Calcium lactate is one of many different calcium salts that you might be consuming when you take calcium supplements or consume calcium in food. Other calcium salts include calcium carbonate and calcium citrate--calcium lactate is among the best absorbed of these. During pregnancy, calcium is a healthy addition to your diet, and calcium lactate in food or as a supplement is a good way to get your calcium.
Calcium Lactate
While calcium is an element, you don't actually consume elemental calcium--in fact, it's very rare in nature. Most calcium in nature occurs in the form of a salt compound, meaning that it exists as a positively charged particle of calcium chemically combined with a negatively charged particle of some sort. The identity of the negatively charged particle varies, and while it affects the solubility of the calcium salt and your ability to absorb the calcium, it doesn't affect the activity of the calcium in your body. Calcium lactate is a very soluble, highly absorbable form of calcium.
Sources
Calcium lactate occurs naturally in some foods, including dairy products. It's also available in pill form. Women older than 18, whether or not they're pregnant, need 1,000 mg of calcium per day. Milk is an excellent source of calcium lactate; there are approximately 300 mg of calcium in a single cup of milk. Other dairy products also contain calcium; some are even more concentrated sources of calcium lactate than plain milk. For instance, a 1-cup serving of yogurt contains 490 mg of calcium--nearly half your daily recommended amount. Pills will vary in their quantity of calcium; many pills contain 300 to 500 mg of calcium each.
Supplements
While it seems convenient to get your calcium lactate in combination with your other prenatal vitamins and minerals, it's actually best to take calcium at a different time of day and in the form of a separate pill. This is because the large amount of iron in prenatal vitamins interferes with absorption of calcium, decreasing the amount of calcium that makes it into your bloodstream.
Other Considerations
Some vitamins, minerals and supplements are toxic if you overuse them. While you shouldn't purposely overuse calcium lactate or other types of calcium, it's not harmful to get a bit more than the 1,000 mg per day recommended during pregnancy. In fact, many pregnant women take extra calcium in the form of calcium carbonate, because heartburn is common during pregnancy, and calcium carbonate acts as an antacid. Calcium lactate doesn't have antacid properties, but it's fine to continue taking your calcium lactate pill as usual even if you're taking additional calcium for heartburn relief.
References
- University of Arizona: Calcium Sources
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
