Money spent, calcium supplements taken—but has the health of the Chinese population truly improved? Li Kejie told reporters that when it comes to calcium supplementation, many Chinese people actually hold misconceptions. Calcium supplementation can cure diseases. Many middle-aged and elderly individuals mistakenly believe that as people age and their bones become brittle, they must take calcium tablets to prevent and treat osteoporosis, or even prevent fractures.Li Kejie clarified that osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly individuals primarily stems from diminished bone metabolism and calcium loss—a natural part of aging. Calcium supplementation cannot fundamentally halt osteoporosis; it merely slows its progression. Blindly taking calcium supplements not only wastes money but may disrupt the body's mineral balance and accelerate bone calcium loss.
Supplementing regardless of deficiency. Li Kejie told Life Times that the long-standing "calcium deficiency" slogan in China actually refers to dietary calcium insufficiency, not necessarily bodily deficiency. The human body self-regulates based on specific conditions; if calcium intake decreases, it adjusts to increase calcium absorption rates. Therefore, it's difficult to definitively conclude whether the Chinese population suffers from calcium deficiency, and the situation is certainly not as severe as advertised."Logically speaking, if Chinese people have been calcium-deficient for thousands of years, why have they still lived well until today?" Believing in corporate marketing. A brand marketing professional noted that the calcium supplement market war began around 1999-2000. At that time, Harbin Pharmaceutical Group No. 6 Factory rapidly created a calcium supplement market worth tens of billions through massive advertising campaigns and celebrity endorsements, sparking a nationwide "calcium supplementation movement."Amid fierce market competition, these products target specific demographics: some focus on seniors, promising relief from back and leg pain; others target children, emphasizing height and growth; while some target affluent white-collar workers, highlighting "all-natural" and "marine-derived" ingredients.He Jiguo, Head of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at China Agricultural University's College of Food Science, stated that from the perspective of human absorption, different forms of calcium show little difference. For instance, the widely touted claim that "liquid calcium is more easily absorbed" is exaggerated, as the absorption rates of solid and liquid calcium are actually quite similar.Li Kejie also pointed out that calcium absorption is heavily influenced by the body's own needs. Many commercial advertisements exaggerate the effectiveness of high absorption rates. Consumers should exercise correct and objective judgment, avoiding blindly following trends or trends when selecting products.
Excessive calcium supplementation in children. After surveying 218 parents in Beijing's urban areas, Li Kejie and his team found that 202 parents were supplementing their children with calcium. Among them, 147 babies had started calcium supplementation before four months old, and by six months, a staggering 90% of babies were receiving calcium supplements. However, these babies were either breastfed or formula-fed and did not require calcium supplementation at all.Li Kejie explained to reporters that while doctors' recommendations for artificial calcium supplementation may be well-intentioned, they do not align with the natural growth patterns of infants and are unscientific. Indiscriminate calcium supplementation may actually hinder development.
Relying on calcium supplements. Faced with a dazzling array of calcium products and bombarded by exaggerated marketing claims, more people are turning to supplements as their sole means of calcium intake. While convenient and seemingly effective, this approach overlooks calcium from daily meals. Professor Cheng Yiyong, President of the Chinese Nutrition Society, has emphasized that dietary calcium should be the primary source.