Re: recommend calcium supp personally?

October 22, 2002

I am a DS graduate, so there is the issue of malabsorption to guard

against, just as with the distal RnYers. Therefore, I take 12

Vita4Life (http://www.vita4life.net) a day (4, 4 and 4, morning, noon

and evening). Vita4Life costs less than $50/month if you order

three months' worth at a time, and it has all the vitamins and

calcium (citrate) and iron (fumarate) that you need in it. It was

actually designed with the RnY in mind.

My labs are fine. Prior to switching to Vita4Life, I was mixing and

matching my own, taking about 2000 mg of Citracal (calcium citrate)

plus another set of calcium carbonate pills because they had

magnesium in them, plus extra vitamin D (needed by the body to absorb

the calcium), plus 3 ADEKs, and with all that, my parathyroid hormone

(PTH) was above the normal range, indicating possible bone

demineralization. After only 6 weeks on Vita4Life, my PTH dropped

dramatically into the middle of the normal range (went from 85 to

25). For RnY folk, their guideline is to take 4/day for proximal,

8/day for medial, and 12/day for distal.

My only gripe is that Vita4Life is absolutely loaded with iron, and

neither men nor post-menopausal women need all that iron (I'm not

sure whether all RnY folk do need it, both men and women). If a

person has a condition called hemochromatosis, iron accumulates in

the tissues and can be harmful. Somebody wrote on another list of

assertions that excess iron has been implicated in colon cancer. So,

I wish that they would come out with a version of Vita4Life that has

no more thyan the RDS of iron, or better yet, none at all.

YMMV,

Steve

At 11:46 AM -0400 10/22/02, lacorona@... wrote:

>would any who want to help please email me and let me know the brand of

>calcium citrate you take and what amounts. Need brand names for my suport

>group people.

>

>WIll you also tell us brand name of your vitamins that you take, the

>multi-vitamins that is.

October 22, 2002

I am a DS graduate, so there is the issue of malabsorption to guard

against, just as with the distal RnYers. Therefore, I take 12

Vita4Life (http://www.vita4life.net) a day (4, 4 and 4, morning, noon

and evening). Vita4Life costs less than $50/month if you order

three months' worth at a time, and it has all the vitamins and

calcium (citrate) and iron (fumarate) that you need in it. It was

actually designed with the RnY in mind.

My labs are fine. Prior to switching to Vita4Life, I was mixing and

matching my own, taking about 2000 mg of Citracal (calcium citrate)

plus another set of calcium carbonate pills because they had

magnesium in them, plus extra vitamin D (needed by the body to absorb

the calcium), plus 3 ADEKs, and with all that, my parathyroid hormone

(PTH) was above the normal range, indicating possible bone

demineralization. After only 6 weeks on Vita4Life, my PTH dropped

dramatically into the middle of the normal range (went from 85 to

25). For RnY folk, their guideline is to take 4/day for proximal,

8/day for medial, and 12/day for distal.

My only gripe is that Vita4Life is absolutely loaded with iron, and

neither men nor post-menopausal women need all that iron (I'm not

sure whether all RnY folk do need it, both men and women). If a

person has a condition called hemochromatosis, iron accumulates in

the tissues and can be harmful. Somebody wrote on another list of

assertions that excess iron has been implicated in colon cancer. So,

I wish that they would come out with a version of Vita4Life that has

no more thyan the RDS of iron, or better yet, none at all.

YMMV,

Steve

At 11:46 AM -0400 10/22/02, lacorona@... wrote:

>would any who want to help please email me and let me know the brand of

>calcium citrate you take and what amounts. Need brand names for my suport

>group people.

>

>WIll you also tell us brand name of your vitamins that you take, the

>multi-vitamins that is.

October 22, 2002

You mention that Vita4life is loaded with iron. Too much iron is rarely

a problem for an adult. The body is very careful about how much iron it

absorbed. I did not save the article, but it was reported that the only

people who have a problem with absorbing too much iron are of European

descent and have a hereditary condition that is the cause of the

problem. You probably should be more concerned about the 40,000 IU of

vitamin A (palmitate), which is 4 times the recommended daily upper

limit.

