Why Calcium is Important to Your Body
Calcium is one of the most essential minerals your body requires. It plays a major role in maintaining your bones and teeth healthy, but it doesn’t stop there—it assists your muscles in functioning, aids nerve function, and assists with blood clotting as well. Your body stores most of its calcium in your bones, where it serves as an emergency reserve to keep everything running smoothly.
How Much Calcium Do You Need?
Your body’s needs for calcium shift throughout your lifetime. Children and adolescents require more since their bones grow so rapidly. Adults aged 19 to 50 should have 1,000 mg daily. Women aged 50 and above and all those over age 70 need 1,200 mg per day. It’s also worth remembering not to go much beyond the maximum—most individuals shouldn’t take more than 2,000 to 2,500 mg per day, depending on age.
If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, your calcium needs don’t necessarily go up. But if your regular intake is low, your doctor may recommend a supplement to help prevent issues like preeclampsia.
Who Should Consider Calcium Supplements?
Not everybody requires a calcium supplement. If your diet contains sufficient calcium-rich foods, you’re likely in the clear. But if you don’t consume dairy products, have absorption issues, or simply can’t fill your daily quota, a supplement can do the trick. Individuals at greatest risk of deficiency—those with osteoporosis, for example, or digestive disorders—stand to benefit the most.
Supplements are also taken with vitamin D because it makes your body better at absorbing calcium. This has been found to increase bone density in older adults, although the effects are inconsistent in preventing bone fractures, particularly in healthy postmenopausal women.
The Best Way to Take Calcium Supplements
Your body has a limited ability to absorb only so much calcium at a time, approximately 500 mg or less. If you require more than that per day, it’s better to break up your dose into smaller doses and take them more frequently. Food with calcium also aids, particularly if you’re taking calcium carbonate, which requires stomach acid to be absorbed optimally. Calcium citrate is a bit more gentle on the stomach and may be taken with or without food, but still absorbs optimally with a meal.
It’s possible to overdo it. Having too much calcium, particularly in the form of supplements, can compete with the absorption of other key minerals such as iron and zinc.
Potential Risks and Interactions
Calcium supplements can be beneficial, but they come with risks. Some research has indicated an association between excessive calcium consumption and a higher risk of heart disease or kidney stones, though the evidence isn’t clear-cut. There’s also some concern regarding dairy-based calcium and prostate cancer, but that association hasn’t been demonstrated with non-dairy supplements.
Calcium can also interfere with certain medications. For instance, it can reduce how well some antibiotics work, affect thyroid medication, and raise blood calcium levels if you’re taking lithium. To avoid these issues, it’s important to space out your calcium supplement from these medications, sometimes by several hours.
Food Sources of Calcium
You don’t need to count on supplements. You can obtain calcium from dairy foods such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. If you are lactose intolerant, check for calcium-fortified plant milk, calcium sulfate tofu, canned salmon or sardines (with bones), and kale and bok choy. Other good sources are beans, fortified cereals, and even calcium-fortified orange juice that is calcium-fortified.
And don’t forget—if you regularly take antacids, many of them have calcium carbonate in them, which can be included in your daily quota.
Finding the Right Calcium Supplement
There are a couple of forms of calcium supplements, with the most common being calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is cheaper and contains more elemental calcium per tablet, but can sometimes give gas or bloating, particularly among older adults. Calcium citrate is gentler on the stomach and is a better option for individuals with reduced stomach acid.
Always check the label and look for the level of elemental calcium—the amount your body can utilize. It’s also a good idea to use a product that’s been tested by third-party organizations such as NSF or U.S. Pharmacopeia to ensure it’s of high quality.
If you don’t know which supplement or amount you should take, it’s worth speaking with your doctor or a registered dietitian. They can assist you in determining what is best for you according to your needs and lifestyle.
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