Calcium Supplementation following Roux-En-Y: Update

For all of you out there who keep asking about the calcium bioavailability issue...The first randomized, blinded, clinically controlled trial assessing the absorption of calcium citrate vs. calcium carbonate following Roux-En-Y gastric bypass has been conducted. The abstract of this study has been presented at this years 21st Annual ASBS (American Society for Bariatric Surgery) meeting this June. Go to the following web address: www.asbs.org/html/pdf/asbs_abstracts_booklet.pdf to download the meeting abstracts and then scroll down to page 20. As a Doctor of Pharmacy and someone who holds a nutrition degree, appropriate vitamin supplementation is an issue I hold dear to my heart. I urge you, for the sake of your health, to take note of this study in additon to all of the other numerous medical publications that are available. And remember, just because your surgeon/local pharmacist/dietician may have recommended Tums or some other form of carbonate doesn't mean that his/her advice was meant to be misguided-we are all human and all make mistakes! Simply put, the vast majority of practicioners do not study the bioavailablity and pharmakokinetic parameters regarding drug absorption & metabolism to the extent that pharmacology and nutritional reserch analysists do. It is not their job, it is not part of their clinical background, and unfortunately it is not a topic that is widely presented in medical institution facilities. Chances are, if they have told you to take a product containing calcium carbonate they have just not had the exposure to the research and information that is available, or the proper educational background to make a more appropriate recommendation. Feel free to share this information with them, as well as the numerous other medical literary sources that are availble on the topic so that they may make more appropriate recommendations in the future based on scientific evidence based medicine, instead of based on misinformation. The evidence is out there, it's just a matter of getting the word out. If you have questions regarding where to find more sources of information regarding this topic feel free to e-mail me, or check out the National Library of Medicine's website at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and perform your own literature search (key word search: type in 'bioavailability of calcium citrate' or 'calcium citrate AND calcium carbonate AND absorption') .Take care of your health! Sarah A. Fussy, Pharm.D., PhD, BS nutrition science (lap RNY 6/2/03 -140lbs) [email protected]

Sorry, typo- I added an extra letter... the web address is www.asbs.org/html/pdf/asbs_abstract_booklet.pdf Sarah A. Fussy