At certain times in your life, your body needs extra calcium. If you are a woman, you may find that after menopause, your bones demand extra calcium that diet alone cannot provide. Calcium supplements also treat the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. As a man, your doctor may have suggested you increase your calcium intake for the health of your prostate. In a hurried world, you probably find it easier to take a calcium supplement than to calculate fitting enough calcium into your diet.
Supplements
Calcium supplements vary in actual calcium content. Calcium carbonate has 40 percent of elemental calcium by weight, where calcium citrate supplies only 21 percent elemental calcium. According to the National Institutes of Health, the more calcium ingested at one time, the less your body absorbs. This means taking a whopping dose at breakfast only gives you part of the actual benefit. Supplements work better when taken in two or more doses a day.
Recommended Dosing
The National Institutes of Health reports that The Food and Nutrition Board establishes the recommended daily allowance, RDA, and the tolerable upper intake levels, or UL, for calcium. They base these values on what your bones need to remain strong. For adults under 51 years, the RDA for calcium is 1,000 mg. From 51 to 70 years, men continue to need 1,000 mg while women require 1,200 mg of calcium for bone protection after menopause. Ages 71 and over have an RDA of 1,200 mg. The ULs are the cut off point after which side effects might occur. For both men and women ages 19 to 50, the UL is 2,500 mg per day. After age 50 the UL drops to 2,000 mg for men and women.
Side Effects
In severe cases, hypercalcemia occurs. The calcium level in your blood exceeds what your body needs and the left over supply causes problems. For instance, you might feel depression, anxiety, fatigue and cognitive dysfunction. Physically, you would experience increased thirst with accompanied increased urination. Constipation can plague you, along with abdominal pain or poor appetite. Your muscles feel weak and you experience new aches and pains. Paradoxically, your bones may become more brittle and fracture easily.
Causes of Hypercalcemia
The Cleveland Clinic of Medicine reports that 90 percent of all cases of hyperglycemia come from having hyperparathyroidism and cancer. Other causes include chronic or acute renal failure, granulomatous disease and a genetic form of high calcium in the urine. A very small percentage manifests from hyperthyroidism, vitamin D intoxication and medications such as lithium, thiazides and theophylline. An even rarer cause of hypercalcemia is the increased intake of supplemental calcium.
How to Take Calcium Supplements
The good news that calcium supplement use rarely causes hypercalcemia does not negate other important factors. The upper intake limits give you a guideline which in itself exceeds the normal body needs. The National Institutes of Health advises you take no more than 500 mg of calcium supplement at a given time. This dose can be repeated later in the day. Taking calcium supplements in greater quantities defeats the purpose. The more you take, the less your body absorbs.
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