capsule form, it will be sent from the digestive tract into the portal vein and delivered to the liver, where it will be processed by liver enzymes before it gets out into the systemic circulation.

The liver is the primary place in the body where D3 is supposed to be converted to 25(OH)D, but enzymes that make this conversion are present in cells all over the body.

If the liver enzymes are ineffective, and D3 is taken in capsule form, this conversion will not take place effectively. And that means that little 25(OH)D will be sent into the bloodstream and flow through the kidneys, which is the primary place where the enzymes that convert 25(OH)D to 1,25-D, the active hormonal form of vitamin D that is the only form in which this nutrient helps us absorb calcium, is produced.

Again, the enzymes in the kidney that do this job are found in far smaller amounts in cells throughout the body, although the kidney is the primary place where this conversion occurs.

Also, other enzymes in the liver and kidneys have the job of clearing out vitamin D. It’s also possible that this family’s genetic inheritance includes fast versions of these – that would also greatly impair their ability to maintain optimal levels of vitamin D and to absorb and utilize calcium.

I have five suggestions:

Try taking sublingual vitamin D – here’s a link to the product we use and recommend: https://www.bioticsresearch.com/node/1570 Each drop provides 2,000 IU of D3. If they are taking AlgaeCal Plus, which is HIGHLY recommend since they need everything it contains, including the trace minerals, which are very important, they will be getting 1,600 IU of D3 daily from that (but in capsule form). Still, to err on the side of safety, I suggest they take just 2 drops of sublingual D3 for 2 months and then retest their 25(OH)D levels. This is the easiest, least expensive thing to try and may completely fix the problem.

In addition to AlgaeCal Plus, they should be using Strontium Boost because strontium boosts calcium absorption, primarily due to its effects on the Calcium-sensing receptor – they can read about this—and a number of the other ways in which strontium improves healthy bone formation — in my post on strontium here. And, of course, at least 1,200 mg of calcium should be consumed daily – AP will be giving them 720 mg, so at least another 480 mg needs to be provided by their diet.

Triple Power (TP) should also be taken – 2 TBS daily when pain is present. TP contains a significant dose of the active component in turmeric, which is called curcumin, in highly bioavailable, emulsified form. TP also provides EPA/DHA which are essential both for the resolution of inflammation and for the production of the mesenchymal stem cells that develop into osteoblasts.

If they have not had their genomic profiles run, I urge them to do so! 23&me is one of the less costly options. They need to not just get the “ancestry” option, but have the full profile run. Once they have their “raw data” file, a number of AI tools are now available that can analyze the results – including our AI system, but we are not yet offering our system to the general public. I hope we will be doing so in 6 months as cost will be low, and it will become accessible to “normal” folks. At the moment, they can work with a doctor trained in genomics who can help them understand their raw data, but it’s expensive. Once they know which of the enzymes involved in vitamin D metabolism and/or the vitamin D receptor are not working well, treatment plans can be optimized.

Discuss running the following labs with their doctor – these can help identify if osteomalacia is present AND after a few months of treatment, if what is being done is correcting it:

1) PTH — serum calcium is usually normal in osteomalacia, so PTH is not typically checked, but high PTH is one indication for osteomalacia

2) ALP in children and Bone ALP in adults, if elevated, indicate possible osteomalacia

3) Serum 25OHD (if low, suggestive of osteomalacia if other factors are present)

4) Urinary calcium (if low, suggestive of osteomalacia if other factors are present)

Presence of the above features in the absence of renal/liver disease suggests a diagnosis of osteomalacia. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30654108

Hopefully this is helpful for you, Mathilde. I’ll send you this information in an email as well ❤️

– Jenna @ AlgaeCal

So sorry to hear about the cramps your son is experiencing, Latonya. It sounds like this could be a possibility but it’s best to work with his doctor to determine the underlying cause.

You may find it beneficial to work with a functional doctor. We recommend looking for one through The Institute for Functional Medicine” and look for ones in your area that are IFM Certified Practitioners.

Hope that helps ?

– Jenna @ AlgaeCal

We’re so sorry to hear this, Suman. It’s important to work with a doctor who can help determine any underlying causes to what you’re experiencing. We recommend looking for a functional doctor through The Institute for Functional Medicine and look for ones in your area that are IFM Certified Practitioners.

If you have any questions please feel free to call us at 1-800-820-0184!

– Jenna @ AlgaeCal

Hi Karla,

Yes, you can! But there are a couple things to keep in mind:
• You’re getting all of the vitamins and minerals your bones need from AlgaeCal Plus and Strontium Boost. But you can still take a multivitamin if you’d like — just make sure it contains less than 300 mg of calcium (since you’re getting all the calcium you need from AlgaeCal and your daily diet).
• A general rule of thumb is to take any other supplements containing calcium, magnesium, iron or zinc 2 to 3 hours before or after your AlgaeCal. This will help limit any potential interactions and ensure you receive maximum absorption from all your supplements.

For more information on how to take AlgaeCal check out this post.

– Jenna @ AlgaeCal