Does calcium tablets increase weight

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My doctor says that exercise is even better than calcium supplements for helping maintain bone density and prevent fractures. Can you explain why? ANSWER: Both Calcium is an important mineral that your body uses to build and maintain strong bones. Foods that are high in calcium include dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables and certain fish, such as sardines. Various foods and beverages, such as cereals and fruit juices, may be fortified with calcium and vitamin D, as vitamin D enhances absorption of calcium. Calcium in supplement form may help people who can’t get enough calcium from their diet or who poorly absorb calcium because of conditions such as untreated However, recent evidence suggests that increasing calcium intake through supplements has a modest and limited effect on bone density. Calcium supplements also can have certain side effects. They can cause On the other hand, regular exercise that uses a variety of muscle groups and includes some strength training helps you build a protective framework around your skeleton. It also helps you move more easily and improves your balance. Exercise helps decrease your risk of falling and breaking a bone, which is the ultimate concern. Ingesting the recommended daily amounts of calcium primarily through dietary sources and staying physically active appear to be the best approaches to limit your fracture risk. —

There's also good evidence that diets high in "At midlife, women tend to gain one-quarter to one-half a pound per year whether they want it or not, and it all goes to their waist," says Robert Heaney, MD, an internationally recognized expert in bone biology and calcium "We've found that women with the highest dairy intake have an average weight gain of zero, and those with the lowest dairy intake gained a pound per year," Heaney tells WebMD. There's one catch: You also must cut back on calories for weight loss to happen. "Dairy will only help you lose weight if you have reduced calories. If you add it to what you eat all the time, it won't make a whit of difference," Heaney explains. The Science Michael Zemel, PhD, director of The Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, is actually the hero of this tale. In studies of both mice and men, Zemel and colleagues have been the first to show that calcium stored in fat cells plays a crucial role in regulating how fat is processed and stored by the body. The more calcium there is in a fat cell, the more fat the cell will burn -- and the greater the weight loss, Zemel says. The mouse evidence: In one study, Zemel used mice that were specially bred to be obese. He fed the mice a high-fat, high-sugar diet for six weeks. All had a 27% increase in body fat. He then put the mice on a restricted-calorie diet, and gave calcium to two groups of them. The calcium made a big difference. Mice that didn't get any calciu...

Overview What is hypercalcemia? Hypercalcemia happens when you have higher-than-normal levels of calcium in your blood. Hypercalcemia can be mild or severe and temporary or chronic (lifelong). Calcium is one of the most important and common minerals in your body. Most of your body’s calcium is stored in your bones, but you need calcium in your blood as well. The calcium in your blood helps: • Your nerves work. • Make your muscles squeeze together so you can move. • Your blood clot if you’re bleeding. • Your heart work properly. Two hormones called Your body normally carefully controls the level of calcium in your blood, but certain medications and conditions can result in high blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia). What is the difference between hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia? Hypercalcemia and hypocalcemia are medical conditions that both have to do with the amount of calcium in your blood — the difference is how much. In the medical world, the prefix “hyper-” means “high” or “too much.” Hypercalcemia means you have higher-than-normal calcium in your blood. The prefix “hypo-” means “low” or “not enough.” Hypocalcemia means you have lower-than-normal levels of calcium in your blood. Who does hypercalcemia affect? Hypercalcemia can affect anyone at any age, but it’s most common in people assigned female at birth over age 50 (after How common is hypercalcemia? Hypercalcemia affects approximately 1% to 2% of the general population. Most of the cases — about 90% — are due to pr...

