Does high dietary calcium have risks, or just if it's supplemental?

[shesprints]

Common sense tells me that getting a lot of calcium in my diet can't be that bad. I don't supplement, but I do routinely get up to or even over 2000mg a day... just from eating a lot of green leafy vegetables, moderate servings of dairy foods, and then something like Halo Top for dessert. I don't take any supplements apart from D3 (I'm chronically deficient, maybe because I have dark skin) and fish oil (for anxiety and depression).

Should I consciously cut back on my calcium intake, to something more reasonable like 1500mg? Or just not worry?

I tend to worry too much.

[Mrpb]

I don't know. This may be interesting, I haven't read it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3820054/

[shesprints]

Yeah, I've seen similar studies.

"Calcium loading from supplements, i.e., bolus consumption of large amounts in one dose, may be more likely to contribute to arterial calcification than smaller doses from foods over a day, especially in older adults."

That's what I was referring to--I'm a 29-year-old female with no kidney disease or high blood pressure. The study refers to older adults taking supplemental calcium who also have kidney disease.

Looks like science has not yet answered this question. I can't find studies on high calcium intake among young female populations.

[Jesse_l_g]

From what i understand as long as you get enough k2. You might look into a D3 supplement that also has k2. I like the drops from Thorne Research. k2 is necessary to shuttle calcium around the body so it isn't deposited in your arteries or create bone spurs.

K2 is a fat soluble vitamin that doesn't recycle in the body so you should to be eating enough grass fed organ meats, pastured egg yolks and things like that regularly if not supplementing it.

Although i also suspect you can get enough from what your own gut bacteria produces if you have a healthy gut flora.

[Heisman2]

Sorry for not getting to this earlier, I've been swamped.

Read here: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Ca...ofessional/#h8

[WonderPug]

I don't believe one is prone to exceed the ULs* for calcium from anything approaching a rational diet, but with supplementation, it can be a problem.

And if you're eating foods that provide over 2 grams of calcium, that would imply you're eating, for example, more than two pounds of spinach and a liter of milk per day, which would be a tad bit surprising.


* One should also consider total micronutrient intake, as that is likely to be more balanced from a rationally composed diet.

[Michaelipika]

Common sense tells me that getting a lot of calcium in my diet can't be that bad. I don't supplement, but I do routinely get up to or even over 2000mg a day... just from eating a lot of green leafy vegetables, moderate servings of dairy foods, and then something like Halo Top for dessert. I don't take any supplements apart from D3 (I'm chronically deficient, maybe because I have dark skin) and fish oil (for anxiety and depression).

Should I consciously cut back on my calcium intake, to something more reasonable like 1500mg? Or just not worry?

I tend to worry too much.

I suggest you should cut back to probably some where around 1500mg. Calcium is definitely an essential nutrient for our body but as is right for everything else, even excess of calcium is bad. It can lead to this condition called hypercalcemia. It won't matter if you're taking it from natural food sources or supplements.

[shesprints]

I think it's that I eat a lot of collard greens (8oz, a typical portion, = >500mg).
They're cheap and easy to prepare, so I have them with breakfast often. That's the biggest source of calcium in my diet and honestly that's really easy to change.

[WonderPug]

^^^ But even that portion contains about 800 mg of calcium, so it's not a huge concern (though it is a strong sign of fondness for collard greens). And, again, even the UL should be considered not in isolation but in context of all nutrients as Jesse alluded to.

[shesprints]

^^^ But even that portion contains about 800 grams of calcium, so it's not a huge concern (though it is a strong sign of fondness for collard greens). And, again, even the UL should be considered not in isolation but in context of all nutrients as Jesse alluded to.

They are maybe my favorite vegetable. Actually, my favorite vegetable is "Chinese broc****", but that's hard to find in mainstream stores; collard greens taste similar to me. One good thing is that collards do also contain a lot of Vitamin K, though NOT a lot of magnesium.

I really eat a very balanced diet, mainly whole foods: vegetables of all kinds, fruits, meats, starch sources like potatoes and home-cooked whole grains (oats, teff, polenta, beans), and 1 dessert-type treat per day. Other than that, the main 'junk food' (processed food) I like is Thomas's Light English Muffins. My dad eats them all the time and I developed a taste for them when I lived at home. They have added calcium. But they're also very delicious. Anyway, when I track on cronometer, all of my nutrients apart from calcium are ideal. But I want to get my calcium in line as well. I will say that I'm never above the upper limit of 2500mg.

[WonderPug]

^^^ Chinese broc**** is awesome and as we're both New Yorkers, it can be found (easily in some parts of the city). I'm not sure why it isn't more common in many mainstreams supermarkets, but I noticed Whole Foods (at least the one near more) often has it cooked in the salad bar.

Anyway, it sounds like your diet (including your affair with Thomas) is likely highly nutritious and rationally balance, so just your current level of mindfulness about total calcium intake is likely all that is needed (beyond the obvious of avoiding additional intake by supplementation).


EDIT: Why is Chinese broc[deleted] being auto edited to broc****??? What am I missing?

[shesprints]

^^^ Chinese broc**** is awesome and as we're both New Yorkers, it can be found (easily in some parts of the city). I'm not sure why it isn't more common in many mainstreams supermarkets, but I noticed Whole Foods (at least the one near more) often has it cooked in the salad bar.

Anyway, it sounds like your diet (including your affair with Thomas) is likely highly nutritious and rationally balance, so just your current level of mindfulness about total calcium intake is likely all that is needed (beyond the obvious of avoiding additional intake by supplementation).


EDIT: Why is Chinese broc[deleted] being auto edited to broc****??? What am I missing?

Hm, the WF on the UES doesn't tend to have it in the salad bar and tbqh I hate salad bar food anyway, I'm always grossed out by how many people have touched it. Plus the oils they use aren't ideal.

Oh, yeah, the brocc*li thing. There's been a spammer whose URL contained something like C-O-L-I so the forum mods censored it.

Welcome back.

[WonderPug]

^^^ Whole Foods does seem to have an obsession with canola oil. They even have olives packed in canola oil. Olives! Canola oil! There's a disconnect.

Thanks, re: welcome back.

P.S. The WF in Tribeca has the **** vegetable.

[shesprints]

^^^ Whole Foods does seem to have an obsession with canola oil. They even have olives packed in canola oil. Olives! Canola oil! There's a disconnect.

Thanks, re: welcome back.

P.S. The WF in Tribeca has the **** vegetable.

Well, the olive and olive oil industry is in chaos and has been for awhile. It's an open secret that most "olive" oil sold pretty much anywhere but Italy and Greece is heavily adulterated with other oils. My mom works with Italian food manufacturers and tells me all about how much better their regulatory industry is than ours. [That said, organized crime does also play a part even in Italy... srs].

I basically never buy olives or olive oil in America. Maybe at Eataly.

[Zenoboy]

I consume at least 1500mg of calcium every day just from milk alone.

[WonderPug]

Interestingly, Costco's house brand of EVOO routinely tests as pure. That said, it's sad that we can't trust the labels even at "high end" markets.

[shesprints]

I consume at least 1500mg of calcium every day just from milk alone.

^^^ Yeah, I kind of have to wonder what happens to people who do GOMAD... heck, I don't even DRINK milk and my calcium is up there.

[chemo29]

that portion contains about 800 grams of calcium

damn that's pure mineral

[WonderPug]

damn that's pure mineral

damn that's pure mineral

Wow, now that's a bad type. 1,000x wrong on my part. Edited now.