Why does every country have different dosage recommendations for calcium, as well as other vitamins?

[SpaghettiIsGood]

In the u.s., the guideline is to get 1200 mg of calcium if over a certain age and to get 800 iu's of vitamin d.

How can these numbers differ depending on where you live? A fact is a fact, no matter what country it's in.

[Met00]

It just shows the scientists don't agree with each other! It's the same with medications. For example, strontium ranelate is approved in the UK but not the US, while Romosozumab (Evenity) is approved in the US and parts of the UK but not England!

[SpaghettiIsGood in reply to Met00]

Makes me think that each countries' powers that be stand for different things, which then get reflected in the laws.

[MollyStark]

I agree. You can't even buy paracetamol in some countries at the dose we can buy it here in the UK - available everywhere for less than 50p a box!

[SpaghettiIsGood in reply to MollyStark]

Does this mean that countries' leaders of the land and medics make the actual truth that's agreeable to them and not what the truth actually is?

[SpaghettiIsGood]

We only get web search results from within our countries, so we're only getting our own countries' truths.

I should look into how to get the world's search results, instead of just my local results.

It would be interesting to see each other's search result web pages. Let me post one now.

This link from the u.s. is about the pros and cons of osteoporosis drugs. The author, consumer reports, assesses things objectively from a consumer's perspective and is a private company that sells the information they discover in the form of a subscription.

consumerreports.org/cro/201...

[HeronNS in reply to SpaghettiIsGood]

And, depending where you live, you may have access to this publication through your public library card! Medical literature can sometimes be accessed through medical libraries, again, depending where you live. I live in a community where I have accesss to many magazines through my library card, plus the medical school library is open to the public.

[FearFracture]

The calcium thing is kind of weird. 60% of the world population is lactose intolerant, so if they aren't getting calcium from dairy products, which let's face it, is the most convenient source of calcium, you really have to wonder if they are getting the recommended amounts.

Also, how you consume calcium is just as important, if not more important, than how much you consume. For instance, if on Monday, you ate nothing all day long, and at dinner, you ate 3 slices of cheese pizza topped with broccoli and drank 3 eight oz glasses of milk, and on Tuesday, you ate 1 slice of cheese pizza topped with broccoli and drank 1 eight oz glass of milk for breakfast, lunch, and supper, with approximately 6 hours between each meal, your body will/should absorb way more calcium on Tuesday than it did no Monday. So, maybe the US recommends more calcium to encourage more servings of calcium throughout the day, or maybe it has something to do with the National Dairy Council

One of the most interesting things I have learned while doing research on how to help my bones is that the primary function of calcium is to send electrical impulses throughout our bodies. If you don't have the needed amount of calcium in your blood for your body to operate properly, the parathyroid glands will release PTH to get the calcium from somewhere--your bones or your kidneys. One thing I haven't found an answer to is how does the PTH decide where to get the calcium from first, meaning, once the parathyroid gland releases PTH, does it 1st go to your kidneys to see if it can get the needed calcium, or does it go to your bones 1st, or does it simultaneously go to both.

My thought is if you want to prevent calcium from being leached from your bones, making sure you get several doses of calcium throughout the day to help maintain calcium blood levels, might help. I take a calcium citrate supplement right before I go to bed every night. That way if my body needs calcium it should have access to it and also, because I have hypothyroidism and have to take 75 mcg of levothyroxine every morning when I first get up and am, therefore, supposed to avoid calcium for the next several hours, by giving my body some calcium late at night, I'm hoping to avoid a dip in my blood calcium levels and thus prevent the parathyroid gland from sending PTH to my bones for calcium.

[SpaghettiIsGood in reply to FearFracture]

That sounds reasonable to me. I haven't studied pth and parathyroid gland, but it is a good question you asked.

[HeronNS in reply to SpaghettiIsGood]

If you are interested in basic information for the layperson concerning secondary causes of osteoporosis, here is a link:

osteoporosis.ca/medical-con...

[SpaghettiIsGood in reply to HeronNS]

If a person finds that their osteoporosis is due to a secondary cause, does that change the way it's treated, or, is the secondary cause treated along with treating osteoporosis?

[HeronNS in reply to SpaghettiIsGood]

Well, if there' a problem with the parathyroid no osteoprosis treatment is going to help - one good reason to have yourself tested before starting any medications. Once that's treated I've heard of patients whose bone thinning reversed naturally, rather than simply the bone loss stopping, but I do not know what else they might have done, such as the usual natural treatments, or medication.... Good question!

[SpaghettiIsGood in reply to HeronNS]

That's crucial! Yet, in all my research, every thing I read didn't explain it as clearly as you just did.

[HeronNS in reply to SpaghettiIsGood]

Oh dear, please know that I have no medical training. All I say is from my own reading, and from what others have said. You will find that people who have had parathyroid issues will say the same thing - get that tested before you agree to any of the heavy-duty osteoporosis meds. Even if you have apparent other risk factors (age, pre-existing fracture, medications). Doctors should not make assumptions before prescribing bone meds.

[HeronNS in reply to FearFracture]

I'm a bit confused - are you referring to the thyroid or to the parathyoid glands? I know either of them can affect calcium absorption, etc, but they are different glands. Do they work together, like the parathyroid reacting to how the thyroid is working and vice versa?

[FearFracture in reply to HeronNS]

Correct. The thyroid and parathyroid glands are different glands and have different functions. I was talking about both.

The parathyroid glands regulate calcium levels in the blood. I have hypothyroidism, which is a thyroid condition. Because I have hypothyroidism, I take 75 mcg of levothyroxine daily. Generally, it is recommended that you take levothyroxine first thing in the morning because it is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach. Additionally, you aren't supposed to eat for at least 30 minutes after taking it. You are also supposed to avoid calcium for 4 hours after taking levothyroxine because calcium can interfere with the absorption. That means, when I get up in the morning, after taking my levothyroxine, I avoid calcium for a few hours, but as a way to possibly keep my calcium levels from dropping between when I eat dinner and 4 hours after I get up in the morning, I take a calcium citrate supplement right before I go to bed.

[HeronNS in reply to FearFracture]

Calcium is in other foods besides dairy and some would say in a better form than from animals. They include leafy greens and some nuts. Green leaves are also a good source of magnesium because magnesium is to plants what iron is to animals and a central element in chlorophyll. Magnesium is one of the things which helps the bones absorb calcium.

[SpaghettiIsGood]

Whoever mentioned the half life of vitamin d, thank you! I was taking baby drops of 400 iu with each 500 mg serving of calcium, and therefore was bringing the bottle and a spoon to dispense. My life is easier, thanks to your post! Now I just take 1 1000 mg gummy vitamin D3 in the a.m. and one in the p.m.!