Need More Calcium!

[Sorphal79]

I was diagnosed with LC 6 months ago and am very underweight and have skipped four periods. Because of this and the addition of the Budesonide I just started, I desperately need to get enough calcium in my diet. However, having to take out dairy, fortified cereal, and Almond milk, I am at a loss for how I can get it in my diet. I know I can get some in fortified orange juice, spinach, and brocoli, but are these really safe at this point?

I am already taking a daily women's multivitamin, but is it safe or advisable to take an additional calcium supplement while on the Budesonide? Are there any brands that are safe? Any other thoughts on how I can get more calcium?

Thanks!

[jessica329]

I don't have an answer but I am in the same boat. I am 0.1 mg away from being deficient.

[tex]

Hi,

I can understand your concern, since calcium is an important electrolyte and performs so many other functions in the body, not the least of which is maintaining good bone health. It doesn't help that most doctors fail to understand how calcium is absorbed into the bloodstream and then transported to the cells where it is needed to maintain good health and strong bones. So if someone shows up in their office with osteopenia or osteoporosis, their traditional response is to prescribe calcium.

But the fact is, virtually everyone already has enough calcium in their diet to easily fulfill their needs (without taking any calcium supplements). This is still true for those of us who are on very restricted diets. Taking calcium obviously will raise blood levels, especially if you also take vitamin D to help absorb the calcium. But the problem that this creates is that calcium levels must be very carefully regulated in the blood to avoid cardiovascular risks. There was a lot of research published a few years ago pointing out the very real cardiac risks that taking a calcium supplement can impose on the body. Sadly, a few people died from cardiac arrest before this was researched and publicized.

The body normally uses magnesium together with insulin to transport the calcium from the blood to the cells of the body where it is needed (such as in the bones). If either insulin or magnesium levels are unable to keep up with the demand, the calcium must be "dumped" somewhere in order to get it out of the blood to prevent a buildup that could cause a heart attack if it gets high enough. Sometimes it's dumped in joints or organs to cause problems such as bursitis. The doctors diagnose it, drain the joint and/or inject cortisone and charge you for giving you bad advice in the first place (to take a calcium supplement).

The solution is to take magnesium instead of calcium. There's almost surely adequate calcium already in your diet. The RDA for magnesium is 320 for women, and taking that is a good place to start. Doing this will treat your osteopenia and prevent calcium deposits in your joints.

Calcium in the blood depletes both magnesium and vitamin D. MC depletes both magnesium and vitamin D. So naturally, if either magnesium or vitamin D is at a level that is insufficient to keep up with demand, then it will soon become depleted (deficient). But it's not that simple. Here's what actually happens:

Vitamin D is necessary in order to absorb calcium into the bloodstream. Without an adequate level of vitamin D, calcium cannot be absorbed from the intestine and osteoporosis will slowly develop. But once calcium is in the bloodstream, magnesium is necessary in order to allow the calcium to be transported to the organs or tissues (or bones) where it is needed, and this allows calcium to be safely transported out of the blood. Magnesium does this by teaming up with insulin. But again, without sufficient magnesium, calcium cannot be transported to bones where it can be used to form new bone tissue. And insulin resistance will magnify the problem. Excess amounts of calcium (when there is more in circulation than the body can use at any given time) in the blood are also removed by magnesium and purged in urine or stool. In fact, no nutrients can be transported to where they can be used without a sufficient supply of both insulin and magnesium. But calcium is a separate matter, because calcium is an electrolyte and too much calcium in the blood can lead to serious cardiovascular problems. So excess amounts have to be removed in a timely manner, and magnesium is essential for this job.

So the bottom line is: If we keep both our magnesium and vitamin D within the optimum ranges, our calcium will take care of itself. If we take a calcium supplement, and run low on magnesium, not only will the calcium supplement not help, but we might be risking serious cardiac issues as well.