When you were a child, your mom may have encouraged you to drink milk to build strong bones. But as an adult, you’re much more likely to take a calcium supplement than down four glasses of milk a day to protect your bone health. However you do it, getting enough calcium is a good idea, since women are far more likely than men to develop But before you unwrap that chocolate-flavored calcium chew or swallow a calcium pill, you should know that taking calcium supplements may not be helping your bones at all. Even worse? The supplements may lead to major health problems The Best Calcium Supplement Is None It’s important to protect your bone strength and guard against fractures as you age, but taking a supplement isn’t the best way to do that, says Multiple studies have found that there’s little to no benefit to taking calcium supplements for the prevention of hip fractures. On the other hand, recent studies have linked calcium supplements with an increased risk of colon polyps (small growths in the large intestine that can become cancerous) and kidney stones, which are hard masses usually formed in the kidneys from an accumulation of calcium and other substances. Additionally, a “I’m very concerned about the potential for calcium supplements to contribute to heart attacks and heart disease,” says Michos. “The body can’t process more than 500 milligrams of calcium at a time. If you take a supplement with more than that, your body has to do something with the excess. It’s possib...

When you were a child, your mom may have encouraged you to drink milk to build strong bones. But as an adult, you’re much more likely to take a calcium supplement than down four glasses of milk a day to protect your bone health. However you do it, getting enough calcium is a good idea, since women are far more likely than men to develop But before you unwrap that chocolate-flavored calcium chew or swallow a calcium pill, you should know that taking calcium supplements may not be helping your bones at all. Even worse? The supplements may lead to major health problems The Best Calcium Supplement Is None It’s important to protect your bone strength and guard against fractures as you age, but taking a supplement isn’t the best way to do that, says Multiple studies have found that there’s little to no benefit to taking calcium supplements for the prevention of hip fractures. On the other hand, recent studies have linked calcium supplements with an increased risk of colon polyps (small growths in the large intestine that can become cancerous) and kidney stones, which are hard masses usually formed in the kidneys from an accumulation of calcium and other substances. Additionally, a “I’m very concerned about the potential for calcium supplements to contribute to heart attacks and heart disease,” says Michos. “The body can’t process more than 500 milligrams of calcium at a time. If you take a supplement with more than that, your body has to do something with the excess. It’s possib...

There's also good evidence that diets high in "At midlife, women tend to gain one-quarter to one-half a pound per year whether they want it or not, and it all goes to their waist," says Robert Heaney, MD, an internationally recognized expert in bone biology and calcium "We've found that women with the highest dairy intake have an average weight gain of zero, and those with the lowest dairy intake gained a pound per year," Heaney tells WebMD. There's one catch: You also must cut back on calories for weight loss to happen. "Dairy will only help you lose weight if you have reduced calories. If you add it to what you eat all the time, it won't make a whit of difference," Heaney explains. The Science Michael Zemel, PhD, director of The Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, is actually the hero of this tale. In studies of both mice and men, Zemel and colleagues have been the first to show that calcium stored in fat cells plays a crucial role in regulating how fat is processed and stored by the body. The more calcium there is in a fat cell, the more fat the cell will burn -- and the greater the weight loss, Zemel says. The mouse evidence: In one study, Zemel used mice that were specially bred to be obese. He fed the mice a high-fat, high-sugar diet for six weeks. All had a 27% increase in body fat. He then put the mice on a restricted-calorie diet, and gave calcium to two groups of them. The calcium made a big difference. Mice that didn't get any calciu...

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My doctor says that exercise is even better than calcium supplements for helping maintain bone density and prevent fractures. Can you explain why? ANSWER: Both Calcium is an important mineral that your body uses to build and maintain strong bones. Foods that are high in calcium include dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables and certain fish, such as sardines. Various foods and beverages, such as cereals and fruit juices, may be fortified with calcium and vitamin D, as vitamin D enhances absorption of calcium. Calcium in supplement form may help people who can’t get enough calcium from their diet or who poorly absorb calcium because of conditions such as untreated However, recent evidence suggests that increasing calcium intake through supplements has a modest and limited effect on bone density. Calcium supplements also can have certain side effects. They can cause On the other hand, regular exercise that uses a variety of muscle groups and includes some strength training helps you build a protective framework around your skeleton. It also helps you move more easily and improves your balance. Exercise helps decrease your risk of falling and breaking a bone, which is the ultimate concern. Ingesting the recommended daily amounts of calcium primarily through dietary sources and staying physically active appear to be the best approaches to limit your fracture risk. —

