Citracal Plus with Vitamin D and Magnesium provides essential minerals and vitamins that helps strengthen bones, which is especially important for women who are at risk for osteoporosis, a thinning and weakening of the bones. Citracal Plus with Vitamin D and Magnesium combines essential nutrients that promote absorption without uncomfortable side effects.
Calcium
Calcium is the essential building block for bones and teeth. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that calcium is also important for muscle contraction, blood vessel expansion and contraction, secretion of hormones and enzymes, and transmitting impulses throughout the nervous system. Most people require 1,000 mg of calcium daily for optimal functioning.
Calcium supplements can supply additional calcium. Supplements usually contain one of several different types of calcium. Elemental calcium is the actual mineral that is absorbed by the body. Most supplements bind elemental calcium to either citrate or carbonate. Other forms used in some supplements are calcium lactate and calcium gluconate.
Citracal has 500mg. of elemental calcium in citrate form per tablet. While calcium carbonate is usually less expensive, calcium citrate is more easily absorbed, especially by those with reduced stomach acid.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D can be obtained through diet, supplementation and sunlight. The NIH says that vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium in the intestines. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin and brittle. Along with calcium, vitamin D may help prevent osteoporosis in older adults.
Additionally, researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute report that vitamin D can "enhance innate immunity and inhibit the development of autoimmunity." They also report that the vitamin may also help regulate blood pressure and that inadequate amounts may contribute to diabetes. Citracal Plus with Vitamin D and Magnesium contains 250 IU of vitamin D per tablet. The Food and Nutrition Board set the Adequate Intake (AI) level of vitamin D at between 200 IU and 600 IU per day, depending on age.
Magnesium
Magnesium is found in abundance in the human body, about 50 percent of it found in the bones. The NIH says that, in addition to maintaining strong bones, magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body.
The daily value (DV), an indicator developed by the Food and Drug Administration as to how much of a certain nutrient is needed each day, is 400 mg of magnesium. Each tablet of Citracal Plus with Vitamin D and Magnesium contains 80 mg of magnesium.
Other Ingredients
Citracal Plus with Vitamin D and Magnesium also contains polyethylene glycol, which helps prevent constipation; croscarmellose sodium, a disintegrant; polyvinyl alcohol, a component that protects the active ingredients; added color; magnesium silicate, magnesium stearate, magnesium oxide, and magnesium gluconate, all forms of magnesium; vitamin D3, a form of vitamin D, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), zinc oxide, a chemical compound commonly found in supplements; copper gluconate, an absorbable form of copper; and sodium borate, a form of the element, boron, which may help prevent osteoporosis.
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