1. < Osteoporosis & Bone Health

What's the evidence on Calcium and Vitamin D for bone density?

Posted by ellerbracke @ellerbracke, Oct 1, 2019

A recent bone density test came back in the low average range for my age. My OBGYN recommended calcium and vitamin D. I checked with a family member who is a pharmacist, and she says that the benefits of calcium supplements are not clear cut. Regarding vitamin D, I’m in the sunbelt, and spend at least 2 hours per day outdoors during 8 to 9 months a year (early morning, or evening, sun screen between 10 AM and 5 PM if applicable for pool, beach, for example). I’m sure many people on this forum have done their own research regarding the benefits of calcium pills, and I would love to hear what the current consensus is. I exercise regularly, so my bones get a workout from the muscles pulling on them, if that makes a difference. I think the data I was given is that statistically I have an 8% chance of a hip fracture in the next decade, based on the test results.

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imallears | @imallears | Nov 30, 2019
In reply to @lioness "@parrotqueen I do just a vegie drink. I put a cup of distilled water in ,..." + (show)
@lioness

@parrotqueen I do just a vegie drink. I put a cup of distilled water in , kale,cucumber,carrot, parsley ,ginger and turmeric. Drink it as is. Also I use cup of water , Power greens, Garlic, Giner root shave , parsley potato, and carrot . I have trouble eating vegies . So I experiment as to what I like . The carrot is sweet so this is my sweetner

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@lioness
I like carrot juice too and use it in my smoothies along with kale, banana, pineapple and Japanese Matcha for a kick before the gym, not everyday.
Carrot juice has a nice flavor.

FL Mary

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1 reply
lioness | @lioness | Nov 30, 2019
In reply to @imallears "@lioness I like carrot juice too and use it in my smoothies along with kale, banana,..." + (show)
@imallears

@lioness
I like carrot juice too and use it in my smoothies along with kale, banana, pineapple and Japanese Matcha for a kick before the gym, not everyday.
Carrot juice has a nice flavor.

FL Mary

Jump to this post

@imallers Yes I suggested this drink to @parrotqueen to put her collagen in it

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parrotqueen | @parrotqueen | Nov 30, 2019

I cannot do potatoes or carrots - too much sugar; also, ginger is out as I have developed an intolerance to it (lips and tongue swell up and I have difficulty breathing!!!). I have to go light on the turmeric (which is in the same family as ginger) because I don't want to become intolerant to it also. I could use kale, cucumber, parsley, half a green apple, and a handful of berries with some almond milk. I think I will buy some kale because the stuff I have in the yard is very hot and peppery. I believe you could resole your shoes with what I grow in my garden!

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1 reply
parrotqueen | @parrotqueen | Nov 30, 2019

I found an excellent article from a medical journal about post-menopausal women using estrogen and progestin (just like me!) for their bones. I'm wondering if it would be worth it for me to type it in here or should I just list it as a reference? I type 130 wpm so typing it in would not be a big deal. I'll just tell you that it works and it only takes a small dose. I believe they said 55 women out of 100 had improved DEXA scores. Some women were over the age of 75 and still it worked! It does increase my chances of breast cancer and heart attack, but I think I have offset that by being off sugar. Another big thing I started doing was taking amino acids. This helps the food we eat to form complete proteins - this is thought to help in the osteoporosis battle. Finally, next time I come across that article that links sugar consumption to osteoporosis, I will type the main points in here.

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4 replies
butch24350 | @butch24350 | Nov 30, 2019
In reply to @parrotqueen "I found an excellent article from a medical journal about post-menopausal women using estrogen and progestin..." + (show)
@parrotqueen

I found an excellent article from a medical journal about post-menopausal women using estrogen and progestin (just like me!) for their bones. I'm wondering if it would be worth it for me to type it in here or should I just list it as a reference? I type 130 wpm so typing it in would not be a big deal. I'll just tell you that it works and it only takes a small dose. I believe they said 55 women out of 100 had improved DEXA scores. Some women were over the age of 75 and still it worked! It does increase my chances of breast cancer and heart attack, but I think I have offset that by being off sugar. Another big thing I started doing was taking amino acids. This helps the food we eat to form complete proteins - this is thought to help in the osteoporosis battle. Finally, next time I come across that article that links sugar consumption to osteoporosis, I will type the main points in here.

