Nutrition and healthy eating

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• April 2, 2013 4:00 p.m.

  Hi There The article was good,( Leikemia/stem cell patient, still on low doses of Prednisone) Helped me understand the relationship of Calcium and Vitamin D. Now to try to figure out how to take it in smaller doses around my other meds! Thanks

  - Tony

• March 25, 2013 9:14 p.m.

  I have been reading about the negative impact of oxalates in increasing calcium excretion. Do you recommend a low oxalate intake?

  - Karen

• March 13, 2013 1:29 p.m.

  I use omeprazole for Barrett's Esophagus..this interferes with calcium absorption...I have -3t scoreBMD. What can be done to increase calcium absorption?

  - Marcella

• February 21, 2013 7:30 p.m.

  Is taking bone meal better or equal to taking calcium? I also take vitamin d3

  - lucy

• February 3, 2013 3:35 p.m.

  I had a gastric bypass with a stapled stomach in 2008. Now, 5 years later, I am once again losing hair, can hardly breathe and my muscles burn when walking up my own stairs at home, causing aching thighs and heaving when I get to the top of the stairs. I found out my anemia is back, it's 6.7, and I also noticed this past year that I am not 5'6.5" anymore...but 5'5"!!! I am only 47. Calcium is probably an issue. I have begun taking 2 tablets of Iron 65mg, equivalent to 325mg Ferrous Sulfate daily in the morning and at night, combined at the same time with Cranberry gelcaps that have Vitamin C as Ascorbic Acid 40mg. In the afternoon, I take 500mg Calcium Citrate that has Vitamin D - 800 I.U., Magnesium 80mg, and Zinc 10mg , all combined in the form of one tablet. I had read you need D for Calcium absorption and C for Iron absorption, but that you should not take Iron and Calcium together. But now I read that magnesium should not be taken with Calcium? It is already combined in my Calcium Citrate pill! If I miss a day of iron, I can't breathe! I want my hair back. I have also been stressed and eating the wrong foods, dumping syndrome, and gaining about 10 pounds back this past year. I am looking for information on 1. How long before my hair stops falling out, 2. and if the calcium was the reason for my height reduction in just over a year or so. Maybe two. 3. And my iron....has always been an issue. Can you help answer these questions? THANK YOU SO

  - Beach Mom

• December 5, 2012 12:08 p.m.

  I am 72. Been taking Actonel for 5 years along with 1800 mg ca and 2000 units vit d. All prescribe by my dr. I do weight bearing exercises 5 to 6 X a wk. I have no car so I walk everywhere. Iam 5'5" & wight 141 lbs. I eat healthy...very little red meat...lots of fruit, beans and nuts, whole wheat products limit my salt and sugar. And yet my bone scan shows my Osteoporosis is progressing in back & hip. Don't know what else to do.

  - Pat

• November 4, 2012 10:42 a.m.

  I have read all the 24 coments, regarding Calcium Supplements, I take a multiable Vitimin for women, that had 500mg of Calcium in it and VitiminD 800units I use to take Calcium 600mg with vit.D, but I stopped when I read about it causing heart problems. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, And the Dr. put me on extra Calcium. Can you let me know if i did the righ thing by stopping my extra Calcium Supplement. Shirley

  - Shirley

• September 19, 2012 8:38 a.m.

  In a spanish health program, they said that you need MAGNESIUM ..for bones. the body transfer the MAGNESIUM to other parts of the body..and it makes sense ,people that drink a lot of milk, still get osteoporosis..why are they not telling this to people

  - yolanda

• March 3, 2012 2:56 p.m.

  I am 66 years old, and have taken calcium supplements off and on for over 10 years. I have taken them alone, or with Vitamin D, with Magnesium, and other recommended supplements. I have experimented with different brands of calcium, and have taken various doses. In EVERY case, after a couple of weeks of taking calcium, I have developed a very uncomfortable ache in my lower back. I have asked pharmacists, health food professionals, and my own doctors, and no one has been able to help me. They have 'never heard of this before' and don't know what to tell me. They all say that I should be taking calcium. I am wondering if the back ache is because the bone is thickening (I apparently have a slight thinning of the spine), or is there some other reason for the pain. Should I continue to take calcium, and take pain relievers as well? Once I stop taking calcium, the pain tends to last three or four weeks or more, and is always present, whether I am active, or sleeping. Walking sometimes helps. Pain relievers help too, most times.

  - Sharon

• September 14, 2011 8:47 p.m.

  I would like to know which calcium supplement is the most absorbent and one that won't cause constipation?

  - Jennifer

• June 20, 2011 4:40 a.m.

  Does anyone know of any health conditions (apart from lack of enough vit D) which prevents the body from taking up enough calcium? I've just had bloods done which show low calcium levels, but thought that I was getting enough of both. I eat cottage daily, and even hard cheese some days. Both soya milk and soya spread which I consume have vit D and calicum added. I'm mystified.

  - caroline

• June 18, 2011 3:58 p.m.

  Calcium Aspartate ANHYDROUS has been advertised as having a much higher absorption rate than other calcium supplements (as much as 92 percent). The only clinical trials have been done in China in 2000 by I.F. Tang, Ph.D. What do you know about this supplement? Can it have any serious side effects? My bones are getting thinner even though I have been taking Actonel and 1200 mg. of calcium and 1,000 mg. of Vit. D for quite a few years. I am 82 years old. My endocrinologist has urged me to stop taking Bisphosphonates and start taking yearly shots of either one of two new drugs. I don't want to take the shots as they have side effects and are exorbitantly expensive. Could any harm come from trying the Calcium Apartate ANHYDROUS from Ezorb? Thank you for your help.

