Question:
What is best form of calcium?

I am 7 weeks post-op,with about 6 feet bypassed (lap mgb). Like many doctors, mine just recommends that we take Tums for calcium, but I have seen some posts on the graduate-ossg board about long-term post-ops running into problems with osteoporosis, even when taking Tums or other calcium supplements. Is there any consensus on what is the most effective way to get calcium? I'd particularly be interested in hearing from those 5 or more years out, especially women...thanks!    — Anna A. (posted on November 1, 2000)

November 1, 2000
Citrate. Calcium citrate with D. Anything else is putting your bones on the line. We are almost EXPECTED to have bone loss after any major wt loss. When you add in the fact that we have lost wt many times, AND have no stomach in which to process calcium OR vit D, we have increased our chances extensively. If we've used caffeine or caobnated beverages, chalk up a few more points against us. 1500mg of calcium CITRATE a day, with D. Any less is asking for trouble.
   — vitalady

November 1, 2000
Melanie, glad you are instructed to take a lot of D. I take about 2400 IU a day, dry form. Since you have some stomach acid to use, this Cal-apatite will probably worok nicely for you. Since I have NO acid at all, I'll need to stay with citrate. It's twice as absorbable as gluconate, so I'll have to stay with the proven model. Since I've already GOT the osteoporosis, my days of experimenting are over. I now use the citrate with D, take extra dry D, Tri-boron and irpriflavone AND a prescription to help with absorption. Of course, had I noticed the signs earlier, I might've avoided it all. I had carbonate stones in 1997, which was a clear indicator that I was not absorbing carbonate. That's the same form as Tums & Viactiv. While I am very distal, the loss occurs in the stomach, mostly. So, even proximals will have trouble absorbing oyster shell or carbonate forms. Osteoporosis hurts. It isn't worth the gamble to me.
   — vitalady

November 2, 2000
KareMor oral absorb spray Osteo-CalMag (calcium/D/magnesium)is the most effective way! www.credden.mybsns.com and as seen in Success Mag in Oct. www.kmiglobal.com/rep/1522 ASBS exhibitor James Redden
   — James R.

November 4, 2000
There is an interesting (and long) legal case on file with the FTC regarding Cal-Apatite eg, MCHC. I read the message posted here earlier stating that MCHC was more absorbable, etc. From what I read in this lawsuit, none of those claims is scientifically substantiated. The address for the case is: http://www.ftc.gov/os/1996/9610/d9267idc.htm I'm going to stick with citrate + D.
   — Helen N.

November 4, 2000
I just finished reading through that conclusion to the 1996 court case against this 'bone builder' company. This was interesting to read, and the judge did conclude that the company had no evidence to back up their claim that their product works any better than any other calcium supplement for preventing and treating osteoporosis. He ordered them to stop making that claim, since they didn't have evindence to back it up. But, now, four years later, we are reading the same claims of superiority of this product. Are these people violating the court order, or has more evidence arisen in those four years to prove that cal-apatite works better than other calcium supplements? Does anyone know the answer to this question? For now, I am going to stick to my calcium citrate + D. My surgeon also says tums are good enough, but I don't believe him. He is an expert on surgery, but unfortunately, not on nutrition.
   — Lynn K.