The RDA for calcium is 1000mg. I probably get about 1000mg on a good day. Apparently you can take up to 1500mg - 2000mg but there is no benefit as it gets ‘washed out’. These values are for your typical person doing their day-to-day stuff. Should athletes be taking more? how much more? is supplementation the best way to go?.
I take TUMS when I’m trying to build up my running…probably all psych…helps me think I’m helping my shin density.
I drink so much skimmed milk that I cannot imagine that I need any calcium supplement.
I do. Very important for females!!!
It’s a good idea to take more if you’re pounding on your bones day to day, because Ca is needed for bone matinence. 1000mg is really not a lot at all and it would not hurt you to take more.
How much do you drink? you would have to drink about 1 liter to get the RDA I think.
How much do you drink? you would have to drink about 1 liter to get the RDA I think.
That’s pretty much what I drink. A 6 liters pack doesn’t laways last the week. You add to that a bit of other dairy products (cheese, yogurt, home made desserts), and I’m there.
Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D or getting some sun. Vitamin D and calcium go hand in hand.
Make sure you get the RDA of vit D to aid absorption. I think most North American milk has vit D added, but it doesn’t over here in the UK.
I do supplement but mostly because I don’t do dairy, too much crap in the stuff. Anyways besides Vit D one must be sure to get enough Magnesium, it allows your body to use the Calcium you give it. RDA is 300mgs. Foods high in Mag are peanuts, tofu, broccoli, spinach, black beans.
Anyways besides Vit D one must be sure to get enough Magnesium, it allows your body to use the Calcium you give it. RDA is 300mgs. Foods high in Mag are peanuts, tofu, broccoli, spinach, black beans.
Funny that you say that…as I just finished eating a peanut bar and have 2 Calcet in front of me. I take Calcets during training and racing too, about every 40 miles on the bike and 6ish miles running. I was getting a dull muscle ache after about 50 miles and couldn’t figure out how to solve it until one day I took a Calcet with me on an 80 miler. No ache. And this was with taking Endurolytes, Thermolytes, Thermotabs, PowerBars, etc. I swear by them now.
I do. 1200-1500 supplemented per day + what I get in my diet. I’m a 30 yr old female with a history of osteoperosis in my family & I just had a bone density test at the strong recommendation of my dr. The test showed thinning already.
It can’t hurt to supplement. Your body will only absorb what it needs anyway. Most of the supplements on the market contain the correct ratio of Ca & Vit. D, and most of them are pretty tasty. Trader Joes chocolate Ca chews…yummie - like eating a candy!
Yes, I love dairy but can’t get enough of it down, so a supplement it is. Calcium-magnesium-potassium combo. From the reading I’ve done, it seems magnesium is the MOST important mineral to combine with the calcium. Also, some claim that calcium can only be absorbed 500mg at a time, so I try to take 1 supplement at lunch and another at dinner.
After breaking my foot this summer, a doctor friend told me about new research that shows significant mineral loss in sweat, especially for endurance athletes. So, while you think you may be getting enough in food, you’re probably losing a lot more than you think. Also, I just met with a bone doctor who insisted that you cannot get enough from just food and must supplement. Especially women, but men also. 500 mg + vitamin D twice a day and keep eating/drinking dairy.
Interesting topic, not sure about triathletes but osteopenia and osteoporosis are very common among cyclists. We have two (male) members of our team who were diagnosed in the last couple of years. This is a very good article from cyclingnews.com. I have started adding calcium supplements after reading this.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=2006/letters01-24#Bone
Probably the real reason why cyclists should weight train, not for performance reasons.
Great point…my doc insisted I start weight training. Swimmers also have notoriously low bone density (unless they incorporate weight training) as it’s a no-impact activity. The good news for triathletes is that running is high-impact and good for bones.