Calcium

jmayk8 · Post by **jmayk8** » Tue May 29, 2012 7:35 pm

I am starting to take a calcium supplement and just wanted to know how much mg I should take a day. Currently all I am taking is 5000 of vitamin D liquid.

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Tue May 29, 2012 7:49 pm

With the absorption problems I've been having and the bonegrafts in relation to the jaw surgery, my PCP has me taking 2000mg a day with magnesium. I have not had those levels checked though. I take this with a recently adjusted 10000 IU a day of vitamin D. This is per the recent thread on vitamin D and that at 5000 units I can't get my levels above 31 after a year at that dose. My suspicion is that I am just having a hard time absorbing minerals correctly.

I believe the 'standard' dosing, depending on age is aprox. 1200 to 1500 milligrams

jmayk8 · Post by **jmayk8** » Tue May 29, 2012 8:34 pm

Great, thanks Joe!

coryhub · Post by **coryhub** » Wed May 30, 2012 10:18 am

Hi Jamyk8
I just had a bone density test done and the technician told me to take 1500mg of a "water-soluble" calcium as I am Peri-osteoporosis. She stressed that it be water soluble as this type absorbs quicker and better.
Cory

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Wed May 30, 2012 12:42 pm

There are some warnings out about getting too much supplemental calcium. You must factor in how much you are getting from food to properly calculate your supplemental needs. I get a decent dose from my coconut milk, cooked greens and broccoli, so I only take about 500-600 mg in supplement form. I still crave the yogurt and kefir I feed to my kids every morning.

Post by **tex** » Wed May 30, 2012 1:16 pm

with Zizzle.

Hypercalcemia is a seldom-mentioned risk of ingesting too much calcium, but it can cause all sorts of problems. The problem can develop if supplemental calcium exceeds as little as 2,000 milligrams of calcium per day, because other factors can complicate the issue.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001404/

Tex

coryhub · Post by **coryhub** » Wed May 30, 2012 1:56 pm

Good news, I can break my calcium pills in half and save money! They are huge pills as is. Half a pill will still give me 750 mgs. Thanks mates!

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Wed May 30, 2012 2:07 pm

What form are you taking? I take calcium citrate, which is easier to absorb than calcium carbonate and others.

jmayk8 · Post by **jmayk8** » Wed May 30, 2012 3:31 pm

I got Calcium (as calcium citrate malate) 1000 mg with
vitamin D 600 IU
I got it from GNC. It says i should take 4 tablets a day. I don't think I eat a lot of calcium in my diet so maybe I should take the full 1000mg?

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Wed May 30, 2012 4:37 pm

I would asses what dietary calcium you think you are getting. Some of the foods that are high in calcium are

Dairy products - not well tolerated by most here
Soy - another problem food (Evil lol)
Nuts - Brazil nuts and almonds are high in calcium but can be problematic
Dark leafy greens - these are great and do include broccoli
Fish - especially those that we eat the whole fish such as sardines and herring
Seeds - seeds like flax seed and sesame seeds are a good source of calcium

Overall there are many others, but as several of the common ones like dairy products and soy being off limits for most of us, does make getting the proper level of calcium a bit harder.

If you feel your getting a smaller amount of calcium in your diet the full dose may very well be a good idea. I believe you mentioned that the supplement choice also contained a small amount of Virmain D, that certainly can't hurt. As we live in the higher latitudes, you should be getting at least 3000 IU a day in the summer whether through diet or with the addition of supplements.

Jenny there is a really good nutritionist in Acton that PP member Mary Beth referred me to, she is a graduate of Harvard and specializes in patients with IBDs, she also can order the MRT testing if you are interested in finding out more of your dietary intolerances. Overall she would be a good resource for nutritional counseling and MRT testing with the LEAP diet to help with MC management. If you are interested, contact me and I'll give you the contact info.

jmayk8 · Post by **jmayk8** » Wed May 30, 2012 5:24 pm

Thanks Joe, that's a lot of great information.
I went thru a normal day of food and I hardly take in any calcium. I currently am taking liquid D in the morning after breakfast and I have taken this Calcium/D combo for a few days now. So, Ill keep an eye on what I am eating and how much calcium I am getting.
I had the MRT testing a few months ago and wasn't a huge fan of the nutritionist who did it for me. So maybe I will take you up on yours.
Thanks!
Jenny

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Wed May 30, 2012 5:46 pm

I take about 1200 mg of calcium citrate a day, in addition to whatever I get in food. There is a limit to how much the body can absorb at a time, so I take 500 mg. twice a day and then 250 mg. for the last dose.

Gloria

wonderwoman · Post by **wonderwoman** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:34 pm

Read the small print on your calcium container. On the front it says Calcium Citrate with 500 mg of Calcium. However on the back it says 2 tablets are 500mg (50% of the daily requirement). I take one in at noon and one with dinner. I thought I was getting 1000mg by taking two where I am only getting 500. I am going to take two at a time from now. My multivitamin has 220 mg in it. That way I'll be getting 1220mg a day.

My DEXA scan on 5/11 was NORMAL and I want to keep it that way.

nancyl · Post by **nancyl** » Thu May 31, 2012 4:52 am

Jenny,
I go to two very good health food stores with very knowledgeable staff. One in West Concord, Ma and one in New Jersey. They both recommended "Bone Up" by Jarrow. It also contains 1,000 iu of Vit D and has natural MK-7 which also helps to absorb calcium. I have been taking it for several years now and have been able to maintain my bone density. NOTE: it does contain trace amounts of soy, which does not bother me. It is GF, DF and egg free. I take 3 caps in the a.m and 3 in the p.m. The price is very reasonable. Oh, I am getting 1,000 mg of calcium.

Nancy

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Thu May 31, 2012 5:53 am

Last week a study came out in the journal Heart

The study of approximately 24,000 people between the ages of 35 and 64 found participants who took regular calcium supplements were 86% more likely to have a heart attack than those who didn't take supplements. Those who took only calcium supplements were twice as likely to suffer a heart attack as those who didn't take any vitamin supplements.

I seem to also remember that a study came out a few years ago cautioning men to be cautious with calcium supplementation because there was an association with prostate cancer.

IMHO it is best to focus on food sources as much as possible, and there are many besides dairy products.

Mary Beth