The best way to achieve the proper daily amount of calcium is through your diet. All dairy products including milk (non-fat dry, low-fat, skim, or whole), yogurt, cheeses, ice cream and ice milk, and tofu.
Did You Know? Just 4 to 5 cups of milk or yogurt daily meets the calcium requirements for most adults.
Other calcium-rich foods include seafoods such as salmon, sardines (an excellent source with 370 mg of calcium in 3 ounces), and shrimp, as well as a number of plant sources (see Plant Sources of Calcium in the link box).
Special Considerations
When taking calcium without a prescription there are several factors that you should consider. Always read the label, and carefully follow any precautions noted.
Pregnancy is a time when proper calcium intake is of particular importance. The growing fetus depends on its mother to provide a daily supply of adequate nutrients including calcium for healthy growth and development. This does not mean that you should overload on vitamins and minerals such as calcium since too much may be harmful to the mother and/or the developing baby.
If you decide to breastfeed your baby, you need to continue getting the correct amount of calcium so that your baby with grow properly. However, again it is important to get the proper amount of calcium and other minerals and vitamins since too much may be harmful to you and/or your baby.
Do you suffer from the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)? Research has proven that you can reduce up to almost 50% of all symptoms (including mood swings, depression, and menstrual cramps) of PMS by simply consuming 1200 mg of calcium daily.
Calcium is an important nutrient for women and men of all ages for the prevention of osteoporosis in later life. However, older adults may need to take extra amounts of calcium because some older adults do not absorb calcium as well as younger people. Talk with your clinician if you have questions regarding the daily amount of calcium that you should be taking.
Calcium is also believed to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
What Kind Of Calcium Is The Right Kind?
Calcium is available in numerous products throughout the U.S. and Canada. To ensure that you are getting the correct type of calcium for nutritional supplementation read the label. The calcium product you choose must contain one or more of the following types of calcium:
- Calcium
Carbonate
- Calcium
Citrate
- Oral
Calcium Glubionate
- Calcium
Gluceptate and Calcium Gluconate
- Oral
Calcium Gluconate
- Calcium
Lactate
- Calcium
Lactate-Gluconate and Calcium Carbonate
- Dibasic
Calcium Phosphate
- Tribasic Calcium Phosphate
You also need to understand that calcium salt provides calcium together with some other substance, i.e. carbonate or gluconate. Not all calcium salts contain the same amount of elemental calcium; there is more elemental calcium in calcium carbonate than in calcium gluconate. When you are reading labels on calcium products you should be sure that the amount of calcium refers to the amount of elemental calcium and not to the amount of overall calcium in the product.
When using calcium supplements it's important to remember that magnesium (500 mg to 750 mg daily) is essential to help with the absorption of calcium so that you will achieve the maximum benefit of your calcium supplementation. You should also know that taking more than 500 mg of calcium at one time is not recommended because your body will not absorb over that amount at any one time; if you are taking calcium supplements over 500 mg daily, you need to spread it out during the day.
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