CALCIUM PHOSPHATE MAY POSITIVELY AFFECT CHOLESTEROL METABOLISM.

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of 31 young healthy volunteers. Test subjects received pentacalcium hydroxy-triphosphate (CaP; 1g elemental calcium) supplementation incorporated into bread. After four weeks, individuals given CaP had lower serum cholesterol, lower serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, and tended to have a lower ratio of LDL to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol than test subjects who received placebo. The researchers concluded the observed beneficial effects on cholesterol metabolism are not the result of an increased excretion of cholesterol, but might be explained by an increased bile acid excretion and a subsequent regeneration of bile acids from endogenous cholesterol in the liver. (“Calcium Phosphate May Positively Affect Cholesterol Metabolism,” Natural Products Industry Insider, July 14, 2005, <http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/hotnews /57h1492542.html> (July 28, 2005)).