Overview What is hypercalcemia? Hypercalcemia happens when you have higher-than-normal levels of calcium in your blood. Hypercalcemia can be mild or severe and temporary or chronic (lifelong). Calcium is one of the most important and common minerals in your body. Most of your body’s calcium is stored in your bones, but you need calcium in your blood as well. The calcium in your blood helps: • Your nerves work. • Make your muscles squeeze together so you can move. • Your blood clot if you’re bleeding. • Your heart work properly. Two hormones called Your body normally carefully controls the level of calcium in your blood, but certain medications and conditions can result in high blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia). What is the difference between hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia? Hypercalcemia and hypocalcemia are medical conditions that both have to do with the amount of calcium in your blood — the difference is how much. In the medical world, the prefix “hyper-” means “high” or “too much.” Hypercalcemia means you have higher-than-normal calcium in your blood. The prefix “hypo-” means “low” or “not enough.” Hypocalcemia means you have lower-than-normal levels of calcium in your blood. Who does hypercalcemia affect? Hypercalcemia can affect anyone at any age, but it’s most common in people assigned female at birth over age 50 (after How common is hypercalcemia? Hypercalcemia affects approximately 1% to 2% of the general population. Most of the cases — about 90% — are due to pr...

There's also good evidence that diets high in "At midlife, women tend to gain one-quarter to one-half a pound per year whether they want it or not, and it all goes to their waist," says Robert Heaney, MD, an internationally recognized expert in bone biology and calcium "We've found that women with the highest dairy intake have an average weight gain of zero, and those with the lowest dairy intake gained a pound per year," Heaney tells WebMD. There's one catch: You also must cut back on calories for weight loss to happen. "Dairy will only help you lose weight if you have reduced calories. If you add it to what you eat all the time, it won't make a whit of difference," Heaney explains. The Science Michael Zemel, PhD, director of The Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, is actually the hero of this tale. In studies of both mice and men, Zemel and colleagues have been the first to show that calcium stored in fat cells plays a crucial role in regulating how fat is processed and stored by the body. The more calcium there is in a fat cell, the more fat the cell will burn -- and the greater the weight loss, Zemel says. The mouse evidence: In one study, Zemel used mice that were specially bred to be obese. He fed the mice a high-fat, high-sugar diet for six weeks. All had a 27% increase in body fat. He then put the mice on a restricted-calorie diet, and gave calcium to two groups of them. The calcium made a big difference. Mice that didn't get any calciu...

When you were a child, your mom may have encouraged you to drink milk to build strong bones. But as an adult, you’re much more likely to take a calcium supplement than down four glasses of milk a day to protect your bone health. However you do it, getting enough calcium is a good idea, since women are far more likely than men to develop But before you unwrap that chocolate-flavored calcium chew or swallow a calcium pill, you should know that taking calcium supplements may not be helping your bones at all. Even worse? The supplements may lead to major health problems The Best Calcium Supplement Is None It’s important to protect your bone strength and guard against fractures as you age, but taking a supplement isn’t the best way to do that, says Multiple studies have found that there’s little to no benefit to taking calcium supplements for the prevention of hip fractures. On the other hand, recent studies have linked calcium supplements with an increased risk of colon polyps (small growths in the large intestine that can become cancerous) and kidney stones, which are hard masses usually formed in the kidneys from an accumulation of calcium and other substances. Additionally, a “I’m very concerned about the potential for calcium supplements to contribute to heart attacks and heart disease,” says Michos. “The body can’t process more than 500 milligrams of calcium at a time. If you take a supplement with more than that, your body has to do something with the excess. It’s possib...