Question about calcium

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shuttrbg222
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Question about calcium

Post by shuttrbg222 »

So I have been doing low carb/high fat for a while now. I’ve been tracking my lipids and decided it would be safest for me to avoid saturated fats as my LDL-p was climbing quite high. I was concerned about my lack of calcium since I was avoiding dairy. I had my serum calcium tested and it was in the normal range.

I’m afraid of the research about supplementation but I’m also concerned that maybe my levels are normal because my body is sequestering calcium from my bones or teeth. Is that possible? I’ve noticed that my finger nails have all but stopped growing.

Any advice is appreciated. Trying to get advice on low saturated fat keto from keto forums is not helpful.


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circular
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Re: Question about calcium

Post by circular »

shuttrbg222 wrote:So I have been doing low carb/high fat for a while now. I’ve been tracking my lipids and decided it would be safest for me to avoid saturated fats as my LDL-p was climbing quite high. I was concerned about my lack of calcium since I was avoiding dairy. I had my serum calcium tested and it was in the normal range.

I’m afraid of the research about supplementation but I’m also concerned that maybe my levels are normal because my body is sequestering calcium from my bones or teeth. Is that possible? I’ve noticed that my finger nails have all but stopped growing.

Any advice is appreciated. Trying to get advice on low saturated fat keto from keto forums is not helpful.


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You might read through this thread. We end up talking about bone health, a discussion that includes calcium. I've been avoiding calcium supplements for a long time, but I have osteopenia and I'm quite sure I'm not getting enough calcium from food at all. I've decided to supplement some calcium along with magnesium, potassium (or was it phosphorous ... I'm not at home), and boron in the Calm drink powder. I'm using it before bed along with my K2, D3, and melatonin that are also supposed to help with bone health. If I'm not mistaken there is a circadian cycle to bone health and taking these at night may be best.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
circular
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Re: Question about calcium

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shuttrbg222 wrote: I’m afraid of the research about supplementation but I’m also concerned that maybe my levels are normal because my body is sequestering calcium from my bones or teeth. Is that possible?
I would say it's possible. I just came across this explanation of how the body handles its detection of low and high calcium. Basic biology but very interesting to someone like me ;)

Because my coronary calcium scan was zero, and I have osteopenia, plus I eat quite a lot of oxalate and fiber (which bind to calcium), I've decided to start taking some calcium citrate along with my other bone health measures. I think my body needs it more than not. ConsumerLab's pick (effective and cheap) is Soloray Calcium Citrate 1000 mg, which works well for me because it takes four 250 mg tablets to reach 1000. This allows me to take it up to four times a day depending what I'm eating.

I have often heard people sometimes avoid high oxalate foods because they bind calcium (if not for other reasons), but when I looked into that, quite a few are high in both oxalate and calcium, and the calcium apparently may help avoid absorption of the oxalate. I'd rather not lose all the great nutrition in the high oxalate foods, so rather than lower my rather high oxalate consumption, I'm adding calcium to keep those nutrients in and supply my bones. Essentially I probably just won't count the calcium in my vegetables, since I often consume a fair amount of oxalates and fiber at the same time.

Of course I wondered how calcium might play a role in brain health, and no surprise it depends. You don't want it too high (calcium deposits in the brain!) or too low, but it is critical to neurotransmitter production and memory to have enough.

So I think my fear of calcium supplementation in the context of low dietary intake has been unwarranted if not harmful. If anything I probably have been deficient for quite a long time. I increased my goat milk keifer from two ounces a day to 6-8 ounces a day. 8 ounces has 300 mg of calcium (not to mention more probiotics than my two ounces). I find two ounces of goat milk keifer and one 250 mg calcium citrate three times a day may be a good approach. That's 975 mg calcium before what's in food, much or all of which will combine with oxalates and fiber. I eat three eggs in the morning, which adds another 100 or so mg, and I don't eat fiber or oxalates with my breakfast, keifer and 250 mg calcium anymore.

