Frequently Asked Questions

Not only is StimuCal a rich source of natural calcium but it also has high levels of type I collagen, and other specialised proteins and minerals that are all naturally present in healthy bone.

The calcium in StimuCal is in a special crystalline form along with phosphorous in a molecule known as hydroxyapatite. This is the same form as it would be in normal healthy bone.   StimuCal contains 25% calcium in this hydroxyapatite form.  Studies show that this form of calcium is particularly effective at helping to slow age related loss of bone density.

Type I collagen is a type of protein and is a critical structural building block of bone, contributing both strength and flexibility to healthy adult bone.

Type I collagen has also been shown in studies to play an important role in the formation of new bone by enhancing a key early step in bone mineralisation known as osteoblast differentiation.

Specialised analysis of StimuCal confirms the presence of 18 separate amino acids in StimuCal, including hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, both of which are specific to collagen and especially important for collagen production.

StimuCal contains 20% of this important structural protein.

Unlike conventional calcium supplements, such as calcium carbonate or calcium citrate, where the calcium is rapidly delivered in biologically inert carriers, StimuCal contains 25% pure bone protein which is rich in bone matrix components like Type I Collagen, Osteocalcin and Bone Stimulating Proteins.

Bone stimulating proteins are small but essential specialised proteins that are known to influence new bone formation.

These small proteins , also known as growth factors,  have been specifically identified in StimuCal as insulin like Growth Factors 1 and 2 ( IGF 1 and 2) and Transforming Growth Factor ( TGFβ).

Because StimuCal contains calcium the usual precautions with taking calcium supplements along with some other medications applies as follows.

Calcium may interfere with the absorption of some antibiotics in the tetracycline or fluroquinolone (cipro,floxin,noroxin)  families and thyroid hormone.

Do not take extra calcium without consulting your physician if you are taking calcium channel blockers along with high doses of Vitamin D, or thiazide diuretics.

Calcium may interfere with the absorption of some other minerals including iron, manganese, zinc or chromium.

StimuCal is manufactured entirely in New Zealand from domestically sourced raw materials in a fully licensed and audited facility.

Yes. Some forms of calcium are designed to be rapidly absorbed.  This means that the body can receive an excessive, potentially harmful load of calcium quickly, rather than a safer, more moderate delivery of calcium to the blood.

Research has shown that  large, rapidly absorbed doses of calcium over extended periods of time can cause health issues such as kidney stones, milk alkalai syndrome ( kidney problems), and, more recently increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The pure bone protein in StimuCal however, acts as a kind of biological handbrake, slowing the delivery of calcium, resulting in a much safer more controlled release of calcium into the blood that avoids potentially harmful spikes.

June 1, 2018

Micoplasma bovis poses no risk to human health

You may now have read reports of the planned cull of approximately 150,000 cattle from a small number of New Zealand farms in which there have been confirmed cases of the bacterial infection mycoplasma bovis.

Waitaki Biosciences would like to reassure its customers that this infection in cattle poses absolutely no risk to human health.

This is an infection that affects cattle only and is not transferable to humans or other species through the food chain or otherwise.

The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) announced a plan on Monday May 28th to try to eradicate this disease from the New Zealand cattle herd through a controlled cull of 26,000 beef cattle and dairy cows, commencing immediately and a further approximately 126,000 animals over the next 2 – 3 years.

It is important to note that the vast majority of those animals to be culled will not be infected with the mycoplasma bovis bacteria.

The total New Zealand herd is approximately 10,000,000 animals* so this cull of mostly healthy animals represents 1.6% of the total herd.

Further information can be found on the Ministry for Primary Industries website:

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/protection-and-response/responding/alerts/mycoplasma-bovis/#consumer-info

*Statistics New Zealand, 2017