Adequate calcium intake is essential to bone health, but--despite your best efforts to eat a balanced diet--you may not be getting enough. Calcium supplements can augment your diet and help build and support healthy bones. With a few tips on how to purchase calcium supplements and the best way to take them, you can take a step closer to ensuring your bone health.
Calcium and Bone Health
Calcium is one of the most essential minerals in the body. It facilitates healthy functioning of the heart, nerves and muscles, and it is vital in maintaining and developing healthy bones and teeth. Insufficient calcium intake in childhood can prevent a person from growing to her potential adult height. Adults who get inadequate calcium are more likely to experience bone fractures. Low calcium intake is also linked to osteoporosis. Making sure you get enough calcium will help to ensure strong bones, but bone health is also dependent upon exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
Types of Calcium Supplements
Calcium exists in the natural world only in combination with other substances. These combined materials are called compounds. Calcium supplements include the following compounds: calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate and calcium citrate. Calcium compounds contain elemental calcium, which is the exact amount of calcium present in the supplement. Manufacturers frequently add vitamins and minerals such as vitamin D and magnesium to calcium supplements. Review the ingredient list on the label to determine which form of calcium you are taking and whether additional nutrients are present. This is important if you have health concerns or dietary restrictions.
How to Select Calcium Supplements
Choose supplements with familiar brand names. Read the label and only choose supplements with the United States Pharmacopeia, or USP, symbol. Check the label to determine if the supplement states that it has been purified. Calcium supplements made from unrefined oyster shell, bone meal or dolomite may contain high levels of lead and toxic materials. If you purchase calcium supplements that contain these ingredients, choose brands that carry the USP symbol.
Test the supplement to determine how well it will be absorbed by your body. Ideally, you want to take a supplement that is easily absorbed when it is broken down in your stomach. The body absorbs most brand-name calcium supplements with ease. To test your supplement, place it in a small cup of warm water for 30 minutes. Stir it several times. If it has not dissolved, the chances are good that it will not break down in your stomach.
How to Take Your Calcium Supplements
Daily calcium intake requirements vary by age and sex for adults. Adult men between the ages of 19 and 70 should consume 1,000 mg. Adult women between the ages of 19 and 50 should consume 1,000 mg, while adult women between the ages of 51 and 70 should take 1,200 mg. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should take 1,000 mg. All adults over the ages of 71 should take 1,200 mg.
Take calcium several times throughout the day. The body absorbs calcium in amounts no greater than 500 mg. Increase the dosage in small amounts. For example, take 500 mg a day for just a week. Slowly add more calcium. If you are not able to stagger your calcium intake throughout the day, take the larger amount at one time rather than not taking it at all.
Side Effects & Drug Interactions
You may experience side effects, including gas or constipation, when taking calcium supplements. To prevent side effects, increase your intake of fluid and high-fiber foods. If this does not eliminate the problem, try taking another form of calcium.
Calcium supplements can interact with over-the-counter and prescription medication. Some medicines can reduce or increase calcium levels in the body. Calcium can reduce the absorption of the following drugs when taken together: bisphosphonates, which are used to treat osteoporosis; antibiotics of the fluoroquinolone and tetracycline families; levothyroxine, which is used to treat low thyroid activity; phenytoin, which is used as an anticonvulsant; and tiludronate disodiumto, a drug prescribed to treat Paget's disease. Additionally, different brands of diuretics can dramatically impact blood calcium levels in the body. For example, Thiazide-related drugs can decrease the calcium excretion of the kidneys and loop diuretics can increase calcium excretion. Antacids containing aluminum and magnesium can increase the loss of calcium, while mineral oil and stimulant laxatives reduce the absorption of calcium in the body.
Caution
Consult with your doctor, pharmacist or health care providers about supplements you are taking. They can provide counsel if the supplements you are taking might interfere with your prescription or over-the-counter medications.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Calcium
- MayoClinic.com: Nutrition and Healthy Eating
- NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center: Calcium Supplements What to Look for
- MayoClinic:Calcium and calcium supplements: Achieving the right balance
- National Institutes of Health:Office of Dietary Supplements: Calcium
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