Some supplements not really needed?

I only take single ingredient supplements. Also I separate magnesium and calcium by two hours because they compete. I cannot eat dairy so I do take a calcium supplement. I don't know if calcium in food competes with magnesium!

I’m so glad you posted about this very thing, @njx58. I was hoping to ask a similar question, about timing of supplements, but haven’t had time to post.

Are there any nutritionally-gifted members or just those who have availed themselves of info on this subject who can comment on timing of calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, etc, or does anyone have an easy to understand website, perhaps with visuals, that addresses this issue . . . I see so much disparate information that I can’t keep it straight in my head.

The only doc recommendation I’ve received is to take calcium citrate rather than calcium carbonate (hmmm, you would think my previous rheumatologist would have said something in the past 10+ years about this) because of the “weaker” stomach acid that “older” folks have with absorption (somebody please tell my weaker stomach acid about my GERD 😜). Other than that, I’ve decided, based on my own research and by asking specific questions of my doc, that I’m getting the important nutrients needed to attempt to combat OP and enhance other functions, however, WHEN to take them and which ones assist and which ones compete with each other eludes me.

Does anyone set timers throughout the day to make sure supplements are scheduled so as to give the best advantage for proper absorption and without counteracting others? And, does Medicare offer anything of value as part of its preventive-care programs?

Inquiring minds . . .

Thanks, one and all! Cheers! beanieone out!

I have found that using an app is helpful in determining whether I am consuming all of the necessary nutrients in a day. I use cronometer.com and think it's terrific (easier to use on the computer vs the phone app). It's really eye-opening. I've been inputting my daily nutrition for years but when I miss a day or two, I still have a feel for what I need based on past input. You'd be surprised at what nutrients keep coming up short. I use the daily information to supplement accordingly, taking a multi and calcium, etc only when I've fallen short.

There are nutrients that compete for absorption like calcium and magnesium and calcium and iron but I have to think that when we consume foods in their natural state, they contain a multitude of nutrients that "compete" and that our bodies likely know how to absorb and utilize those nutrients provided our digestion is good. That's just conjecture as there isn't really good data on this and nutrition information keeps evolving and changing. As an example, we had tofu for dinner last night and my husband said "Wasn't tofu good and then bad? Is it good again?". As far as competing nutrients or constituents, there are some extreme examples like spinach which is high in iron and calcium (competing nutrients) and also high in oxalates which inhibit the absorption of calcium so best not to rely on spinach as a good calcium source but rather an occasional food. (by the way, that cottony feel in your mouth when you eat spinach is the oxalates)

Calcium is utilized in the body throughout the day and there's a blood/bone exchange that happens regularly. Your body will always seek to balance your blood levels and so if necessary, will pull calcium from your bones. That is why when you have your blood calcium level checked, it is generally in the normal range. If it's not, it's definitely something to explore further. Calcium is best absorbed in smaller doses throughout the day. They say at a maximum of 500 mg at a time but I think lower doses, around 200-350 mg at a time are best particularly since it is believed that excess supplemented calcium can potentially lead to calcifications of the arteries. And yes, citrate is much better absorbed than carbonate and can be consumed without food unlike carbonate which requires food intake.

All I can say is that I visited someone I would call a gifted endocrinologist (undergrad at Harvard, that is the real test of genius, then graduate work at Johns Hopkins) and he said that a very large percent of supplements are tainted or do not contain what is claimed. He speculated that as I took so many, that was what was likely causing my liver numbers to spike. I dropped almost all of them and switched to Lactaid milk for my calcium needs. I felt better after doing that. Also, my osteo specialist prefers her patients to get calcium from food.

I just had a discussion with my husband’s cardiologist this week, asking what supplements would be helpful to take after getting his stent 2 years ago.
I was confused about so many recommendations, vitamin B complex, Magnesium, vitamin D….
She said, if you eat healthy food, cook from scratch, have fish, fruits and greens on a regularly basis, you should be totally fine.
Still get your bloodwork done on regularly basis, to check if you are missing something, and if you live in Alaska like we do, take vitamin D3 over winter, if you have leg cramps try magnesium.
This said, there are always exceptions, but in general you should be fine without taking a bunch of supplements every day.
Hope this helps ♥️

Well, maybe he was talking about heart health. How many millions of people have osteoporosis? I got it, and I was a middle-aged man with perfect bloodwork, what I thought was a good diet, a runner, and proper weight. Unless you get a bone density test, you could have osteopenia or osteoporosis and never know it - until you break a bone in a suspicious fashion.

For example, try adding up foods in a day to reach 1000mg calcium. It's not easy unless you drink three glasses of milk a day.

The question is do we really need 1000 or 1200 mg if we are getting it all from food? When they came up with those figures were they assuming that people ate poorly, the typical American diet, and should take supplements? I eat very well and only get about 600 - 750 mg of calcium from food in a day. Maybe that's enough. It appears to be for me on Tymlos.

Exactly what I said, there are always exceptions.

Hi,
I currently am taking 600 mg of red algae calcium supplement .
I asked my cardiologist if I can take Algae Cal with Strontium.
He recommended I do NOT as it could cause blood clots. I spoke to Algae Cal reps and they had t had people complain about blood clots but she said to ask my Dr just the same. That said I’ll stick with Naturelo Bone strength calcium (600 mg -4 capsules. I do 2 in the AM, 2 in the PM).

The RDA of 1200 mg is for food and supplementation combined with a maximum of 2000 mg in a day (which really isn't recommended, it's just a cautionary warning). Other countries and the Word Health Organization recommend far less for post menopausal women. I'm like you and can generally get to about 650-700 mg of calcium from food. I don't consume dairy so it's challenging and I need to be very thoughtful about it to make sure I get there. I try to use food as supplementation, eating figs with tahini as a snack when I'm running short on my daily calcium. I might take a supplement at the end of the day of about 300 mg but I prefer not to and questions remain as to whether it's really necessary. I take it mostly out of fear that I might not be getting enough. I think RDA guidelines will eventually be revised downward but until then, we just have to figure out what's right for our bodies which is not an easy task. The only thing that's clear is that calcium from food is protective of the bones and heart. Supplementation is questionable and might even cause harm.

Here's a great article on the subject from Harvard Health:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-calcium-do-you-really-need