1. < Osteoporosis & Bone Health

osteoporosis, calcium supplements and calcium paradox

Posted by melia7 @melia7, Mar 9, 2023

Hello, I am prescribed to take alendronic acid with vitamin D3 for my osteoporosis. I take also calcium 1000mg for a long time. However, I have also high cholesterol (about 6,9) and I wonder about negative effect of such medication on my blood vessels. I have searched the literature and found that osteoporosis itself can cause calcification of vessels. Calcium supplements are found in some articles to cause the progression of aorta calcification. So, the question is if your doctors are recommending you to take calcium supplements or not?

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noname65 | @noname65 | Nov 20, 2023
In reply to @mayblin "@melia7 I see. I drink a serving of kefir daily also, with occasional a slice of..." + (show)
@mayblin

@melia7 I see. I drink a serving of kefir daily also, with occasional a slice of cheese in my sandwich. read that gouda has higher content of k2 and it tastes good, my opinion. natto is sticky and stinky! my current brand is 'shirakiku', ~1 tablespoonful is enough for a day I think ~1/4 of the little white container. I felt brand is not important just make sure they are made in Japan, and organic if available.

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@mayblin How do you eat the natto? By itself or with hot rice?

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mayblin | @mayblin | Nov 21, 2023
In reply to @noname65 "@mayblin How do you eat the natto? By itself or with hot rice?" + (show)
@noname65

@mayblin How do you eat the natto? By itself or with hot rice?

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I eat natto by itself. the sauce packs come in the container helps. sometimes I blend miso paste in since I like the taste of miso. lately I found natto with home made cranberry sauce is great also!

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alif | @alif | Mar 19 4:40pm
In reply to @melia7 "in reply to @mayblin I take the complex: vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 (75 microgram). At..." + (show)
@melia7

in reply to @mayblin
I take the complex: vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 (75 microgram). At the same time I buy dairy products with 0 fat: kefir, cheese and light mozzarella. What kind of natto do you take? What dose?

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Here in New Zealand, I take the Azuma organic ( a tablespoon?) daily- have only been on it 3 weeks but have found I almost enjoy it in a cup of miso soup with a nub of grated cheese on top.

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1 reply
melia7 | @melia7 | Mar 20 9:39am
In reply to @alif "Here in New Zealand, I take the Azuma organic ( a tablespoon?) daily- have only been..." + (show)
@alif

Here in New Zealand, I take the Azuma organic ( a tablespoon?) daily- have only been on it 3 weeks but have found I almost enjoy it in a cup of miso soup with a nub of grated cheese on top.

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What is Azuma organic ?

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dulu | @dulu | Mar 20 10:32am
In reply to @cpd54 "In Japan, vitamin K is prescribed at 45 mg a day. There is a calcium product,..." + (show)
@cpd54

In Japan, vitamin K is prescribed at 45 mg a day. There is a calcium product, Osteo K that has that amount in it. My functional medicine doctor wants me on 22-45 mg a day. My rheumatologist said 45 mg a day was fine. So, even though that dosage is HUGE, that’s what I’m taking. I also take calcium citrate, 1000 mg, magnesium 500 mg and Vit D, 10,000 IU(my levels were extremely low).

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Hi, have you had dexa scan to see if these are working?

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gently | @gently | May 23 4:11pm
In reply to @melia7 "Hello @tsc, thanks for your answer. There are few medical studies that address the issue of..." + (show)
@melia7

Hello @tsc, thanks for your answer. There are few medical studies that address the issue of vessel calcification due to calcium supplements in osteoporosis. We are walking in the darkness.
May be Dr. Fishman is right about the dose, but I have also read that the intestine cannot absorb more than 500mg of calcium. May be it is true that the excess is eliminated by our kidneys. However, I would like to make decisions based on some scientific results.

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Melia 7, this is a significant question since the #1 cause of death in women. The trouble is that there isn't scientific agreement.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7276095/
I've only been advised to take calcium supplements by one of the many endocrinologists I've seen over the last years for osteoporosis. His advice was to take 5oomg at bedtime because we lose calcium at night. We also lose calcium when we exercise.
I never take more than 250mg at a time, so now I take it at night. I take 250 in the morning several hours before the Forteo injection. But I never take calcium without prior K2. More controversy over K2.
Of course bioavailability isn' absorbability. The calcium we don't absorb is excreted throught the kideys and the colon where it can cause kidney stones and (some say precancerous) polyps.
Calcium lactate is the least absorbable form of calcium at 30%, aside from calcium gluconate.
I don't think we can even form opinions. I would question anyone's confidence. We are just making our best guess.

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njhornung | @normahorn | May 24 11:59am

I just received the results from a chest CT and one of the findings concerns calcium. "Severe burden of calcified plaques in the coronary arteries". I wonder if my PCP will recommend stopping all calcium supplements. I guess I will find out after the holiday weekend,

Two years ago; this was the finding "Mild vascular calcifications." The differences are I am now taking a CA supplement and it is a different radiologist reding the scan.

2024 scan: Miscellaneous: Decreased bony density. Multilevel degenerative disease of
the spine. Soft tissues are unremarkable.

2022 scan: Musculoskeletal: No acute osseous abnormality

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mayblin | @mayblin | May 24 10:28pm
In reply to @normahorn "I just received the results from a chest CT and one of the findings concerns calcium...." + (show)
@normahorn

I just received the results from a chest CT and one of the findings concerns calcium. "Severe burden of calcified plaques in the coronary arteries". I wonder if my PCP will recommend stopping all calcium supplements. I guess I will find out after the holiday weekend,

Two years ago; this was the finding "Mild vascular calcifications." The differences are I am now taking a CA supplement and it is a different radiologist reding the scan.

2024 scan: Miscellaneous: Decreased bony density. Multilevel degenerative disease of
the spine. Soft tissues are unremarkable.

2022 scan: Musculoskeletal: No acute osseous abnormality

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@normahorn my mild cad in the lad was discovered via a chest ct by chance 2 years ago. My regular cardiologist said it’s okay to take calcium supplement. I did go to a women’s heart specialist who is well known in my medical town for a consultation. She told me since studies aren’t conclusive, it’s best to get calcium from natural food sources which I’m doing now. Occasional supplementation is fine she said. Since the calcified plaque was discovered, I had numerous tests and labs done to evaluate the extend of my vascular ‘damage’. Both cardiologists would like to see my LDLc below 70 and HBA1c in normal range, among other annual/biannual tests. If I decide to use HRT, the women’s heart specialist wants to see my LDLc be controlled below 55 to minimized any further plaque built up. Anyhow, a consultation with a cardiologist will give you a better picture of cardiovascular health and modify current lifestyle accordingly.

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