Calcium content of dairy sourced calcium from casein protein shakes

[cardinalfan]

Hi. I have some casein protein shake powder that claims it has 623mg of calcium per serving. I'm thinking I can pretty well cover my calcium needs with one morning, and one evening shake. Does anyone have any thoughts on this approach? Effectiveness? What percentage of this is actually absorbed? Any thoughts on this are appreciated. Thanks!

[yogalibrarian]

Supplements (including your protein shake) are designed to fill the gap between the nutrients you are getting from your diet and your daily requirements. In other words, it's best to figure out what nutrients (such as calcium and protein) you are getting from your food and then figure out the gap you need to fill. And that may vary from day to day, depending on what you are eating.

Women over 50 and men over 70 need about 1,200 mg of calcium per day from ALL SOURCES (diet and supplements). There is no established benefit to consuming more. And there may be harms from consuming much more (or approaching the upper limits).

Try to get as much of your calcium as possible from food rather than supplements. And remember, your body can only metabolize about 500-600 mg of calcium at a time.

People also need vitamin D in order to metabolize calcium. Many of us need a vitamin D supplement because it is hard to get enough from food sources and most of us do not get enough from the sun (sun-screen, latitude, cloud cover, indoor activities, etc.). And protein requirements vary by gender and body size.

There was a great article on protein supplements in Kaiser Health News a couple of years ago. There is a copy on the American Bone Health website. "Why Older Adults Should Eat More Protein (And Not Overdo Protein Shakes)." americanbonehealth.org/nutr...

The protein shakes may be a good alternative if you don't have access to good quality food (live in a food desert or food swamp where your access is largely highly processed or junk food) or you have malabsorption or digestive issues. If you have medical issues that make protein supplements necessary, talk with your health care provider. (Medicare might cover a session with a nutritionist or dietitian.)

[cardinalfan in reply to yogalibrarian]

THANK YOU! THAT IS A GREAT ARTICLE! I've always considered protein shakes from dairy sources as food. Because I've looked at them as being concentrated milk. I've been telling my sisters and their husbands about getting increased protein, for years. That they need to increase their protein intake to prevent Sarcopenia. I see that it benefits much more than that. Overall quality of life. I Really Appreciate your sharing of the information.

[Aerobics-Instructor]

If you don't consume milk, yogurt, cheese, puddings, or hot cocoa daily, then it sounds like your shake is probably a great solution. If you ARE already consuming 3 servings of these foods a day, then be careful not to overdo it. I was happily consuming 1200 to 1600 mg a day when my doc had me do a 24hr urine calcium test and found out I was way over the limit (despite my parathyroid and blood calcium levels being normal.) Now she's put me on a low calcium diet!

[cardinalfan in reply to Aerobics-Instructor]

Thank You! I consume all of those dairy foods on a regular basis. I'll have to re-evaluate all of my overall calcium consumption. Along with the Calcium intake, I always try to consume enough water to help prevent kidney stones. Thank you for the information.