Calcium supplements

[HoundedByHounds]

Anyone have any recommendations? My Mom just found out she has osteoporosis...and being her daughter I figured I should pay more attention to my bones.

I CAN NOT drink milk...it makes me vomit in any form aside from ice cream...so that's out. Cheese is okay but I am a bit intolerant so moderation is best with that.

They have a bunch of these 'chocolate' or 'fruit' flavored calcium supps out there...I wondered if anyone here has rec's on which taste best and make the most difference...and any side effects that might come about from using them?

Any and all input is appreciated!

 

[jjsmom]

I have tried one of them and it was "OK". Pretty sure it was viativ

http://www.viactiv.com/products/index.jhtml?id=viactiv/calsium/softchews.inc

What about supplements? DO you take any sort of vitmains or other supplements that have calcium?

Also, one of the best things you can have is the OJ with added Calcium. DH reads this one Doctor (Steve Harris), and month ago he learned from the guy that one of the most efficient was to get your calcuim is through OJ with calcium added. I don't recall the reasons but I will see if I can find them for you. But I think he said it was actually BETTER than getting calcuim through milk products...

 

[HoundedByHounds]

really? I love OJ so that is a good method. I will have to add it to my "coffee breakfasts" LOL!

Thanks!

I don't do vitamins at all...and I take Tums occasionally for tummy stuff but not daily. I was just reading my bottle and it actually has a dose on there for "as a calcium supplement". I am weirdo who likes the Tums so maybe I'll do that too. I got hooked on them when I was preggers LOL!

 

[bubbatd]

I have osteo and dr. wants me to take 2000 MG daily .....also mine is Calcium plus D which helps absorb the calcium .What is your Mom on for hers ??? I gave myself a shot of Forteo daily for 3 years and am now on Evista .

 

[Sush]

I like those viactic chews...especially the chocolate ones..yumm. I would actually eat the ones my mom has and I don't even need to take them.

 

[colsen4nc]

calcium

Typically a woman needs about 1000 - 1200 mg of calcium a day. I hate milk too so I just take a supplement in pill form. The chewies and even tums work just as well though. Read the label and it will tell you how many to take a day (usually 2). One cup of calcium fortified OJ has as much as a cup of milk. Also exercise and vitamin D are important. If you don’t drink milk, you can get vitamin D through sunshine or take a supplement. Basically (if I remember correctly) a woman's bones will stop building mass and start the process of breaking down at around 30 yrs old. The key is to build up your bones as much as possible so that when they do start to deteriorate they will be strong enough to prevent osteoporosis. The goal after breakdown begins is to get enough calcium, vit D, and exercise to maintain your bones as long as possible. LOL, maybe I actually did learn something in school.

 

[HoundedByHounds]

Great info everyone, thank you!

 

[Zoom]

Have you considered soy milk? No lactose, same amount of calcium as regular milk. I prefer Silk Chocolate Soy myself; has a slight "planty" taste at the very first but you get used to it pretty quickly. I can't stand regular cow milk to begin with, so this works out well.

 

[HoundedByHounds]

Nope...I do not as a rule, enjoy "milky" textured drinks, sweet or otherwise. No offense to those who dig milk or soy milk...but it's just icky.

 

[Maxy24]

I eat 2 calcium pills a day. Mine is called Cal Mag Plus. It's chewable and does not taste bad but has a chalky flavor. It has Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D to help your bones absorb the calcium.

 

[gradyupmybutt]

How's your diet? You can also get a lot of calcium from fruits & veggies. I've always been of the mind set that it's better, if possible, to get your vitamins & minerals from natural food sources. If you can't then go to supplements. That's what I've heard. Do I do it? Heck no! ~LOL~ Junk food junkie here.

 

[bubbatd]

Really , it's nothing to fool around with . I'd have a bone scan and see where you stand . Don't wait as long as I did !!! They weren't available " back when " .

 

[TheWonderPuppies]

the viactiv chocolate mint calcium vits are good

 

[drmom777]

The reason people recommend calcium OJ is because acid enhances calcium absortion. In fact, taking calcium or eating calcium rich foods causes your stomach to release more acid to improve calcium absorption. That's why Tums as an antacid are so fundamentally stupid- they are a decent Ca++ supplement, but a terrible antacid. The calcium carbonate initially buffers acid, so they reduce acid initially, but then the calcium get ionized in the stomach and causes the stomach to release more acid!!

Anyway, you can get the same effect by taking a couple of Viactiv with a glass of OJ or cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, lemonade, etc. My kids like the strawberry cream ones.

 

[HoundedByHounds]

Annie don't ask about my diet LMAO...it could be better. It's hard to eat right when you can eat whatever you want...people have no idea...and I know some of you hate for what I just wrote...lol.

 

[gradyupmybutt]

:lol-sign: I HAD a feeling on that, Gina. That's why I asked.

Thanks for your input, Doc. I've always been confused about types of calcium to take, if I were to actually take some.

 

[colsen4nc]

The reason people recommend calcium OJ is because acid enhances calcium absortion. In fact, taking calcium or eating calcium rich foods causes your stomach to release more acid to improve calcium absorption. That's why Tums as an antacid are so fundamentally stupid- they are a decent Ca++ supplement, but a terrible antacid. The calcium carbonate initially buffers acid, so they reduce acid initially, but then the calcium get ionized in the stomach and causes the stomach to release more acid!!

Anyway, you can get the same effect by taking a couple of Viactiv with a glass of OJ or cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, lemonade, etc. My kids like the strawberry cream ones.

I was wondering...I've been reading lately how cow's milk is actually bad for humans because, along with all the hormones and steroids that they inject in cows, the milk proteins actually leech calcium from your bones. What is your opionion on this? The articles I've read on this are very convincing, but who knows what to believe these days.

 

[sparks19]

I just got a sample of tums smoothies from the Dr's office.... not for heartburn but for calcium

 

[drmom777]

Yeah, it's also best to take calcium with a little food, so breakfast is a good time. And calcium citrate is absorbed better that calcium carbonate, I think by about 25%, but I don't know if that's enough of a difference to justify the difference in price. Also, I've noticed that calcium citrate tablets are really big, making them harder to swallow.

 

[drmom777]

I like milk, so I drink it and take a supplement, because I take various medications that could mess with my bone density. I think the most important thing you can do for your bones is get plenty of weight bearing exercize. That helps make your bones strong. Dogs are good for this. Run, jump and play with your dog, and your bones will get stronger. If you are very sedentary your body can leach calcium from your bones for other functions.

I have a great explanation for this I use on my kids, because I think bone formation and molding is one of the coolest things in the body. Your bones change all your life, even after you stop growing. There are two basic kinds of cells that operate in changing the bone matrix, osteoblasts that build bone, and osteoclasts that eat it away. So the osteoblasts add bone where you need it and the osteoclasts remove what you don't need and put it back in your blood so the calcium can be used for other things, like muscle and neuron function.

When you get a random bone spur, it's because of overenthusiastic osteoblasts having fun building a hill, and then the osteoclasts go to work to get rid of it. Anyway, when you exersize and stress the bones, the osteoblasts add more matrix to make them stronger. So swimming isn't good for building bones, but dancing and jumping are. Running may be hard on joints, but it's great for bone density.

If you don't get enough calcium in your diet to cover the needs of the rest of your system, the osteoclasts go to work and take it out of the bones. So your bones aren't just your skeleton they are also your calcium store.

Sorry if this is dull, but I think the whole thing is cool.