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Compare Calciums
Comparison of Calcium Supplements
Available forms include calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium phosphate, calcium lactate, and calcium gluconate.
Caltrate®, Os-Cal®, Viactiv®, and Oyster Shell® are forms of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is by far the most common form on the market, found in over 90 percent of calcium supplements. Calcium carbonate is usually made from natural sources such as rock deposits, limestone or oyster shell. Calcium carbonate needs to be used with caution since it may contain heavy metal contaminants such as lead.
Calcium carbonate products produce calcium ions only when they react with stomach acid. It is not as easily absorbed. Calcium carbonate supplements usually cause stomach upset, bloating and constipation. So, if you have any problems with digestion or you are taking acid reducing agents, you may want look at taking a different calcium supplement. It is not as easily absorbed.
You may also want to chew it to make easily absorbed into your system. Unlike CitraCal and NutraCal, you should take with meals.
Caltrate and Oyster Shell calcium are available in tablet form, where Os-Cal is available in both tablets and chewable. Viactiv is available as a soft chew.
Tums® and Rolaids® are calcium based antacids, which are probably one of the cheapest ways of getting calcium. Antacids are not a good source of calcium because they work as an antacid. They are made from calcium carbonate as well. Again, calcium carbonate requires an acidic environment in order to be absorbed. Tums and Rolaids contain calcium carbonate and offer about 200 mg of elemental calcium. Tums and Rolaids can cause bloating and constipation. So, if you have any problems with digestion or you are taking acid reducing agents, you may want look at taking a different product. It is not as easily absorbed.
Many women like them because you can chew them instead of swallowing. If you opt for this form of calcium, you should take them between meals. And be sure to read the label carefully. You don’t want to get an antacid that includes aluminum because that can leach calcium from your system.
Calcium supplements made of bone meal and dolomite are high in elemental calcium, but are not a good choice as they may contain lead and other toxic metals.
CitraCal® and NutraCal™ both produces calcium ions when dissolved. CitraCal contains calcium citrate and NutraCal™ contains calcium gluconate. CitraCal and NutraCal™ produce calcium ions when they react with water. Why is this important?
As we age, our bodies produce less stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) where many other supplements depend of the acidity of the stomach to break down calcium so it can produce the calcium ions. Once calcium ions are produced, the ions then move into the small intestines where they are actively absorbed into the body. CitraCal and NutraCal™ both work regardless of stomach acid content, which makes it ideal for people who are taking acid-reducing agents like Zantac, Tagamet, Pepcid, Nexium, and Protonix. You can take CitraCal and NutraCal™ with or without meals.
The downside of calcium citrate is that it’s hard to pack much of it into a pill, so ultimately you’d have to take three pills of calcium citrate to equal the same amount of calcium you could get in one 600-milligram tablet of calcium carbonate. Having to take three pills as opposed to one will cost around three times more money as well.
One positive for calcium citrate tablets is that some women who get stomach upset and constipation from calcium carbonate tablets can tolerate calcium citrate tablets quite well. I’ve heard this from many women who said they’d stop taking calcium because the calcium carbonate pills made they feel sick but the calcium citrate pills don’t bother them at all.
Each tablet of CitraCal provides 200 mg of elemental calcium and CitraCal caplets +D provides 315 mg of elemental calcium. Each dose of NutraCal™ provides 400mg of elemental calcium.
CitraCal is available in tablet, caplet and creamy bites. NutraCal™ is available in a powder form that dissolves easily in water for those that have difficulty swallowing the larger calcium tablets.
In order for calcium to work well, you need other vitamins and minerals to help it along. Some of these are available in combination with calcium; others are in multi-vitamins or trace mineral compounds, or you can take them individually. The key is to make sure you are getting them to get the most out of your calcium intake.
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Why Are America’s Bones Shrinking
by Thomas G. Kotronis, Rph |
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