Ray Hooks

For WLS nutrition info, visit

http://www.bariatricsupplementsystem.com

Steve Goldstein wrote:

>

> I am a DS graduate, so there is the issue of malabsorption to guard

> against, just as with the distal RnYers. Therefore, I take 12

> Vita4Life (http://www.vita4life.net) a day (4, 4 and 4, morning, noon

> and evening). Vita4Life costs less than $50/month if you order

> three months' worth at a time, and it has all the vitamins and

> calcium (citrate) and iron (fumarate) that you need in it. It was

> actually designed with the RnY in mind.

>

> My labs are fine. Prior to switching to Vita4Life, I was mixing and

> matching my own, taking about 2000 mg of Citracal (calcium citrate)

> plus another set of calcium carbonate pills because they had

> magnesium in them, plus extra vitamin D (needed by the body to absorb

> the calcium), plus 3 ADEKs, and with all that, my parathyroid hormone

> (PTH) was above the normal range, indicating possible bone

> demineralization. After only 6 weeks on Vita4Life, my PTH dropped

> dramatically into the middle of the normal range (went from 85 to

> 25). For RnY folk, their guideline is to take 4/day for proximal,

> 8/day for medial, and 12/day for distal.

>

> My only gripe is that Vita4Life is absolutely loaded with iron, and

> neither men nor post-menopausal women need all that iron (I'm not

> sure whether all RnY folk do need it, both men and women). If a

> person has a condition called hemochromatosis, iron accumulates in

> the tissues and can be harmful. Somebody wrote on another list of

> assertions that excess iron has been implicated in colon cancer. So,

> I wish that they would come out with a version of Vita4Life that has

> no more thyan the RDS of iron, or better yet, none at all.

>

> YMMV,

>

> Steve

>

> At 11:46 AM -0400 10/22/02, lacorona@... wrote:

> >would any who want to help please email me and let me know the brand of

> >calcium citrate you take and what amounts. Need brand names for my suport

> >group people.

> >

> >WIll you also tell us brand name of your vitamins that you take, the

> >multi-vitamins that is.

>

> Homepage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG

>

> Unsubscribe: mailto:Graduate-OSSG-unsubscribe

>

October 22, 2002

>>> Too much iron is rarely a problem for an adult. The body is very

careful about how much iron it

> absorbed. I did not save the article, but it was reported that the only

people who have a problem with absorbing too much iron are of European

descent and have a hereditary condition that is the cause of the

problem.<<<

I agree that it is rare for adults to have to much iron BUT it isn't

impossible nor is it limited to European descent or a hereditary condition.

My labs keep coming back with my iron levels to high and I do not take

iron, have never taken iron or even a multi with iron -- I don't eat iron

foods. Honestly, even Flintstones with iron (in the beginning) made me

sick -- 20 years ago my pre-natal iron made me sick (throw-up sick) Iron has

ALWAYS made me sick and food that is high in iron makes me sick feeling too.

In the past I have been borderline anemic from time to time but since my

WLS my levels have steadily gone up and up and up till now they are above

the " normal " anything... even though I'm over 2 years I have to draw blood

every 3 months now to watch my iron and see if it is going to keep going

higher (for no apparent reason *shrug*)

Always someone who doesn't " fit " the mold -- that would be me and my iron

levels... I will post when we find out / if we find out / the " why " but so

far, no luck -- we tested for the obvious diseases that would push the iron

up and those are fine.

We do another in December (early) and if it is higher we talked about me

donating blood to see if that would lower the levels -- haven't done near

the research I need to... just hoping this is a " strange " thing that will go

away but if it doesn't by December I'll be doing a ton of research and will

report in.

LOL... all that to say we can get to much iron -- it isn't common but it

can happen.

hugz,

~denise

October 22, 2002