Elderly people with osteoporosis, pain not relieved after calcium supplementation? Maybe the calcium is not supplemented into the bones

An elderly friend complained to Huazi that he always felt pain in his waist and legs. He went to the hospital for a checkup and the doctor told him that the pain was caused by osteoporosis and asked him to go home to supplement calcium. He took calcium tablets every day, but the pain did not ease. Was his calcium supplementation method wrong?

Huazi told him that as long as he took qualified calcium tablets, the dissolution rate would not be too bad, and calcium tablets would generally contain vitamin D to promote absorption, so there would usually be no problem with the calcium supplementation method. The reason why his pain did not ease was because the calcium he supplemented was probably not replenished to the bones.

1. Methods of calcium supplementation Traditional Chinese people supplement calcium by drinking bone soup, but this method is actually very inefficient. Because the calcium in bones is very low in solubility, when bones are used to make soup, more fat is dissolved in the soup, so bone soup tastes very good, but the effect of calcium supplementation is very poor. In fact, milk, soy products, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seafood and other foods are rich in calcium. As long as you ensure the diversity of your daily food intake, you will get enough calcium.

However, for people who are seriously calcium deficient or have a relatively simple diet, they cannot get enough calcium through "food supplements" and need to take calcium preparations. Normal people need 800 mg of calcium per day, but teenagers, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, the elderly and other groups need 1200 mg of calcium per day. Usually "food supplements" account for half, so "medicine supplements" account for half, which is enough.

2. Promote calcium absorption. There is a saying that "absorption is the key to calcium supplementation". This statement makes sense because the calcium that people eat is not absorbed efficiently. It needs the help of vitamin D to be absorbed. And when the body takes too much calcium at one time, the absorption rate will be reduced.

Therefore, when supplementing calcium, do not blindly choose large doses of calcium tablets. Taking small doses multiple times is the correct way to supplement calcium. Vitamin D, which promotes calcium absorption, can be synthesized by the human skin, but it needs to be exposed to sunlight. So when the weather is good, you might as well get more sun. However, in cold seasons, people who wear thicker clothes and are not convenient to sunbathe need additional vitamin D to promote calcium absorption.

3. Supplement calcium to bones. Currently, calcium preparations are basically compounded with vitamin D, so there is no big problem with absorption. However, after many people take calcium supplements, the pain caused by osteoporosis does not ease. Why is this? This is because the calcium absorbed by the human body only enters the blood, and it must eventually be supplemented to the bones to complete the task. If the calcium in the blood is not deposited in the bones, it will eventually "pass through the body" and be excreted from the body.

There are two types of cells in human bones: osteoblasts, which are responsible for synthesizing bones; and osteoclasts, which are responsible for breaking down bones to release calcium. Human bones are a dynamic balance maintained by the interaction of the two types of cells. When people enter old age, the role of osteoclasts increases, while the role of osteoblasts decreases, and calcium in the bones will continue to be lost. If this problem is not solved, the calcium supplemented will not reach the bones.

There are two ways to deposit calcium in bones. The first is exercise, mainly resistance exercise. In other words, it is exercise that requires muscle strength to resist external resistance. For example, lifting barbells, sandbags and other exercises can effectively promote osteoblast activity and help calcium deposit in bones.

However, exercise requires certain skills and long-term persistence to see results. For people who already have osteoporosis, improper exercise may cause physical damage. Therefore, the second method is to use drugs, commonly used bisphosphonates, such as alendronate sodium, etidronate disodium and other drugs, which can inhibit the activity of osteoclasts, increase calcium deposition, and improve bone strength to relieve the symptoms of osteoporosis.

To sum up, when osteoporosis causes pain, in addition to calcium and vitamin D supplementation, you should also pay attention to supplementing calcium to the bones. If the pain does not ease after calcium supplementation, you can consult a doctor and use drugs to help calcium deposit into the bones. Regardless of whether the elderly have osteoporosis or not, they should eat more foods high in calcium, get more sun, and exercise more to prevent the occurrence of osteoporosis. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.