According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 8 million women over the age of 50 in the U.S. now have osteoporosis and this number is on the rise yearly. Experts have chalked the rise in the disease up to our poor diets and lack of exercise. Americans are no longer getting enough calcium in our diets, we are not doing enough weight-bearing exercise, and we are consuming too many colas, which leach the calcium right out of our bones!
We all know great food sources for calcium include low-fat dairy products, tofu, leafy greens (think kale, swiss chard), canned salmon, almonds, and sesame seeds. But what about supplements? Which is better of the two leading types of calcium supplements - citrate or carbonate? Really, it's a personal choice.
Calcium is best absorbed in an acidic environment and calcium citrate is acidic based. So, citrate is the best absorbed supplemental form of calcium. It doesn't require any extra stomach acid for absorption, so we can take it at any time of day, with or without food. However, it usually provides less elemental calcium per pill than the carbonate form. So if your citrate supplement says 500 mg, only 200 mg of that may be elemental calcium, which is the amount of actual calcium in a pill available to our bodies for absorption. This all means you would have to take more pills of the citrate form than of the carbonate form for the same amount of calcium.
Calcium carbonate, on the other hand, is alkaline based. It requires extra stomach acid for better absorption, so it is best taken right after a meal or with a glass of an acidic juice, like orange juice. Calcium carbonate is also more easily available and less expensive.
Whichever type you choose, aim for 1000 mg to 1300 mg of calcium per day through a healthy diet and supplementation, and never consume more than 2500 mg of elemental calcium daily.
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