Don't be so sure about the calcium. I've been taking it since my 20s but my spinal bone scan wasn't that great.
If you're not absorbing the calcium, it won't matter how much you take.

DJ--good point. Wonder what would make someone's body absorb the calcium while someone else's body doesn't? Any ideas girls?

JJ

I too have been taking calcium, eating well and exercizing regularly. Unfortunately, I also have a fair amount of bone loss in my spine. I think some of this is genetics.

I wrote about this under the menopause stuff somewhere but if you didn't see it there, here I go again.

I've been thin most of my life and I agree with Meredith and others that genetics and weight have a lot to do with bone loss. I always figured I'm on my feet a lot and running up and down stairs and walking, yet I've got bone loss in my spine. I also hit menopause at age 45 which seems to happen more to thinner women. I also don't eat very well, generally eating sweets and drinking coffee and cutting out the "real food" to not gain too much weight.

So I'm taking Actonel (maybe same thing as Fosamax?) and my doctor says I need to walk more and start eating better, which is tough to do when I'm stressed out, which is most of the time.

Nope, no dark circles. There's just a real big difference in how I feel about myself and about the world depending on how well I'm eating. When I eat right I have more energy, feel more confident, feel more positive about life, feel sexier. Geeze, you'd think I'd eat right all the time!

Utilization of calcium is affected by vitamin D, magnesium, and phosphorus levels. Also by the way in which the calcium is dispensed (i.e. pills, capsules, etc.) Also estrogen affects the level and utilization of calcium in the body. That is why we get osteoporosis at mid life girls.

Bone density is increased by weight bearing exercises.

[ July 09, 2004, 11:54 PM: Message edited by: smilinize ]

Don't take calcium and vitamin C together...the cancel each other. Also, there's a type of citamin C that will be absorbed into the body and another type that won't. Can't remember what it's called though. drats.