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I am interested in reading the article... even if you just reference it... I’ll find it. Ty

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1 reply
sue225 | @sue225 | Nov 30, 2019
In reply to @butch24350 "I am interested in reading the article... even if you just reference it... I’ll find it...." + (show)
@butch24350

I am interested in reading the article... even if you just reference it... I’ll find it. Ty

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I didn't think doctors prescribed estrogen for osteoporosis anymore. It will definitely build bone, however, in the case of estrogen the risks outweigh benefits. If there is a history of breast or ovarian cancer in the family, I wouldnt do it before bringing this paper to my doctor and having a discussion. Estrogen certainly is not side effect free. It would be interesting to know what your PCP and/or specialist's advice would be re estrogen.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Nov 30, 2019
In reply to @parrotqueen "I found an excellent article from a medical journal about post-menopausal women using estrogen and progestin..." + (show)
@parrotqueen

I found an excellent article from a medical journal about post-menopausal women using estrogen and progestin (just like me!) for their bones. I'm wondering if it would be worth it for me to type it in here or should I just list it as a reference? I type 130 wpm so typing it in would not be a big deal. I'll just tell you that it works and it only takes a small dose. I believe they said 55 women out of 100 had improved DEXA scores. Some women were over the age of 75 and still it worked! It does increase my chances of breast cancer and heart attack, but I think I have offset that by being off sugar. Another big thing I started doing was taking amino acids. This helps the food we eat to form complete proteins - this is thought to help in the osteoporosis battle. Finally, next time I come across that article that links sugar consumption to osteoporosis, I will type the main points in here.

Jump to this post

@parrotqueen For copyright reasons, it is better to simply reference articles written by others. Include the title, author and URL if available.

To bring this conversation back to taking calcium and vitamin D for bone density, here is some information from Mayo Clinic
- Osteoporosis https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351968
- How to keep your bones strong https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/in-depth/how-to-keep-your-bones-strong/art-20304596

Be sure to explore the related links at the end of these articles. There’s plenty more evidenced-based information to read.

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lioness | @lioness | Nov 30, 2019
In reply to @parrotqueen "I cannot do potatoes or carrots - too much sugar; also, ginger is out as I..." + (show)
@parrotqueen

I cannot do potatoes or carrots - too much sugar; also, ginger is out as I have developed an intolerance to it (lips and tongue swell up and I have difficulty breathing!!!). I have to go light on the turmeric (which is in the same family as ginger) because I don't want to become intolerant to it also. I could use kale, cucumber, parsley, half a green apple, and a handful of berries with some almond milk. I think I will buy some kale because the stuff I have in the yard is very hot and peppery. I believe you could resole your shoes with what I grow in my garden!

Jump to this post

Parrot Queen can you eat spinach I usually put spinach in with my kale Google writes for me so he messes up a lot

REPLY
1 reply
lioness | @lioness | Nov 30, 2019
In reply to @parrotqueen "I found an excellent article from a medical journal about post-menopausal women using estrogen and progestin..." + (show)
@parrotqueen

I found an excellent article from a medical journal about post-menopausal women using estrogen and progestin (just like me!) for their bones. I'm wondering if it would be worth it for me to type it in here or should I just list it as a reference? I type 130 wpm so typing it in would not be a big deal. I'll just tell you that it works and it only takes a small dose. I believe they said 55 women out of 100 had improved DEXA scores. Some women were over the age of 75 and still it worked! It does increase my chances of breast cancer and heart attack, but I think I have offset that by being off sugar. Another big thing I started doing was taking amino acids. This helps the food we eat to form complete proteins - this is thought to help in the osteoporosis battle. Finally, next time I come across that article that links sugar consumption to osteoporosis, I will type the main points in here.

Jump to this post

Parrot Queen if you don't mind typing that article out it would be really beneficial to a lot including me I've heard about estrogen and progesterone before but I've never done any research on it so I would be interested in reading it the estrogen you can get from black cohosh it's a natural estrogen and I think you can buy progesterone in the jar not sure take care Linda

REPLY
1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Dec 1, 2019
In reply to @lioness "Parrot Queen if you don't mind typing that article out it would be really beneficial to..." + (show)
@lioness

Parrot Queen if you don't mind typing that article out it would be really beneficial to a lot including me I've heard about estrogen and progesterone before but I've never done any research on it so I would be interested in reading it the estrogen you can get from black cohosh it's a natural estrogen and I think you can buy progesterone in the jar not sure take care Linda

Jump to this post

@lioness, we recommend not typing out or copying and pasting full articles into a Connect message because this infringes on copyright rules. It is better to cite the title and author of an article or paper and include the weblink (URL) to the original source.

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