Calcium gluconate and bone health after stomach surgery in people and mice
What it found
Calcium gluconate improved bone density in five people who had stomach surgery.
It also worked better than calcium carbonate for bone health in mice lacking stomach acid.
What they found
Studies in people
Bone changes after surgery
Bone samples from 26 people with stomach surgery showed signs of overactive bone-remodeling cells. The bones also had poor calcium distribution compared to healthy people.
Bone density in people
Five people who had stomach surgery and enough vitamin D took calcium gluconate alone for at least 6 months. Their bone density rose significantly.
Animal and lab studies
Gluconate versus carbonate in mice
In mice bred without stomach acid, calcium gluconate kept bone metabolism working better than calcium carbonate did.
What the authors conclude
- They say stomach surgery is linked to serious bone softening, marrow scarring, and poor calcium placement in the bone.
- They found that calcium gluconate raised bone density in people who had this surgery.
- They note it outperformed calcium carbonate at restoring normal bone balance in mice without stomach acid.
How it was done
People who have had stomach surgery, or who take long-term acid-blocking medicines, often absorb less calcium from food. This can raise their risk of broken bones.
Researchers examined bone samples from 26 people who had stomach surgery. They also tracked 5 similar patients who took calcium gluconate for at least 6 months. Separately, they tested calcium gluconate against calcium carbonate in mice bred to lack stomach acid.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- Only five people were followed over time, so scientists do not yet know if the results apply widely.
- The mouse work used animals bred to lack stomach acid, which may not match every person taking acid-blocking pills.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
The paper
- Title
- Calcium gluconate supplementation is effective to balance calcium homeostasis in patients with gastrectomy
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Krause M, Keller J, Beil B, et al (2015). Calcium gluconate supplementation is effective to balance calcium homeostasis in patients with gastrectomy. Osteoporosis international. doi:10.1007/s00198-014-2965-1PubMed 25391248DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error