« Supreme Court Nomina... | Main | The Importance of... »
 

Entry bubble Osteoporosis and Calcium

By: Colleen | July 15, 2009 | Category: Health

Two weeks ago I had my annual physical with my family doctor. She asked me all kinds of questions about my family's medical history milk(all things considered, pretty good), my activity level (very good), bad habits (the occasional adult beverage- no big deal, non-smoker, very good!), and my dietary choices...this is where things get sticky.

Tests revealed that my blood pressure was perfection and my cholesterol levels were totally normal. But my doc was less than thrilled to find out that while I generally eat fairly low-fat foods, I cringe at vegetables and can't stand the sight of a glass of milk.

I got a nice long lecture about how important it is for me to get enough calcium in my diet. And how womens' bone density starts to decrease around age 30, and can lead to osteoporosis. Since I refuse to even do so much as put milk in my cereal, I need to take a calcium supplement.

Always one to have a counter-argument, I replied that while I don't drink any milk, I eat yogurt quite regularly, AND I'm very sure to get in my fair share of ice cream...in fact, July is National Ice Cream Month!

Let's just say she didn't buy it.

Some of the calcium supplements I checked out look like horse pills. Ugh. I'm enticed by those little chocolate candy-like ones that claim to have the same amount of calcium. Has anybody tried these? Or have any other alternatives?

 

| View Comments [9] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags:

Comments (9):

blue comment bubble Posted by Jess on July 15, 2009 at 08:05 AM EDT

I tried the choc. ones and in the end just switched back to the horse pills. Those choc. ones took forever to chew and didn't taste all that great. At least I didn't think so.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Katie on July 15, 2009 at 09:02 AM EDT

I take the horse pill. I tried the chocolate things a few years ago and for awhile it seemed like a treat (my mom tells herself it's her "dessert") but eventually became a chore. So, I take the horse pill along with my multivitamin every morning. A few months ago I took a bone density test at a health fair and the ladies administering the test were noticeably impressed! Their reaction was proof positive for me to keep right on taking the horse pill!

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Ellie on July 15, 2009 at 10:04 AM EDT

Another helpful hint: taking Vitamin D 3 also helps in the body's absorption and use of calcium. Those usually are small pills.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Kitty on July 15, 2009 at 11:39 AM EDT

Let's just say, if my hair starts turning broccoli-green, there's a reason. It's tolerable with a ranch dressing dip, but you've got to like it to begin with. Like garlic? Add lots of cloves to crowns of cruciferous veggies in a little water, and undercook them in the micro, splashed with melted butter or margarine, seasoned with a healthy spritz of fresh lemon juice. YUM!

After reading about all the sugar in most commercial yogurts, I began mixing unsweetened lowfat plain yogurt, with the fruity flavors, and eating it frozen. Cool and refreshing in the summertime!

As for the horse pills, which are those? Thought I would try Boniva until sticker shock knocked me down at the register. A friend uses something she takes once a week. I'm trying that, next, because though I've found foods high in calcium, apparently they're not enough. Thanks for starting the conversation, Coleen!

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Dan on July 15, 2009 at 01:36 PM EDT

If getting the pill down is a problem, you can always chew it up as long as it isn't time released.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by mauricio rubio on July 15, 2009 at 08:31 PM EDT

please send help to chicago Il. We are in an emergency state here in chicago due to the amount of police brutality. Our 911 operators are not correctly informed about the laws of this city and the officers are as well. We need emergency assistance before the city errupts in riots and police shootings. This is not a joke. The mayor might think it is, but time will show everyone the truth. Please do not wait to send help.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Deborah on July 16, 2009 at 01:11 AM EDT

Other dietary sources of calcium are greens, like kale, etc. Oops you don't like veggies But if you ever decide to try them kale is great steamed or stir fried with garlic and onions and olive oil

A great supplement is OsteoPrime They come in capsules which I prefer Also, my elderly Mom couldn't and wouldn't swallow the big supplements that you mentioned Then the chewy chocolate ones pulled out her bridgework The OsteoPrime capsules are a great alternative Even taking 2 or 3 per day rather than 4 is good I have found good prices online or you can find them at a local health food store to try them

I used to go to Dr Alan Gaby when he practiced in Baltimore and he is one of the docs who developed this supplement He is very knowledgable about the topic and wrote a book entitled Reversing and Preventing Osteoporosis

One other thing Make sure that your calcium supplement also has magnesium There's an optimum balance of the 1 mg of magnesium to 2 mg calcium Or 2 mg of magnesium to 3 mg of calcium Anyway the magnesium helps your body absorb the calcium

Hope that is helpful

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Judy on July 21, 2009 at 07:52 PM EDT

The IRS just sent us a letter, requesting us to sent them 20 cents that we owed after they adjusted are 2008 taxes. We sent off the money asap. It probably only cost them $30.00 plus postage to send us this letter, so we acted quickly, so that it would not generate another letter.
So, why is the US in finanial trouble?

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by hunmanik on July 26, 2009 at 03:54 PM EDT

Well, you really should learn to like veggies for lots of nutritional reasons, not just calcium. Though you're right, the calcium content in yogurt is quite high. Eating yogurt regularly, you're probably getting plenty of calcium.

Assuming a decent diet, the point I would like to make is:

Your vitamin D status (as measured by blood calcidiol level) has far more effect on your calcium intake than the amount of calcium actually in your food.

So if you're concerned about calcium, the main thing to do is address your (odds likely) vitamin D deficiency.

Very few people eating decently should take calcium supplements.

Outstanding web site: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

Comment Permalink