Reminder about calcium

poet_kelly
on 5/22/11 7:03 am - OH

Just wanted to post a little reminder about calcium.  The ASMBS says we need 1500-2000 mg calcium per day and recommends calcium citrate.  The two most common kinds of calcium found in supplements are calcium citrate and calcium carbonate.  Tums, Viactiv and Caltrate are all calcium carbonate and we don’t absorb that well at all.  We absorb about 4% of the calcium in it so you’d need to take about 60 Viactivs every day to get enough calcium.  No, that’s not a typo.  Optisource also contains calcium carbonate and Bariatric Fusion has a mixture of calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.

Citracal and generic forms of Citracal contain calcium citrate, which is what we need.  It’s hard to find chewable calcium citrate in stores but Celebrate and Bariatric Advantage both make them and you can order online.  Upcal D, which is a powder you can mix in a drink, is also calcium citrate.  You can find liquid forms as well.

Tricalcium phosphate is another kind of calcium found in some supplements and it is also not absorbed well at all.  That’s what’s in Flintstones.  Wellesse, a liquid calcium supplement, contains a mixture of tricalcium phosphate and calcium citrate, so you’ll only absorb some of the calcium in there.

Make sure you take your calcium in doses of 500-600 mg and take them at least two hours apart.  Read the label carefully to see what the serving size is.  Like, Citrical petites have 400 mg per serving but a serving is TWO pills.

Take them two hours away from your iron.

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

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.

 

melissa G.
on 5/22/11 7:42 am - Dallas, TX
wish we had a "like" button!

thanks for the valuable information, I am fixing to see what type of calcium I have been taking
                    
sunpat41
on 5/22/11 7:49 am
Thank you Kelly, you always have good information and I look forward to reading your posts I have a question I take centrum silver for women multi vitamins 2 times a day, zinc 50, biotin 5000 meq, b12 with folate and b6, d-3, and calcium, I know I have to get the right calcium and the right D-3 are these ok

thanks Patty
                        HW 250/ SW 246 CW 137
                      
poet_kelly
on 5/22/11 8:06 am - OH
No iron in there anywhere?

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

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.

 

Sasrah1972
on 5/22/11 8:10 am - NY
Thanks for this information. Why then do you think that my surgeon would have recommended Viactiv if it's useless? I'm wondering...
poet_kelly
on 5/22/11 8:11 am - OH
I don't know.  I guess you'd  need to ask him.  My guess is he doesn't know.  Maybe he has not bothered to read the ASMBS guidelines.  You could print them out and take them to him if you want.

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

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.

 

Sasrah1972
on 5/22/11 8:18 am - NY
:) he's on the board of ASMBS, so I'm guessing he's read them. But I will certainly ask.

sunpat41
on 5/22/11 8:17 am

there is iron in the multi that I take

                        HW 250/ SW 246 CW 137
                      
poet_kelly
on 5/22/11 9:22 am - OH
Are you sure there is iron in silver centrum?  I know there is in regular centrum but I thought none in the silver.

If you have 18 mg iron in there, you probably need another 18-27 mg iron beyond that - that's what the ASMBS says.

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

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.

 

MarilynT
on 5/22/11 11:28 pm
No iron in centrum silver; that's why I take it.

Marilyn (now in NM)
RNY 10/2/01
262(HW)/150-155(GW)/159(CW)
(updated March 2012)

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