Calcium d-Glucarate

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Calcium D-Glucarate can help the body eliminate used hormones and toxins so they are not re-circulated into the bloodstream. This can be a very important factor for those with fibromyalgia, as some health care professionals are beginning to make a connection between hormone imbalances and the symptoms that affect fibromyalgia sufferers.

Fibromyalgia, Hormone Imbalances, and Calcium D-Glucarate

Calcium D-Glucarate is a relatively common nutrient found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Many believe that this nutrient aids the body in the elimination of many harmful substances and helps to lower abnormally high levels of used steroid hormones, including estrogen.

While the connection between hormone imbalances and fibromyalgia remains inconclusive and more research needs to be conducted in this area, various symptoms between the two conditions can be very similar. Therefore, the cellular detoxifying benefits of Calcium D-Glucarate that can help the body eliminate used hormones and toxins from the body so they are not re-circulated into the bloodstream, may play a role in reducing symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.

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Heavy Metal Toxicity and Fibromyalgia

Toxic heavy metal accumulation and/or chemical toxicity may contribute to some cases of fibromyalgia. Heavy metals is the term used for a group of elements that have particular weight characteristics. They are on the "heavier" end of the periodic table of elements. Some heavy metals - such as cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, strontium, and zinc - are essential to health in trace amounts. Others are non-essential and all can be harmful to health in excessive amounts. These include cadmium, antimony, chromium, mercury, lead, and arsenic - these last three being the most common in cases of heavy metal toxicity.

Cleansing and Detoxifying for Improved Health

The most common symptoms of heavy metal toxicity can include mental confusion, a sense of unreality, distorted perception, pain in muscles and joints, headaches, short-term memory loss, gastrointestinal upsets, food intolerances/allergies, vision problems, chronic fatigue, and many others. The majority of these symptoms are also found in those who suffer from symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. Therefore, reducing your toxic load may help bring relief to those who suffer from fibromyalgia.

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Reduce Your Toxic Load with Calcium D-Glucarate

There are two major mechanisms by which the human body can detoxify itself, such as conjugation and glucuronidation. Conjugation and Glucuronidation are detoxification processes that occur when toxins, carcinogens, and used hormones are combined with and bound to water-soluble substances in the liver, thus making them more easily removed from the body. D-glucarate has been shown to support this vital process by inhibiting an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase that can break bonds between toxins and used hormones allowing them to be re-circulated into the blood stream rather than excreted where they may cause symptoms in relation to fibromyalgia.

Supplement Facts

Bottle Contains: 60 Tablets, 500 mg. each
Serving Size: Two (2) Tablets
Servings per Container: 30 Tablets

Calcium (from 1,000 mg calcium d-glucarate) – 124 mg. – 10 % Daily Value
Other ingredients: sorbitol, stearic acid, modified cellulose gum, colloidal silicon dioxide and magnesium stearate.

Suggested Use: 2 tablets with a meal three times daily. Additional benefits may be obtained by taking this product with antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, E and beta carotene.

NOTE: Energetic Nutrition feels the Suggested Use listed on the bottle is more than some people may need. Those using calcium d-glucarate for a specific condition may desire to take this high dose. However, for general health benefits, 3 tables per day should be sufficient. D-glucaric acid is a natural substance produced by our body in small amounts. No toxic effects have been shown even at very high doses of 10 grams per day.

Warning: For adult use only. If you are pregnant, may become pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking any perscription drug, consult your health care professional before using this product.

Caution: Although there are no known drug interactions, many drugs (especially hormones) are metabolized in the liver by binding to glucuronic acid. It is therefore possible that taking Calcium D-Glucarate could increase the elimination of certain drugs or hormones from the body, thereby reducing their effectiveness. If you are taking any prescription medication, please consult your physician or pharmacist before taking Calcium D-Glucarate.

Manufactured by Source Naturals.

The Benefits of Calcium d-Glucarate

Calcium D-Glucarate is a relatively common nutrient found in many fruits and vegetables. Many believe that this nutrient aids the body in the elimination of many harmful substances and helps to lower abnormally high levels of steroid hormones including estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone. Both of these effects may help to protect against the development of certain tumors.

