Osteopenia And gluten-free Calcium Supplements?

[hhdavid]

I was diagnosed with osteopenia in my right hip today. Anyone know of any gluten-free calcium supplements? Do I need a vitamin D and a magnesium supplement also? I have a Wal-Mart and a health food store close by, but the closest GNC Nutrition Center is 30 miles away. I don't have medical insurance, so a Rx wasn't an option. I need an OTC.

Sorry if I posted this in the wrong place.

Thanks.

[ENF]

I was diagnosed with osteopenia. I use Caltrate 600-D Plus minerals, which are chewable. I also take MagOx 400 magnesium supplements.

I don'y know if all Caltrate products are gluten free. Nature Made is another good brand that will have gluten free printed on it.

[hhdavid]

Thanks, ENF. I'll get the Caltrate. I've heard some people here are a little wary of Centrum and Centrum Silver.

I appreciate your quick reply!

[Puddy]

I use Citracal Plus with Vit D and Magnesium.....just another option for you.

[tarnalberry]

Yes, you need magnesium - ideally a 2:1 Cal:Mag ratio. (Getting 1000-2000IU vit D3 is a good idea as well, particularly as we head into winter (assuming you're in the northern hemisphere.)

I take Rainbow Lights Food-Based Calcium, which has 500mg Ca, 250mg Mg, and 100IU D3 (I take an additional supplement for the rest). (It also contains glutamic acid; this is gluten free, it's just one of the 20 basic amino acids.)

Exact agreement is lacking, but you don't absorb more than 400 or 500mg at a time, so do take it spread out through the day.

Don't forget to get weight bearing exercise - perhaps just starting with plenty of walking (an hour a day will probably get you about 2.5mi). Weight training can help, but work with someone who knows how to apply it to osteoporsis specifically, because it has to be very high load/low repetition (so much weight that you can only do three or four repetitions) to help spur bone growth. Something like yoga, tai chi, or pilates can also be of great help in developing muscle strength to help keep the body stable and balanced, and reduces the risk of falling. (Yoga's actually been studied for this purpose, though primarily in the 65 and over crowd.)

[kellylynn]

I take the generic version of Citrical + Vit D + Minerals from Walgreens. You can order it from their website. It says "gluten free" on the bottle. I too was diagnosed with osteopenia, and at a very young age (25).

[Wolicki]

The easiest and least expensive way to get your calcium is Tums- I buy the Wal mart brand extra strength. One tablet has 1000mg of calcium. Ther are 160 in a bottle and it costs about $5.

[butterfl8]

I've heard from 2 nutritionists since diagnosis (July) that only 500mg of Calcium is absorbed at a time. So, unfortunatly, if you've had a recommendation for more than that daily, you will have to spread it out like tarnalberry recommended. Good luck!

-Daisy

[kledford]

is the caltrate d plus minerals gluten free? I called them and all they could tell me is they do not add gluten to their product. So is that a yes or a no to being gluten free???

[Austin Guy]

My dad is a physician and recommended Caltrate or the Walmart generic equivilent.