  - Doris

• March 9, 2011 9:44 a.m.

  Chances are the calcium supplement you are taking now is a rock source of calcium. The label will say "calcium carbonate", which is nothing more than limestone.

  - James

• October 15, 2010 8:35 a.m.

  In the end, one doesn't know what to do any more. I have mild osteoporosis but have already had spinal fractures; probably the result of having to take cortisone for polmyalgia. I have been taking 1000 mg calcium plus vitamin D for about one year. Until a year ago I had atrial fibrillation which was stopped by an electric choc. Ever since I have been fine. Should I stop my calcium treatment?

  - Dorothy

• September 25, 2010 10:14 a.m.

  I started taking 1200 mg calcium with vitamin D about a year ago and have since developed an arrhythmia. Because of this study, I have reduced my intake of calcium citrate by half and am including more calcium rich foods in my diet and exercise to help combat my osteopenia.

  - Karen

• September 1, 2010 4:38 p.m.

  Can someone talk to me about the difference between say, Coral Calcium, Brazil Coral Calcium & Calcium citrate? Also, powdered magnesium you stir in warm water and injest called Natural Calm - what are the most effective ways to prevent bone loss & fractures. I am 59 & highly stress - I have 2 parent in the nursing home 100 miles from me & a husband that just lost a kidney to a stage 3 tumor, but not other organs involved. Test show I've experienced severe bone loss. Thanks for any help you can give me.

  - Jane

• August 31, 2010 4:19 p.m.

  Thanks for your comments on this topic. Your points are well taken. Although calcium, vitamin D and exercise are all important, other factors affect our bone health as well. The human body strives to keep nutrients in balance. Having too little or too much of one can cause problems. Excessive intake of protein, phosphorous and sodium can impact the bones by disrupting the balance. An example may be someone who drinks excessive amounts of cola-type soda and doesn't eat a calcium-rich diet. This high intake of phosphorus might cause the body to pull calcium from the bones to adjust the calcium level in the blood. There are also medical conditions that influence how the body uses nutrients. So for some people supplements may be essential, while for others supplements may be detrimental. Similarly, individuals vary in their ability to tolerate foods. This is what makes nutrition an ever-changing challenge for dietitians and others!

  - Katherine, one of your blog hosts

• August 26, 2010 10:01 p.m.

  There are new studies coming out all the time and the next week an article will come out contracting the info so it's hard to know what to believe. I listen to my doctor and go by her orders. You can go broke buying everything that we're told is good for us. Health stores do a booming business.

  - Ferne

• August 25, 2010 3:39 p.m.

  If you read through the entire study, the only folks that ended up with increased risk for heart events were those who took calcium supplments WITHOUT an adaquate intake of vitamin D. Probably vitamin K and magenesium were omitted to (just my guess). To get calicum across the intestinal wall and into the bones, our body needs complmenting nutirients. Ideally we would get our calicum from fat free or low fat dairy products, without added sugars. However getting enough vitamin D might be quite a different story. So getting a vitamin D blood test first, supplementing to get blood levels into the normal range, and then taking calicum supplments with vitamin D, magesium and vitamin K may be the way to go for most of us.

  - Mary RD

• August 25, 2010 8:38 a.m.

  I think it is also important to know that all calcium is not created equally. Calcium Carboinate is not well absorbed and and can cause side effects if taken incorrectly. Please consult a specialist about the type of calcium that is best for you.

  - Dr. Scott

• August 25, 2010 7:06 a.m.

  After posting my comments, I read those of Frances who suggests that milk products are not the answer. I have heard this from other sources and it is most confusing as to what to do. Is there any clarification on this issue?

  - Lynn

• August 25, 2010 7:01 a.m.

  After hearing about the possibility of heart attack and calcium intake I have cut back on my supplements. The study did not apply to calcium and vitamin D, which is my supplement, but to be on the safe side I cut back to one 600 calcium with 400 D, and have concentrated on getting the extra calcium through food,yogurt, cheese, etc. I am also taking 1600 D per day.

  - Lynn

• August 24, 2010 5:44 p.m.

  Just because the recent study used one subset of people does not mean the results do not apply to others. I have always questioned my doctor on why he wants me to take calcium at age 75. Everyone seems to be asking the wrong questions. Studies show that people in countries who consume the most dairy produts have the highest fracture rate while those in countries consuming the lowest amount of dairy have the lowest fracture rates. The crucial factor is not the amount of dietary calcium, but the amount of calcium pulled from the bones and excreted. Excess salt, coffee, animal protein and dairy produce acid that must be buffered by pulling calcium from bones. When these foods are eliminated or reduced to a minimum, then calcium from vegetable sources such as dark leaf greens supply sufficient calcium. I was lucky to find a doctor who understood this and took the time to educate me. Milk and calcium supplements are unnecessary and, as the recent study pointed out, dangerous to your health. Meat eating ADA members who want us to eat from the dairy and meat group because that is how they were trained will never tell you the truth.

  - Frances

• August 23, 2010 9:10 a.m.

  3 months after I started taking large amounts of calcium supplements, I developed arrhythmia and migraines. I reduced the amount of supplements, and added vitamin D & magnesium, and the problems stopped.

  - Ron

• August 23, 2010 8:49 a.m.

  yes, this study does give me cause for concern --- i am a woman, over 50, who currently takes extra calcium and Vit D every day --- in addition, i also have osteo and take weekly medication for that ---- there is a family history of heart attack too --- this study has given me several questions to pose to my personal physician at our next appt --- sometimes one has to weigh out the lessser of evils and do what seems to be the most helpful direction to proceed.

  - Terri