Posted by Larry Hoover on March 23, 2007, at 9:26:46
In reply to Cal/Mag/Vit D questions, posted by johnnyj on March 21, 2007, at 14:06:26
> Hello
Hey jj. Sorry, your post looks so lonesome, all this time. My capacity is limited, these days.
> I don't sleep well and since I can't drink milk hence I do not get much calcium. I have seen sites that say Cal supplementation is not neccessary but this worries me. I have taken Mag supplements in the past and got terrible insomnia. I haven't taken much calcium for the past couple of years and don't get much sun so I wonder if I may be vit D deficient?
Just to be clear, vitamin D sufficiency is independent of calcium sufficiency/intake, whereas calcium uptake is dependent on vitamin D sufficiency. If you're not getting much sun, and not consuming fish livers/liver oils, then you're likely deficient in D.
> My questions are:
>
> Should I take the Mag in the morning and the Cal at night? And how much???I've always thought of magnesium as sleep promoting. How much do you take?
A total supplement of around 300 mg/day magnesium is generally in the ballpark. Calcium, twice that. There are many variables to consider, however.
> Does it matter when you take a Vit D supplement?No. Once a week or once a day, it doesn't matter. With food, or on an empty stomach. It's total average daily dose that matters. As we learn more about how vitamin D works, the recommended intakes are rising. I think a minimum average intake of 1000 IU is essential. Observable signs of D deficiency don't completely resolve until average intake approaches 4000 IU, but expect medical science to lag a little bit on the intake recommendations.
> Do I do this first before adding calcium?
Doesn't matter.
> It would be nice to get these through foods but I am not sure if I am doing that since I can't eat dairy.
>
> Thank you
>
> johnnyjThere are lots of other foods with calcium. For example, if you eat canned salmon, the high temperature steam processing they use to cook the fish in the tins softens the bones enough that you can eat them. Even if you are fussy and pick the bones out, they're softer because some of the calcium has dissolved into the meat. Of course, you also get your omega-3s that way. Broccoli and other brassicas are high in calcium.
Here's the USDA table for calcium (rank order): http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR18/nutrlist/sr18w301.pdf
For magnesium:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR18/nutrlist/sr18w304.pdfLar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:742865
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20070320/msgs/743419.html