This is from chapter 8 of Microscopic Colitis:

And what about milk and other dairy products?
Dairy products are claimed to be vital to good health because of all the nutrients, and of course the calcium and vitamin D are advertised as necessary for good bone health. But some sources point out that countries with the highest milk consumption rates often have the highest osteoporosis and hip fracture rates, and countries with the lowest milk consumption rates often have much lower rates of osteoporosis (Greger, 2017, January 31).2 The problem may be caused by the galactose content of milk. And research shows that calcium intake above a certain minimal level does not contribute to bone strength, and in some cases, may cause increased risk of fractures (Cumming et al., 1997, Warensjö et al., 2011, Feskanich, Willett, & Colditz, 2003).3, 4, 5 So much for the claims that dairy products are essential for good bone health. And to add insult to injury, milk is a poor natural source of vitamin D. Most of the vitamin D in milk is added during processing. Without the added vitamin D, milk doesn’t contain enough vitamin D to provide any significant benefits (Calvo, Whiting, & Barton, 2004).6 So what’s so great about milk? It’s not even a respectable source of protein, even though it’s promoted as one. Compared with other sources of protein, milk is actually quite low on the list.

And here are the references from that qoute:

2. Greger, M. (2017, January 31). Why is milk consumption associated with more bone fractures? Retrieved from https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/01/31/w ... fractures/

3. Cumming, R. G., Cummings, S. R., Nevitt, M. C., Scott, J., Ensrud, K. E., Vogt, T. M., & Fox, K. (1997). Calcium intake and fracture risk: Results from the study of osteoporotic fractures. American Journal of Epidemiology, 145(10), 926–937. Retrieved from http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/1 ... 6.full.pdf

4. Warensjö, E., Byberg, L., Melhus, H., Gedeborg, R., Mallmin, H., Wolk, A., & Michaëlsson, K. (2011). Dietary calcium intake and risk of fracture and osteoporosis: prospective longitudinal cohort study. British Medical Journal, 342(1), d1473. Retrieved from http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d1473

5. Feskanich, D., Willett, W. C., & Colditz, G. A. (2003). Calcium, vitamin D, milk consumption, and hip fractures: A prospective study among postmenopausal women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77(2), 504–511. Retrieved from http://www.ajcn.org/content/77/2/504.full

6. Calvo, M. S., Whiting, S. J., & Barton, C. N. (2004). Vitamin D fortification in the United States and Canada: current status and data needs. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 80(6), 1710S–1716S. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/8 ... 0S/4690516

I hope this helps.

Tex

[Sorphal79]

Thank you, Tex, for that explanation. I do believe that I am certainly not getting enough magnesium so I ordered a magnesium supplement (BioSchwartz with chelate). However, I don't think I am getting even the smallest amount of calcium in my diet. I am still on Stage One and not getting any dairy or any vegetables that would give me any calcium at all. I am not even getting any fortified cereals or other means. I could possibly be getting some Vitamin D (from sunlight?) but don't see how I can be getting any calcium.

Three weeks into the Budesonide now and my bones and teeth are starting to hurt. Add the hormones I am not getting from 5 missed menstrual cycles and this depletes my calcium even more.

I don't want to take another supplement for calcium but I need to have something. I am considering just going back to drinking Almond milk because at least this will give me some fortified calcium (carbonate) but I was concerned with the "gums" in it while I'm still inflamed so that's why I stopped drinking it.

If there is no way else to get the calcium, is there a supplement that you can recommend? Also, is it bad for me to take the magnesium supplement if I am not getting any calcium in my diet? I haven't taken anything yet.

As always, thank you so much for your help.

[tex]

If there is no way else to get the calcium, is there a supplement that you can recommend? Also, is it bad for me to take the magnesium supplement if I am not getting any calcium in my diet? I haven't taken anything yet.

I hear you about the gums, because I believe that all nut milks probably use them. It certainly doesn't hurt to take a magnesium supplement regardless of whether or not you take any other supplements. We need magnesium, because MC depletes it. You can also use topical magnesium (magnesium oils or lotions applied to the skin). It's sort of a weak supplement that way, but taking a bath with about a cupful of Epsom salts added (or soaking in the Dead Sea) should definitely help.

Regarding the calcium, if you really feel that your diet is devoid of it, many members have taken Caltrate 600 + D, in the past. At one point, years ago, some members even felt that the extra calcium helped to slow down the diarrhea, because calcium can be constipating. Some members have even taken Tums or Rolaids, because the active ingredient is calcium carbonate.

Caltrate 600 + D only contains 400 IU of vitamin D, so you don't have to worry about getting too much vitamin D if you take it, but definitely take a good magnesium supplement if you take calcium, because calcium will definitely deplete magnesium, so taking calcium will amplify a magnesium deficiency.

Tex