do we absorb calcium from food?
I am almost 6 months out from RNY and eat Greek yogurt daily; I also take 1500 mg calcium citrate in tablet form. MFP shows that I am getting 100-150% percent of my daily calcium from my food, but doesn't say what kind of calcium. Should I decrease supplementation because I am getting so much calcium from the yogurt? I won't have labs for another few weeks, so cannot tell if my calcium levels have changed since my first labs.
My understanding is that your calcium levels won't change much even if you aren't getting enough, because the calcium gets leeched from your bones. I'd keep taking the calcium. I don't know if you can take too much, unlike some vits and minerals, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Others on here know more than I do, however, so I will bow to their knowledge.
No, do NOT decrease your calcium citrate!
After RNY we don't absorb all of ANY vitamin, and don't absorb quite a bit of MANY vitamins, including calcium. The primary portion of the intestine that absorbs calcium (and other vitamins) is the portion that has been bypassed, so we only absorb the amount that can be absorbed in the areas of the intestine that are only able to absorb a much more limited amount. So it doesn't matter very much how much calcium you are getting from your food.
That is why we MUST take the vitamin supplements for life.
As far as your lab work, the serum calcium level alone doesn't tell you if you are getting enough calcium. It only tells you that if you're not getting enough calcium in your food and supplements, your body is doing a sufficient job of pulling the calcium from your bones. In order to know whether or not you're taking enough calcium, you also need to have your parathyroid (PTH) level checked. THAT is what will tell you if the calcium in your blood is being pulled from your bones.
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Thanks for the clarification, I definitely won't decrease my calcium supplementation. I have always had concerns about the malabsorption aspect of RNY, even though it proved the most suitable surgery due to GERD, and I am anxious to keep all my levels in the healthy range. I will also ask for the PTH level reading when my labs are done - don't think that was measured before surgery, but having it now will provide a starting point.
From previous posts, it sounds like I should ask for a DEXA scan too, which my doctor usually recommends at age 65 (I'm 59). Since her other WLS patients have had the sleeve, she isn't accustomed to dealing with malabsorption issues, but is very willing to accommodate my requests.
Thanks again for the input, and have a very Merry Christmas!
The ASMBS recommends Dexa scans for WLS patients of all ages.
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.