Max Biocare :: Products & Useful Information for Women's Health | PM NextG Cal, a More Superior Form of Calcium Supplement

PM NextG Cal is designed as a formula specifically for bone and teeth health, consisting of the most essential nutrients including Calcium and Phosphorous in the natural form Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite (MCHA), Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K1. The following will provide some basis information about this formula and how it is different from other calcium supplements.

Q: What is MCHA and how is it different from other calcium, for eg calcium citrate, which is generally known as the most absorbable form?

It is true that there are so many different forms of calcium available on the market, we need to understand them well as the form of calcium will affect the calcium’s pharmacokinetic properties such as absorption.

Most forms of calcium consist of calcium chelated to another organic compound e.g. Calcium Citrate, Calcium Carbonate. The amount of elemental calcium (Ca) will vary in the different calcium forms. Unlike these, Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite (MCHA) is a naturally derived calcium extracted from bone (cow). Also unlike other calcium forms, it provides calcium and phosphorus in a ratio of 2:1, physiologically similar to our bones. Also contained in MCHA are the organic components of bones which consist of primarily collagen and proteins, these are preserved in its natural form and not destroyed in the manufacturing processes (temperature setting and/or chemical solvents). The organic components provide additional benefits; the collagen fibres impart their quality of flexibility.

MCHA has been shown to have a better bioavailability/absorption because the calcium and phosphate are in optimal proportions and in microcrystalline form [1-2], within a readily digestible protein matrix. There is some evidence that accompanying dietary intake of proteins and their hydrolysis products enhances calcium absorption. It has also been recorded that in their natural environment, some animals boost calcium by consuming bones in stress situations [3].

Clinical trials further support MCHA’s superiority over other calcium forms {Calcium carbonate CaCO3, tricalcium phosphate Ca3(PO4)2}, showing that MCHA is more effective in slowing bone loss [4-5].

Q: What is special about the MCHA in NextG Cal formula?
PM NextG Cal is manufactured using 100% Australian Bovine Raw material in an Australian Government approved facility. Raw material and finished product are both controlled by an Australian Therapeutic Goods Adminsitration (TGA)’s GMP facility and have to undergo all the quality control processes required for a pharmaceutical product in Australia.

Australia is a clean and green country, and classified free from bovine spongiform encephalophathy (BSE) and foot and mouth disease. This pure Australian MCHA is in concentrated form and derived from young free range Australian bovine bone (age <2 months).

It contains Calcium and Phosphorous as well as many other trace elements and collagen found naturally in bone. It is processed at biological temperature to maintain the integrity of the component molecules. Processing protocol specifically preclude the use of harsh chemicals, solvents and high temperature. Below is a summary of its features and benefits:

Features	Benefits
Microcrystalline structure	Improve absorption
Ca/P ratio is 2:1	Correct natural ratio maximises incorporation
Natural protein matrix	Presents Ca and P in a natural way
Rich in other essential minerals	Provide additional health benefits
Manufactured at low temperature	Retains integrity to maximise absorption
Bone derived from specified young animals (age <2 months)	Ensures consistency in specification of product such as low level of lead.

Each batch of finished product PM NextG Cal is always assayed to ensure that both Calcium and Phosphorous is present in the amounts stated on the label.

In this particular product the hydroxyapatite is embedded in a protein matrix containing collagen, substituent amino acids and glycosaminoglycans. Many essential minerals and trace minerals are also found, such as magnesium, silicon among others [6].

Q: PM NextG Cal also includes Vitamin D3 and Vit K1, what for?
Vitamin D is also called “sunshine vitamin”, it is metabolised by the body from sun exposure any time before 10am or after 3pm over summer months, and is critical to bone health, the absorption of calcium, and to overall health and development [7], including healthy heart. There is evidence that 60 – 70% of Australians have deficient or insufficient levels of vitamin D [8]. Deficiency status has also been reported in different countries.

Vitamin D deficiency causes osteomalacia (softening of the bones due to defective mineralization) in adults, rickets in children and can exacerbate osteoporosis [9]. Insufficient vitamin D reduces the efficiency of intestinal calcium absorption by ~30-50% [9]. Vitamin D has a critical role in maintaining a healthy mineralised skeleton for children and adults [9]. Other problems include links between vitamin D deficiencies and cardiovascular events[10].

The major biological function of Vitamin D is to maintain the serum calcium in the normal physiological range to preserve neuromuscular and cellular functions [9]. Vitamin D maintains blood calcium levels by enhancing the efficiency of intestinal calcium absorption and increasing the mobilisation of stem cells to become osteoclasts that in turn mobilise calcium stores from the bone [9]. As such, supplementation with vitamin D assists with calcium absorption and this is especially important in osteoporotic patients where calcium absorption can be hampered [11].

Clinical trials further support the concurrent supplementation of Vitamin D and Calcium, showing it reduces the risk of hip fractures and other nonvertebral fractures [12], increase cortical bone thickness [13] .

Clinical trials have also demonstrated that Vitamin K supplementation can improve bone health [14]. Low dietary Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) intake has been associated with increased hip fracture risk [15-16]. Vitamin K functions as a cofactor in the posttranslational carboxylation of a number of bone proteins [17]. When vitamin K1 is supplemented with Vitamin D, it may substantially contribute to reducing postmenopausal bone loss at the site of the femoral neck [17].

Q: Why does PM NextG Cal consist of both Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K1? Why not just Vit D3 but not K1? Will it be as effective?
As discussed in the previous question, insufficient vitamin D causes the efficiency of intestinal calcium absorption to decrease from ~30-50% [9]. Co-administration of Vitamin D and Vitamin K1 could greatly contribute to reducing postmenopausal bone loss at the site of the femoral neck [14]. In the same study [14], the addition of Vitamin K to Vitamin D reduced bone loss of femoral neck by 1.3% more than supplementation without Vitamin K.

The inclusion of Vitamin D3 and K1 will help achieve optimal calcium absorption in PM NextG Cal, maximising the benefits of the MCHA component and making the formula an optimum calcium supplementation.

PM NextG Cal is listed with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for sales in Australia and available for export to all other countries. It is made in an Australian TGA’s GMP facility and adheres to all GMP rules and procedures for medicinal products.

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