Calcium supplements for Osteoporosis, Osteopenia

Calcium supplements Osteoporosis Osteopenia. What you need to know when choosing your Calcium supplement.

If your health care provider has suggested a specific number of mg. for your daily intake of calcium, that is the number you should use. If your health care provider has not made a specific recommendation, you might take the recommendations published at Iowa State University:

  • Age 1 - 3 - 500mg.
  • Age 4 - 8 - 800mg
  • Age 9 - 18 - 1300mg
  • Age 19 -50 - 1,000mg >/li>
  • Age 51 -70 - 1,200mg
  • Age 71+ - 1,200mg

If you are trying to increase your bone density, your health care practitioner many recommend higher amounts. Of course, you would follow such recommendations since he or she is your best resource for advice about Calcium supplements.

This page about Calcium supplements is a bit long. But it is worth taking the time to read and act on all parts of it. In the end you may save money AND get better results from your intake of this important mineral.

There are 5 things you should do before settling on your supplement choice:

 When evaluating  Calcium supplements:

You want to find out how effective the supplement will be:                                      Has the maker of this supplement, subjected the product to scientific review. Are there any studies published in scientific or medical journals that show how effective this supplement is all by itself for building stronger bones. The 'all by itself is important' since if it is used in combination with some other therapy, you have no way of knowing if improvements in bone density are due to the supplement or the other item included in the study. 

For example: supplement X + weight lifting, could show improvements BUT the improvement is really due to the weight lifting. The only way that supplement + some other therapy could show that a supplement is effective would be if two different supplements were used and both were coupled with the same 'other therapy'. In such a study, it would point to the supplement making a difference when combined with the other therapy.

If there are no published scientific studies about a supplement's effectiveness, you want to see if there are any published studies about the supplement's ABSORB ABILITY.

Why is this important? Many calcium supplements can not be absorbed in your intestinal tract. They simply pass through your body and are eliminated and so this is not useful for Calcium Osteoporosis Osteopenia use.If there is no published scientific studies about your supplement's absorbability, then you want to buy a small package and perform the vinegar text in your own kitchen.

You need to find out if the supplement includes everything that science has found you need to turn your Calcium Osteoporosis Osteopenia intake into bone. Vitamin D3, Magnesium, Vitamin K trace minerals such as boron, silica. If the supplement does not contain these things, then you need to figure out how you will get the correct amounts so you are able to use the calcium you are taking to build bone.                                                                                 

    If you do not have all the necessary elements for bone building,i you could be  taking a supplement will simply waste your money since your body does not have all the elements needed to use the calcium for bone building. In some cases, it may be that you will need to buy a second or third supplement.                     In other cases, you may be making up the difference through your daily nutrition. But if you do not want to waste your money, you do want to be sure that you are getting what you need.I know that in my own experience I discovered, that I was spending more money for several supplements than I would have been doing if I bought single a supplement that contained all the elements I needed. At first glance that supplement seemed too expensive but when I figured it out, it was really a bargain.
  1. You want to consider just how much of the supplement you will need. If you have been advised to have 1200 mg of calcium a day, you may be filling your need for some of that through your daily nutrition. If you want to save money, getting your nutrients from food is much less expensive than buying supplements. Click on Foods for Calcium Osteoporosis Osteopenia . Also, you want to be surethat you are not ingesting too much calcium between your food and your supplements.   You may ask why? What difference will it make if I get extra supplementation? There are two things to consider.
  2. Your body can only absorb so much calcium at one time. 500mg is the limit. So if you are eating some calcium rich foods AND taking a supplement at the same time, you may be wasting money since you body can not absorb more than 500 mg at a time.A few months ago, I realized is that the manufacturer of the supplement I was using , suggested taking 3 capsulestwice a day. But each capsule contains 500 mg. of calcium. I was wasting money following that recommendation.
  3. There has been a recent study that showed women taking extra Calcium Osteoporosis Osteopenia, were at greater risk for cardiovascular events. The study is small and the researchers themselves note that it is not definitive BUT it may well be an indication that more is not better .

Certain foods interfere with calcium absorption - do not take you supplement after a meal with:

  1. Phytic acid, which is found in the bran of whole grains, is likely to interfere with calcium absorption.
  2. A diet high in sodium may also interfere - increased sodium intake can result in increased calcium excretion.
  3. Sugar may upset to the calcium/phosphorus balance. Soda pop, carbonated drinks have also been said to interfere with calcium absorption
  4. Caffeine increases the excretion of calcium
  5. Oxalates can interfere with calcium absorption. Click here to read  a list of foods high in Oxalates

You can check out some calcium supplements

If you want to check out any particular calcium supplements, here is the peer reviewed research on some popular brands.

 

If your brand is not on the above list, you want make a COMPLETE LIST OF INGREDIENTS and then check them against the recommended amounts found for the ingredients. Just go to the Index page are find the ingredient and read the page summarizing what the research says.   You can read  Some general comments about Calcium supplements

Note: It takes a good deal of time to research your supplements. Do not expect an instant answer.