Calcium supplement

[slp]

When I was diagnosed with Crohn's 2 years ago my Gastroenterologist recommended I take a calcium supplement; specifically calcium citrate. He said it was absorbed better than other types of calcium.

Lately I have been hearing about calcium microcrystalline hydroxyapatite (MCHA), and I wonder if anyone has any experience with this, or opinions on calcium supplements for folks with Crohn's. I have osteoporosis and want take a supplement that I can absorb.

Thank you!

 

[Jennifer]

Hi and welcome to the forum! There's a great entry on the forum's wiki about calcium. Here's some of the information:

"The two main forms of calcium in supplements are carbonate and citrate. Calcium carbonate is more commonly available and is both inexpensive and convenient. Due to its dependence on stomach acid for absorption, calcium carbonate is absorbed most efficiently when taken with food, whereas calcium citrate is absorbed equally well when taken with or without food. Calcium citrate is also useful for people with achlorhydria, inflammatory bowel disease, or absorption disorders." http://www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/Calcium

 

[slp]

Thank you, Crabby, for the warm welcome and the pointer to the wiki on calcium.

 

[UnXmas]

I have osteoporosis. My doctor prescribed me a combined calcium/vitamin D supplement even though I wasn't actually deficient in calcium, which I thought was a bit pointless. The research I read said it wouldn't be beneficial to osteoporosis to have extra calcium. I also think the supplement messes up my digestion a bit - for some reason all vitamin pills upset my stomach. I don't think it can help absorbtion if if it's making my digestion worse!

I know it's true that with Crohn's we can be prone to calcium deficiency. Also you need enough vitamin D to absorb calcium. You get vitamin D from the sun mostly but, again, sometimes with Crohn's we can become deficient for some reason!

Sorry but I don't know about the specific types of supplements and absorbability. I would think the best thing to do would be make sure you tolerate it (that it doesn't upset your digestion), and then get your blood checked after the appropriate time to test your calcium and Vit D levels. I'd imagine your doctor would plan to monitor it anyway? And make sure you tell them if you get really sick with vomiting or diarrhoea for an extended period, because that could lead to malabsorption too.

Are you on other treatments for osteoporosis? It's really difficult managing both conditions because the osteoporosis treatments are known to be hard on the stomach, and the treatments for Crohn's can worsen osteoporosis too! It's difficult to find a balance.

 

[Beatit]

Calcium is important because with crohns you pee all of it out and through your stools. My bones have gotten weak with crohns you can see it but I am getting my calcium now and feel better now.

 

[Beatit]

Holding the water in your colon as you absorb it through the colon is important. Thats where most of the calcium comes in.

 

[elfgibson]

what kind of calcium supplements do all take, the doctor at Vanderbilt suggested the Viactiv Calcium, Plus D, Milk Chocolate, Soft Chews - 100 soft chews and check with PC in a few weeks to check levels. All other blood work was normal

 

[ciro]

Many people today are taking extra calcium to prevent osteoporosis. Some nutritionists suggests that this is not the best approach.

The issue is that increased calcium will indeed lead to greater bone mineral density (BMD). But this effect lasts only temporarily. At the same time, you will exhaust the regenerative abilities of the bones sooner.

I would say that it's wise to consume only recommended calcium doses, not exceeding them (not more than 1300 mg of calcium per day). It can be supplemented with vitamin D and Magnesium which both aid calcium metabolism.

Also, instead of taking supplements it’s more natural for the body to utilize calcium from everyday diet. Here is an example of calcium rich foods: foodtips.org/calcium-foods

 

[BayAreaChronie]

http://www.drugstore.com/citracal-calcium-citrate-with-vitamin-d-petites-coated-tablets/qxp17278

Havent started these yet but couldnt find any citrate pills that were small enough with a higher percentage of the daily recommendation