So we'll see how long I keep this up. I'm interested in any thoughts about this.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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Re: Question about calcium

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I took a bone density test last week and discovered I also have ostopenia. My FM doctor recommends that I take at least 90 mcg of K2 mk-7 (Menaquinone-7) a day, along with sufficient vitamin D. Staying active, exercising and especially weight lifting is equally important. Food-wise: it appears that foods fortified with calcium are okay, because you are not getting the sudden high dosage that you would in a supplement. That's based on my own online research, so if anyone has different info or research, I'd love to know. Foods that are high in calcium are kale, beans, almonds, and tofu is very high in calcium WHEN "calcium salt" is an ingredient. Fortified nutmilks and oj are sources too. I've started drinking a glass of oatmilk everyday, in addition to the above recs.
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Re: Question about calcium

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My 2 cents. There is a test, EXAtest, which purports to look at intracellular levels of these electrolytes. Usually need a functional doc to order, though any doc can order. I did it 15.5 years ago when I first presented with afib. I learned my magnesium levels were borderline low and Ca levels high. The ratios are important too. I started supplementing with magnesium (and potassium and taurine) as a way to keep my heart in rhythm. It has worked pretty well. In any case, regarding calcium, 8 years ago went through a divorce. I started stress eating wheels of brie as I thought I had a "pass" since I was on a low carb diet. My afib control dropped materially, I thought it was divorce stress. After about 15 months, I went and reread the literature. Realized calcium excess could be an issue. I quit the brie and my afib control returned to pre-divorce levels, where it remains today. I've had two episodes lasting about an hour each in the last 22 months. Not bad considering I had a 2.5 month episode during the first four months of presenting with afib. Subsequently, I've had a couple of DEXA scans. My T-score in Sept 2017 was 0.7. This means my bone density was 0.7 standard deviations > than the mean of a 30 year old of my sex. I was about 62 at the time. My calcium intake is around 400-500 mg/day, from food. I do consume magnesium to bowel tolerance, which is around 3-4g/day (I know I'm a freak in this way!). I'm male, which may make a difference.
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Re: Question about calcium

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circular wrote:
shuttrbg222 wrote: I’m afraid of the research about supplementation but I’m also concerned that maybe my levels are normal because my body is sequestering calcium from my bones or teeth. Is that possible?
I would say it's possible. I just came across this explanation of how the body handles its detection of low and high calcium. Basic biology but very interesting to someone like me ;)

Because my coronary calcium scan was zero, and I have osteopenia, plus I eat quite a lot of oxalate and fiber (which bind to calcium), I've decided to start taking some calcium citrate along with my other bone health measures. I think my body needs it more than not. ConsumerLab's pick (effective and cheap) is Soloray Calcium Citrate 1000 mg, which works well for me because it takes four 250 mg tablets to reach 1000. This allows me to take it up to four times a day depending what I'm eating.
Well it didn't work well for long. Calcium makes me constipated so I stopped this routine not long after I started it. Magnesium doesn't help because I don't tolerate magnesium well. Haven't found a fix yet.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
Plumster
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Re: Question about calcium

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Well it didn't work well for long. Calcium makes me constipated so I stopped this routine not long after I started it. Magnesium doesn't help because I don't tolerate magnesium well. Haven't found a fix yet.
Would you drink fortified soy milk? It has as much calcium as cow's milk (study) and you get it from food. Other fortified nut milks would work as well. Here's a brief article on the difference between a calcium supplement and calcium-fortified foods. From the same website, you download a guide about osteoporosis: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/store/h ... teoporosis
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circular
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Re: Question about calcium

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Plumster wrote:
Well it didn't work well for long. Calcium makes me constipated so I stopped this routine not long after I started it. Magnesium doesn't help because I don't tolerate magnesium well. Haven't found a fix yet.
Would you drink fortified soy milk? It has as much calcium as cow's milk (study) and you get it from food. Other fortified nut milks would work as well. Here's a brief article on the difference between a calcium supplement and calcium-fortified foods. From the same website, you download a guide about osteoporosis: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/store/h ... teoporosis
I'm on the fence about soy milk. It's occurred to me. When I was on the Okinawa diet years ago I could drink it and not be bloated from it (as long as it was free of stabilizers ... Trader Joe's brand at the time), but nowadays if I drink it I get bloated. I may try it again. I think all the nut milks with added calcium also have stabilizers and just make me bloated, which really impacts any enjoyment I might have drinking them.

Meanwhile I've read the microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite that's in Bone Up or sold as a standalone ingredient neither causes constipation nor blood calcium level spikes. I think I'm going to try Bone Up first. It contains a lot of things I take separately, so I won't need as many separate supplements if it works, but it is high in magnesium citrate, so while I pretty much expect this to fail for me, I'm open to it working.

I'll keep soy milk on the back burner :)
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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Re: Question about calcium

Post by Plumster »

but it is high in magnesium citrate, so while I pretty much expect this to fail for me, I'm open to it working.
I also have trouble with magnesium citrate. The ones that work for me are magnesium glycinate and malate. Hope Bone Up supplement works for you!
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