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Calcium SupplementsCalcium is one of the most commonly occuring elements found on Earth. In human beings, calcium is the most abundant element in the body (99% is in bones and teeth, the rest is in your blood!) and is used in the formation of bone and teeth, and is especially important during childhood, and during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you don't have enough calcium in your diet, calcium will be pulled out of bones and brought into your blood system to get what your body needs - that is why it is important to be sure you get an adequate amount of calcium each day in your diet. How much calcium should I get each day? The average adult needs about 1000-1300mg of calcium per day, but it is estimated than over 50% of adults in the US don't get enough calcium each day.
Calcium Health ClaimsCompanies promoting calcium pills and supplements make a lot of claims - calcium helps reduce osteoporosis, it increases bone strength and reduces fragility and fractures, it help with arthritis, helps with bone spurs and heel spurs, aids in fibromyalgia and back pain, and more. Women are especially encouraged to take calcium supplements during various stages of their lives. In the teen years, calcium is though to help avoid symptoms of PMS. During the twenties and thirties, women bone mass continues to strengthen and peak, while in their forties bone strength begins to decline, resulting in rapid calcium loss during menopause that can lead to osteoporosis (which means porous bones, those hunched over old women that you see with weakened spines). Osteoporosis occurs most commonly in females, though men can suffer from it as well. Being thin is also a factor, as is early menopause, low calcium diet, a family history of osteoporosis, exercise deficiency, cigarette smoking, and other factors.You can buy calcium supplements all over the place - even your local drug store and grocery store will carry them. Online, check out VitaminShoppe.com for calcium pills from Twinlab, Hero Nutritional, Nature's Plus, Solaray, Flora, and others. The TwinLab Calcium Lactate Caps comes with 100 capsules (200mg calcium, 1480mg calcium lactate) for $8. Nature's Plus Chewable Calcium tablets run $10 for 180 chewable tablets with 1000mg of calcium each. Another popular form of calcium supplements is in chewable chocolate forms, like Viactiv. Viactiv calcium chews (2 per day) provide 100% of the daily recommended allowance of calcium for women. They come with a blend of vitamin K and D to help with calcium absorption . When looking at calcium supplement pills, be sure to see how much elemental calcium is provided. 1000mg of calcium carbonate provides only 400mg of calcium. Also keep in mind that just ingesting calcium is not enough. Calcium is absorbed mainly in the small intestine, and the presence of vitamin D is required to maximize the bodies intake of calcium. So supplements or foods that include vitamin D will help you absorb all the calcium, which might be missed in pill form without these additional substances. It is not recommened to consume more than 2500mg of elemental calcium per day or the risk of kidney stones and other ailments increases dramatically. Coral CalciumThere have been a lot of claims made about coral calcium. What is coral calcium? Coral calcium is simply calcium taken from the remains of coral shells, which contain calcium carbonate - it is found in fossilized coral formations. Living coral reefs are protected ecosystems, so coral calcium found in pills and supplements comes from other mineral deposites, like ground-up limestone (which may have been part of a coral reef 100 million years ago). Coral calcium is composed of calcium carbonate and other trace minerals, like magnesium. Promoters of coral calcium claim it changes the pH in your body to help fight cancer cell formation. While some studies have shown that cancer cannot survive at high pH (alkaline) levels, the problem is that you cannot "selectively" set the pH in your body around cancer cells. Your body cannot handle a pH outside its normal range, and any excess alkaline substances are cleaned out by your kidneys (urine). So taking coral calcium vs. regular calcium probably makes no difference in the long run, regardless of the medical (or non-medical claims) you may hear.
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