Calcium supplement recommendations

[Cashewchocolate]

Looking for recommendations for a calcium supplement that I do not need to take more than 4 pills for and is not crazy expensive. Or a combo of supplements that would work well together. I am 59 years old and have Osteoporosis in hip and spine. I am presently not taking any medication. Thanks!

[Fruitandnutcase]

Hi, I can see what you’re getting at. I had an awful time trying to get to the right calcium supplement. The first one I was given made me feel really dreadful, it upset my irritable bowel no end. My doctor changed me onto one that was a bit better but I still had to take three a day to get the amount I needed to take to get enough vitamin D - they were combined vit D and calcium.In the end I used this calcium calculator theros.org.uk/information-a... and worked out that I was pretty much getting enough calcium without a supplement so I now do that and I top up every day with 300mcg calcium citrate which is very gentle on my gut.

I use food that I like from the list to top up calcium throughout the day.

I take a vitamin D capsule for 3000IU or less depending on my vitamin D test results at the time and I also take vitamin K2 MK7 to send the calcium to my bones rather than have it hanging around in my bloodstream.

Unfortunately that means I’m still popping quite a few pills - just not calcium x3 throughout the day.

[Mark_ABH]

Hi Cashewchocolate, here's a helpful article from American Bone Health titled "Get the Best Out of Your Calcium Supplement." americanbonehealth.org/nutr...

You should aim to get as much calcium as possible from your diet, and take a supplement only to make up the difference if needed. Don't overdo it with the supplements -- with calcium, more is not necessarily better.

[Bluewoman]

When I need more calcium, I take Viactive chocolate chews (650 mg per chew), I often cut them in half. I also take Prelief, which is an acid reducer. Each tablet has 65 mg of calcium.

[HeronNS]

If your diet is good, as Mark_ABH says, you should not have need for much if any in the way of calcium supplements. However both Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 (not K1) usually need to be supplemented. Vitamin D enables the body to absorb calcium. Vitamin K2 makes sure that calcium actually gets into the bones where you want it, rather than being deposited onto the walls of blood vessels or into organs where it can cause problems.