Reminder about calcium

Just wanted to post a little reminder about calcium.  The ASMBS says we need 1500-2000 mg calcium per day and recommends calcium citrate.  The two most common kinds of calcium found in supplements are calcium citrate and calcium carbonate.  Tums, Viactiv and Caltrate are all calcium carbonate and we don’t absorb that well at all.  We absorb about 4% of the calcium in it so you’d need to take about 60 Viactivs every day to get enough calcium.  No, that’s not a typo.  Optisource also contains calcium carbonate and Bariatric Fusion has a mixture of calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.

Citracal and generic forms of Citracal contain calcium citrate, which is what we need.  It’s hard to find chewable calcium citrate in stores but Celebrate and Bariatric Advantage both make them and you can order online.  Upcal D, which is a powder you can mix in a drink, is also calcium citrate.  You can find liquid forms as well.

Tricalcium phosphate is another kind of calcium found in some supplements and it is also not absorbed well at all.  That’s what’s in Flintstones.  Wellesse, a liquid calcium supplement, contains a mixture of tricalcium phosphate and calcium citrate, so you’ll only absorb some of the calcium in there.

Make sure you take your calcium in doses of 500-600 mg and take them at least two hours apart.  Read the label carefully to see what the serving size is.  Like, Citrical petites have 400 mg per serving but a serving is TWO pills.

Take them two hours away from your iron.

Thanks for the reminder.....

Do they have to be chewable? I hate they taste of them.(But I take them anyway.)

Nope.  The ASMBS says you can swallow them as soon as you can tolerate pills that you swallow.

Thanks so much for this excellent advice. I'm new to RNY (4 weeks), and my doctors didn't tell me the particulars of calcium or the calcium/iron connection. I've appreciated your advice on many other questions and concerns as well. Thanks!

Thank you for the reminder.  This is valuable information for newbies as well as those of us a bit further out.


Cheryl

Kelly

Thanks for the reminder.  I'm still struggling with my calcium - the Upcal hasn't arrived yet.

A note to others on this forum. Citracal Chewies DO NOT contain Calcium Citrate.  They have tricalcium phosphate which is poorly absorbed and are loaded with sugar which can cause dumping.  I tried some pre-surgery, and they sent my blood sugar sky high.

Oh, thank you  for mentioning that about the Citracal chewies.  They are relatively new and I forgot all about that.  Since the other Citracal ones are calcium citrate, I think a lot of us assume the chewies are too.

I had trouble remembering my calcium citrate until I ordered the Calcet creamy bites. I now watch the clock for two hours to go by before I get to have another one. YUM!!! I love both the chocolate and the lemon cream.

Yeah, I watch the clock sometimes too!