One tablet (500 mg.) of Source Naturals Calcium D-Glucarate is equivalent to the phytonutrient activity found in 82 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. This nutrient is currently the subject of numerous clinical studies and is proving to have great potential for addressing various health concerns.

Why do healthy cells change into unhealthy tumor cells? Unfortunately science cannot yet answer that question. However, we do know that any nutrient capable of interfering with cell growth resulting in tumors would be of great interest and benefit to those with fibroids and other tumors.

Calcium D-glucarate is a botanical extract found in grapefruit, apples, oranges, broccoli, spinach, and Brussels sprouts. It is also made naturally in small quantities by the body. Scientists are discovering that it appears to protect against cancer and other diseases via a different mechanism than antioxidants such as vitamin C, carotenoids, and folic acid. These vitamin antioxidants work by neutralizing toxic free radical damage in the body. However, there are other mechanisms by which the human body can detoxify itself, such as conjugation and glucuronidation.

Conjugation and Glucuronidation are detoxification processes that occur when toxins, carcinogens, and used hormones are combined with and bound to water-soluble substances in the liver, thus making them more easily removed from the body. D-glucarate has been shown to support this vital process by inhibiting an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase that can break bonds between toxins and used hormones allowing them to be re-circulated into the blood stream rather than excreted.

Calcium D-Glucarate is known for:

Estrogen Removal - Calcium-D-Glucarate allows the body to excrete used hormones, such as estrogen before they can become reabsorbed. Large doses of Calcium-D-Glucarate have been shown to lower serum estrogen levels in rats by 23 percent. Because many breast cancers are estrogen-dependent, Calcium-D-Glucarate's ability to affect estrogen and other hormone levels has led to Phase I clinical trials at several major cancer centers in the United States. Results of these studies are pending. [ 1 ]
Tumor Prevention - Animal studies have shown positive results regarding the use of Calcium D-Glucarate for detoxifying carcinogens in the colon, skin, lung, breast, and liver. Due to the encouraging results, breast cancer studies are currently being conducted by the National Cancer Institute at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Lipid Lowering - Preliminary results in humans show D-Glucarate reduced total serum
cholesterol up to 12 percent, LDL-cholesterol up to 28 percent, and triglycerides up to 43 percent.
[ 2 ]

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How Calcium D-Glucarate Removes Toxins and Excess Estrogen

Are we humans toxic? Sounds like an outrageous question, but consider what the body has to accomplish with all the substances we pour into it. Any substance which is not useful for energy or building tissues is dumped by detoxification before it can harm the body. Breathing polluted air, diet, and water all carry potential carcinogens, so although we bathed and scrubbed ourselves clean today, all of us can still be toxic.

The human body rids itself of toxins by a mechanism called detoxification. During detoxification, a chemical binds to a carcinogen in order to eliminate it from the body. This is called conjugation. Conjugation can be thought of as the packaging of dangerous toxins into water-soluble forms that are easily removed from the body.

D-Glucarate helps eliminate toxins by conjugation. Upon ingestion and exposure to the acidic environment of the stomach, Calcium-D-Glucarate is metabolized to form D-glucaric acid. D-glucaric acid is further metabolized in the gastrointestinal tract into other compounds.

When detoxification involves D-Glucarate, it is called Glucuronidation. When glucuronidation occurs, the active substance that binds to a toxin is called glucuronic acid. A healthy system uses detoxifying enzymes to conjugate and bind carcinogens to glucuronic acid. This complex is then called a glucuronide complex. These toxins can now be safely eliminated.

Normally, the glucuronide conjugate passes from the liver into the bile, then into the gut where the body gets rid of it. However, sometimes there are high levels of a bad enzyme called beta-glucuronidase that can rip the glucuronide conjugate off a toxin or estrogen hormone. This reverses the glucuronidation process and allows toxins, carcinogens, tumor promoters, steroid hormones, and estrogen to remain in the body where they can potentially cause harm to cells.

