Are You Getting Enough Calcium Everyday?
Part Two

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When do you need to take a calcium supplement? You may want to consider a supplement if you know that you’re not getting at least three servings per day from a combination of dairy, non-dairy sources or fortified foods.

You’ll find many choices for calcium supplements such as calcium carbonate, citrate, and gluconate. The most usable forms of calcium for your body are calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. A usable form means that the calcium is absorbed by your body and used by the bones and muscle instead of coming in your mouth and going out the other end wasted. That’s why the form of calcium is so important. Some are not absorbed as well as others. You may find calcium supplements made from oyster and bone meal but some of these products have been found to contain lead, mercury and arsenic so are not good selections.

How much should you take? Look at your diet first. For example, if you get 600 milligrams (mgs) of calcium per day which is about two servings of a calcium rich food such as dairy, you could make up the rest from supplements. Always look for the USP seal on the container which stands for United States Pharmacopeia to know it meets standards for disintegration. Then look at the Supplement Fact label and see how much elemental calcium is in each dose (elemental means the pure calcium, not the carbonate or citrate).

Because calcium also has important teammates including Vitamin D, Vitamin K and magnesium, you’ll often find several of these nutrients together in one supplement. If you take a daily multi vitamin and mineral supplement, some of these nutrients will be in there as well so you take a look at diet and supplements closely before making a decision.