Calcium Confusion Unveiled

With the amount of Calcium that North Americans are consuming, you would think that we would have a much lower rate of Osteoporosis, but in fact North Americans have one of the highest rates of Osteoporosis in the world! One of the main reasons for this is, the type of calcium supplements we are  ingesting; some types are  not very absorbable in the body and most is either excreted as waste, or it is depositing in various areas other than the bone in the body. Another reason is, we are not getting enough magnesium which helps deposit calcium into the bone instead of other sites in the body. We could say that magnesium is just as important as calcium when it comes to the health of our bones. And lastly, consuming foods and drinks which leach calcium from the body, such as caffeine, soft drinks etc.

So what should you look for when buying a calcium supplement? First of all, a liquid is best and most don’t taste too bad! Liquids have the highest absorption rates, next is capsules and lastly tablets. Also, look at the type of calcium you are buying, carbonates are taken from oyster shell and the hardest to break down and absorb in the body. Ideally a lactate, gluconate, citrate and/or chelate form is best. Don’t just look at the amount of calcium you are getting per dosage, as that means nothing. For example calcium carbonate is always a fairly high amount of milligrams in pill form,  but you would not absorb as much as you could with the better forms of calcium. Excreting all that unused calcium is hard on the body and could cause kidney stones. Also, don’t try to get all of your recommended daily dose of 1500mg per day out of a supplement, so many foods and drinks contain calcium, you are getting a large part of 1500mg already with your diet. And lastly, always buy calcium with magnesium for better absorption.

Reading the labels on the bottles of calcium supplements can be quite confusing  regarding the dosage. Some calcium supplements seem quite low at 100mg per capsule, look for the word “elemental”,  this means the maximum amount of calcium that can be absorbed by the body at one time, for example out of a 500mg calcium citrate you may absorb 100mg of elemental calcium. The 500mg is part of the 1500mg a doctor recommends. So in essence 100mg elemental is a good dose of calcium, and 3 capsules would give you close to 1500mg once converted.

*mg represents milligrams*

By  Bobbi Krien

Herbalist, sports nutrition specialist, and Penticton`s Nature Fare Natural Foods Manager