elzora's Full Review: Schiff - Super Calcium Magnesium - 90 softgels
My husband takes a lot of vitamins on a daily basis, and we have a vitamin cupboard where we store all of our bottles. I always buy them on sale and stick them away, and sometimes forget what I have stored away! Such was the case when I found a bottle of Schiff Super Calcium-Magnesium Softgels. I don't even remember buying this, but I assume it was a big sale I came across, because the bottle isn't even close to being outdated.
Description
Schiff Super Calcium-Magnesium Softgels come in a dark brown plastic bottle, containing 90 softgels (enough for one month). Because the bottle is so dark, and the label covers up most of the bottle, you can only get a small glimpse of the size of these softgels, through the very bottom 1/4" window.
These are, in fact, very large softgels! They measure 1 1/6" long and are 7/16" wide. They are colored off white and are quite soft, and are bullet shaped with nice rounded ends.
I love the cap on this bottle, the top lifts up to reveal the large opening, and you can remove the softgels without unscrewing the cap. Other Schiff vitamins I have don't have this feature.
Product Claims
The Schiff company makes some appealing claims on their label. First, these are "sure dissolve" softgels, which the back label describes as softgels that are formulated to disintegrate within one hour.
The label uses phrases like "bone care" and "supports healthy bones", and says that the added vitamin D makes for better calcium absorption. Last, there is a circle with a check mark in it, with the words "make the natural choice".
Since I recently had a DEXA bone scan and learned that I have some bone loss, I have been doing a lot of research on vitamin supplements that will help rebuild healthy bone.
My OB/GYN told me a few years ago to take calcium supplements and get weight bearing exercise. I had been doing this, but obviously it wasn't enough. When a second doctor ordered the DEXA, she told me that the body needs other supplements along with calcium in order for the body to utilize the calcium. She wanted me to take vitamin D3, magnesium, and B vitamins.
She explained that vitamin D3 is the natural form of vitamin D, while others like D2 are syhthetic. I like that Schiff uses D3 in their super calcium magnesium formulation. The magnesium is included as well, although it's only 1/3 of what my doctor told me to take. You have to be careful with magnesium, because if you take too much of it, you will end up with diarrhea. I was told to take it until that happens, then back off a little bit, until the bowels are "comfortably loose".
My doctor also told me to take my calcium and magnesium three times a day, and this jives perfectly with the directions on the Schiff bottle. It says to take three softgels a day, but to take one softgel three times a day with meals. Your body can only absorb 500 mg of calcium at a time, and taking mega doses at once does not help. In addition, the label explains that taking more than 2000 mg of calcium a day is "not likely to provide any additional benefit".
Schiff explains how vitamin D helps to regulate the absorption of calcium, and how boron supports bone health. My doctor did mention (when she looked at other supplements I was taking that contained boron), that it was also beneficial to take.
I did do the "acid test" on one softgel. This is something my doctor told me about years ago, since they see x-rays of peoples digestive tracts with entire pills undissolved in them! He said to put a pill in vinegar, since it mimics stomach acid, and if the pill has not dissolved in around 30 minutes, it may not be doing the body much good. Since these claimed to be sure dissolve softgels, I was curious to see what would happen. Not only did the softgel not dissolve in 30 minutes, it had failed to do so in one hour.
Curious about this, I called the company and inquired. I was told that the vinegar test is not accurate and that it was an old wives tale. I asked her what Schiff uses to test these vitamins to assure they dissolve fully, and she said she "thinks" it's hydrochloric acid. She said the stomach also "churns" so you have to jostle the solution as the pill sits in it.
This made me even more curious, was my doctor right or wrong? Because I have many high quality vitamins that have indeed passed my vinegar test. I found a great website called "supplementquality.com", which is loaded with great information. They say this (copied and pasted from site):
1. Place approximately one cup of white vinegar in a small bowl and warm it to 98 degrees or so by placing it inside a larger bowl of water that you "top up" several times with warm water from the tap. (The goal is to keep the vinegar reasonably close to 98 degrees for half an hour.)
2. Drop your multi-vitamin (or other pill) into the vinegar, and jostle it about every five minutes or so by gently shaking or swirling the cup. While you can also stir the mix with a wooden stick or toothpick, be careful not to touch the tablet itself.
3. The tablet should dissolve within 30 minutes. (This is the USP standard for all pharmaceutical tablets.) If it doesn't dissolve within a full hour, it's not doing you much good. Get another brand!
Now, I don't actually know if the Schiff lives up to it's claims or not, but was assured that the company guarantees these will dissolve in one hour. That is a judgement call everyone has to make, and I'd rather my pills, capsules or softgels dissolve faster than one hour.
The other down side that I can personally see to taking these softgels, is they are so huge. I prefer smaller pills, and probably would not buy these again simply based on that fact alone.
I do think that the combination of vitamins in this formula is a good and balanced one for bone health, but my doctor has me on higher amounts of all of the vitamins except the boron. I wish I had found them earlier in my adult life, maybe they would have helped stave off my osteopenia, but I don't think I will be taking them to try to rebuild lost bone, I have found another brand that I feel is superior.
Supports Healthy Bones and Teeth Dietary Supplement Calcium- Regular exercise and healthy diet with enough calcium helps teen and young adult women, w...More at iHerb.com
From Product Label: Super Calcium-Magnesium with Vitamin D and Boron Supports Healthy Bones and Teeth. Manufactured by SCHIFF NUTRITION GROUP.More at Puritan's Pride
Formulated to provide a balanced nutritional approach to bone maintenance, these high- bioavailability softgels combine calcium and magnesium with the...More at Swanson Health Products
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