When there is a rise in the levels of beta-glucuronidase enzymes, estrogen receptors also increase in numbers. This means that re-circulated toxins and more free estrogen can occupy these receptor cites and can potentially cause breast and uterine tissue to grow and develop into tumors. Studies indicate that Calcium D-Glucarate corrects this problem by inhibiting beta-glucuronidase so that glucuronidation is NOT reversed. Simply put, toxins and estrogen bound for excretion stays bound, and the total toxin and estrogen load on the body is reduced.

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Importance of Reducing Toxins and Excess Estrogen

Many of the toxic substances that we are exposed to are known as xenoestrogens and can increase levels of circulating estrogen in women and men. Therefore, an increase in toxins can raise the levels of estrogen that can disrupt hormonal balance in both sexes. One of the processes by which toxins and estrogenic compounds are metabolized, broken down, and eliminated is through the conjugation and glucuronidation processes, as mentioned above.

We now know that Calcium D-Glucarate helps to inhibit or stop the beta-glucuronidase enzyme that can interfere with the glucuronidation process. [2] When a used toxin or hormone, such as estrogen remains bound to its water-soluble bond it will be eliminated from the body rather than being re-circulated in the blood stream.

Too much estrogen is a major concern for women and can lead to a condition known as estrogen dominance, which is associated with a hormone related disorders. Therefore, reducing toxic exposure and maintaining healthy estrogen levels can help reduce the risk of symptoms associated with:

Fibromyalgia
Uterine fibroid tumors
Fibrocystic breasts
Endometriosis
Premenstrual syndrome

In a 1988 study Z. Walaszek found that supplementing with Calcium D-Glucarate can reduce both the number of estrogen receptor sites (which send hormone signals) by 48%, as well as tumor growth in the breast. [ 3 ]

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Conclusion

As new research sheds light on the importance of proper hormone balance in relation to our health, it is vital to protect ourselves from the increased burden of estrogen that we are encountering today. Source Naturals Calcium D-Glucarate is a timely nutrient that can make a real difference in our lives.

Obviously estrogen is needed by the body; however, too much can lead to cellular disruption. Since it can be very difficult to avoid the estrogenic chemicals rampant in our environment, another strategy is needed, and that is to reduce their negative effects by supporting the body’s natural ability to remove excess hormones and toxins. The removal of excess toxins and estrogen can be increased by this all natural substance known as Calcium D-Glucarate.

Consider supplementing with Calcium D-Glucarate to help keep the detoxification pathway moving forward. This will limit the amount of free estrogen being reabsorbed, and preserves the amount of glucuronic acid available for detoxifying other problem toxins.

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Research

High levels of Calcium D-Glucarate have been shown to stop the beta-glucuronidase enzyme in the blood, liver, intestines, skin, lungs, and bladder. It has been also been shown to slow the rate at which cancer cells divide and grow. [ 4 ] Additionally it inhibits cancer during all three stages of the disease: initiation, promotion, and progression.

Animals and humans have received protective effects from D-Glucarate and derivatives in cancers of the breast, lung, colon, liver, bladder, skin, and prostate. [ 5 ] Calcium D-Glucarate is the perfect choice for those looking to lower their risk.

In studies on breast cancer in rats treated with D-glucarate, tumor growth and development were significantly reduced or inhibited. D-glucarate has also been shown to inhibit the growth of transplanted rat prostate tumor and reduce the levels of a tumor marker for prostate cancer.

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References

Walaszek Z, Hanausek-Walaszek M, Adams AK, Sherman U. Cholesterol lowering effects of dietary D-Glucarate. FASEB 1991;5:A930.
Walaszek Z, Hanausek-Walaszek M, Minton J, Webb TE. Dietary Glucarate as anti-promoter of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced mammary tumorigenesis. Carcinogenesis 1986;7:1463-1466
Walaszek, Z., E. Flores. And A. K. Adams. 1988 Effect of dietary glucarate on estrogen receptors and growth of 7,12 dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced rat mammary carcinomas. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 12:128
(J National Cancer Inst, 1989;81:1820-3 and Bio Chem Pharmac, 1991;41 (10):1471-7)
Walaszek, Z. 1993. Chemopreventive properties of D-Glucaric acid derivatives. Cancer Bulletin 45:453-7