Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body, is essential for healthy bones and teeth, to help the contraction of blood vessels and muscles and to secrete hormones and enzymes. Food sources of calcium include, yogurt, cheese, milk and green leafy vegetables. According to National Institutes of Health website Medline Plus people who do not eat enough high-calcium foods may need to take a calcium supplement. Calcium supplements, however, may cause constipation.
Calcium Supplements
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, people with certain health conditions, such as osteoporosis, premenstrual syndrome, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, may find a calcium supplement useful. Patients who suffer with a health condition, which causes malabsorption problems such as celiac disease and Crohn's disease, may also find a calcium supplement useful.
Calcium supplements are available in a number of forms. Two popular forms are calcium citrate, which is easily digested and absorbed by the body, and calcium carbonate which is less expensive than the citrate form but is more difficult to absorb.
Constipation
A person is constipated when she has fewer than three bowel movements a week. Other typical symptoms of constipation include hard stools, straining during bowel movements, feeling of an incomplete evacuation and painful bowel movements. Poor diet, dehydration, lack of physical activity, certain health conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, frequent use of or misuse of laxatives and certain supplements such as calcium and iron can cause constipation. Constipation is rarely serious, although according to the Mayo Clinic, if it continues for a prolonged period of time, it can lead to complications such as rectal prolapse, lazy bowel syndrome and hemorrhoids.
Calcium and Constipation
In a study published in a 2006 issue of the "Archives of Internal Medicine," researchers studied the effect of calcium supplementation on bone health. The study involved 1,460 women ages 70 or older who took a 600 mg calcium carbonate supplement twice daily for five years. The team found that the calcium supplementation helped improved bone health, with the only adverse reaction being that the group of patients taking the calcium supplements suffered from a higher incidence of constipation than the placebo group.
Considerations
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, certain calcium supplements, such as those derived from dolomite, oyster shells and bone meal, should be avoided since they may contain the toxic metal lead, which can damage the brain and kidneys, raise blood pressure and cause anemia.
References
- Medline Plus: Calcium
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Calcium
- Mayo Clinic: Constipation
- "Archives of Internal Medicine"; Effects of Calcium Supplementation on Clinical Fracture and Bone Structure: Results of a Five-year, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial in Elderly Women; Prince R.L., et al; 2006
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