Do I need supplements when blood tests show calcium levels normal?

@singingbones Very interesting. Thanks for this. I don't plan to go overboard with the supplementation but I don't think it will hurt since my osteoporosis is getting worse without it. However, I need to mention after reading your reply that I also take vitamin D3/K2 to help and I'm going to add magnesium and zinc (again not overdoing it) to assist with my consumption of the calcium. Everything is supposed to work together. And also vitamin C as well. I prefer to take in everything with my diet. Unfortunately, my condition doesn't allow me to do that so I do have to resort to supplementation for now. If my condition changes then I will get what I need from my food. I cannot wait for that day. Take care and, again, thanks for letting me know.

@jeepgrl It’s interesting that many doctors don’t explain how supplements work together (or in some cases, against each other) for absorption’s sake. It’s important to ask doctors and/or pharmacists these questions. Online articles describe combinations, as well, For example, many people take large quantities of Vitamin C, but if it is not paired with the right foods (etc.), it’ll just wash through your system with no benefit.

There are lots of foods that have calcium. After finding out I had osteopenia a few years ago, I started a calcium supplement with calcium and other nutrients. After a few years and my second Dexa, my osteopenia shifted to osteoporosis, so the calcium did not help. I have given up calcium supplements and focus on food with calcium in it. There are a lot of veggies with calcium, such as kale and arugula (which I do like). I had read a recent study that claimed elderly women in nursing homes who took calcium supplements for bones were more likely to have heart attacks and heart failure. Just my opinion based on what I have read, but I will no longer take calcium supplements, but focus on food based calcium.

@pmhpesp5 It's also important to mention that everyone's situation is different. I, myself, had a malabsorption issue that appears to be improving so that hopefully the nutrition I'm providing my body with is also absorbing.

In most cases, The body will protect calcium blood levels at the expense of bone stregnth. So it is not correct to assume you have enough dietary calcium if your blood cal levels are good. You could have too little dietary cal and the body is robing the bones, to protect the blood levels.
That said the diet must be healhty and balanced and vitamins D, K2 Magnesium, C must be adequate. It is a complex mechanism - make sure to read ( i recommedn Great BOnes by Dr McMormick) and educate yourself. I over supplementated with Vit D and ended up with high urine calsium. Each person is diffferent. SOme may need 1000 units of D some may need 4000unit. And D must be accompanied with K... Each person has special needs- Read read read and get support. Sending postive energy for healing and recovery

Hello all: I believe I have made great progress recently and wanted to share this information with all of you in the hopes that it may resonate with some of you as well. It's probably going to be a long story, and I'll try to shorten it but here goes. Ok, so, I was taking Cholestyramine for bile acid malabsorption for about 8 mos when I decided to stop because I felt it was detrimental to my health including oral health. Since I was losing nutrients (and weight) I decided to substitute it with acacia fiber. I needed a binder for bile salts. I have been taking acacia fiber for about a year now, once in the morning and also in the evening @ 1 TBSP per serving. Well, I noticed that even though it regulated the bile salt issue I was still suffering with loose stools no matter how much I increased the fiber intake (diagnosed with IBS and SIBO). I always remembered reading that you should take the fiber 30 min prior to mealtime. Since I felt it was perhaps too much of a stimulant sometimes (not always), I decided to wait 1 to 1-1/2 to 2 hrs to eat after drinking the acacia fiber solution. It did seem to get better but I decided to test it further and actually cut out drinking the solution in the morning and just drink it in the evening. No stimulating effects were happening in the evening. It appeared to improve even more. At that time, I noticed that I haven't suffered from any recurrences of any bile acid 'dumping' since July! Idk if my body has been healing with the help of the acacia fiber!!! Also, at the time, I decided to start taking calcium, magnesium and zinc supplements to help with osteoporosis. Big improvement! I mean we're talking normal BMs. SO, now I'm wondering if my body was just suffering from calcium, magnesium and/or zinc deficiencies the whole time and my doctors are writing it off as having IBS and SIBO???? Perhaps. Time will tell. I have also been feeding it with enough probiotics to make a difference and have been drinking 'tea' with 'marshmellow root' for leaking gut. Perhaps all combined are contributing factors. I'm glad so far that I didn't take the route of 'kill, kill, kill' that so many are promoting. It took me some time to get here after my gallbladder removal, about a couple of years. But, please understand that my blood tests 'appeared' to be all normal with regard to these minerals and nothing was mentioned to me earlier but during my last visit with my doctor I mentioned to her that I believed that I may have been calcium (and who knows what else) deficient due to the fact that I have osteoporosis, evidence that my calcium levels were being pulled from my bones to be used for the rest of my body. She agreed! Idk, food for thought for all of you. Important message here: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.