As many as 43 percent of all Americans, including 70 percent of older women, take calcium supplements to prevent low bone density, also known as osteoporosis, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body, is an element, meaning its a substance that cannot be broken down any further. Calcium citrate is a common form of dietary calcium supplement that combines elemental calcium with citric acid.
Ingestion
While elemental calcium is the substance in calcium citrate that increases bone density, you can't buy pure elemental calcium to take as a supplement; calcium always combines with another element to form a compound. After you ingest the compound, it breaks down, releasing the elemental calcium, which your body can then absorb.
Amount
The average person needs between 1,000 and 1,300 mg of elemental calcium per day, depending on your age and sex, according to the ODS. Since only part of a calcium citrate supplement consists of calcium, you need to know whether the amount of calcium advertised in the supplement is the amount of elemental calcium or the total amount of calcium citrate. Calcium citrate contains around 21 percent elemental calcium, so if the label lists only the total amount of calcium citrate, multiply that amount by 0.2 for a close estimate of the actual elemental calcium amount. Many calcium supplements list the amounts of elemental calcium on the label, which makes comparisons easier.
Advantages
Calcium citrate costs more than calcium carbonate, the most commonly used form of supplemental calcium. But calcium citrate has several advantages over calcium carbonate; for one thing, it does not have to be taken with meals. People who produce a decreased amount of stomach acid may absorb calcium citrate better. Constipation may occur less frequently as a side effect in people who take calcium citrate than those taking calcium carbonate.
Absorption
Your body best absorbs levels of calcium less than 500 mg at one time, so it's necessary to take calcium in several doses during the day. Splitting the dose also reduces the risk of complications such as gas and bloating. Calcium citrate contains less elemental calcium than calcium carbonate. This means you will have to take more calcium citrate than calcium carbonate to get the same amount of elemental calcium from your supplements.
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