The key factor to consider when buying calcium supplements is the amount of elemental calcium they contain. The term elemental calcium refers to the amount of calcium in a supplement that's available for your body to absorb. Most calcium supplements list the amount of elemental calcium on the label. But some brands list only the total weight — in milligrams (mg) — of each tablet. This is the weight of the calcium, plus whatever it's bound to — such as carbonate, citrate, lactate or gluconate.
Calcium Citrate(Percent of elemental calcium: 21%)
Best absorbed supplemental form of calcium. It does not require the presence of extra stomach acid to dissolve. Calcium citrate can come in colloidal form. This is a liquid form of calcium that may be less irritating to the intestinal wall.
Calcium Carbonate (Percent of elemental calcium: 40%)
Most common type of calcium supplement on the market. Usually requires extra stomach acid for digestion, so should be taken with a meal.
Calcium Phosphate, Calcium Lactate, and Calcium Gluconate have very small percentages of elemental calcium in each supplement tablet. Therefore it is necessary to take a large number of tablets to consume an adequate amount of calcium every day. These calcium supplements should be avoided for this reason.
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