- amended opinion - Re: Synthroid and OJ

[Guest guest]

Calcium citrate is soluble in water to about 1g per litre. Calcium

hydroxide is 'slightly' soluble in water, but it can easily be made into

a colloidal suspension, especially if stabilisers like sodium carboxy

methyl cellulose are added. In this case the calcium content of the

liquid can be raised as high as you want - until you can walk on the

stuff (primitive concrete).

Where the hydroxide scores over citrate and chloride is taste - it

doesn't have much (chalky rather than bitter)

I suspect that the hydroxide suspension will react with the citric acid

in the fruit juice to produce calcium citrate anyway.

Ian

Ian Adam

Radiation Safety Officer

The Institute of Cancer Research

Cotswold Road

Sutton

Surrey

SM2 5NG

Tel: 020 8722 4250

Mob: 07791 702 230

Fax: 020 8722 4300

EMail: Ian.Adam@...

>>> katiekabob@... 19/05/2003 09:05:41 >>>

katiekabob wrote:

> I believe that Tropicana is fortified with calcium citrate. All of

the studies I've seen regarding calcium and T4 absorption

> refer to calcium carbonate, but I don't know if this is because the

carbonate is a problem and citrate isn't, or because they only tested

carbonate. I suspect that calcium citrate presents less

> interference, but personally, I wouldn't want to take the chance.

I did a little digging around.

Apparently Tropicana has changed their formula and now uses calcium

hydroxide instead of calcium citrate, making it closer to calcium

carbonate than citrate. Some sources refer to them as interchangeable,

but clearly they're not identical (even though they are both basically

limestone).

I'm leery about T4 absorption and calcium citrate, and more so now of

T4 and calcium enriched Tropicana.

I really, really hope that someone more knowledgeable about this will

write in and clarify the matter. In the meantime, I would avoid all

sources of calcium within 4-5 hours of taking T4.

(not a nutritionist, not a chemist)

NYC