Calcium: how to choose your supplement

Calcium, how to choose your supplement

It will first be relevant to check if your need is real. A large majority of women are prescribed a daily calcium supplement for an indefinite period when menopause arrives. Does this mean that all postmenopausal women are at risk of osteoporosis? Is calcium essential 12 months of the year? Not necessarily.

Too much calcium can also be deposited in the body over time and cause undesirable effects. Still, the majority of women end up with a prescription for “laboratory” calcium which happens to be calcium carbonate. However, it is poorly absorbed by the body and requires a significant effort from the stomach to solubilize it.

What can we do to help with its assimilation?Taking vitamin C alongside calcium will be beneficial. Or even a little orange juice (rich in vitamin C and calcium). But be careful not to get used to drinking large quantities of orange juice because this juice is acidic and the acidity of your body should be avoided since it is the major cause of demineralization and therefore decalcification.

In terms of chemical form, favor the citrate, citrate/malate or even bisglycinate form. These will be better assimilated.

The form of the supplement has an influence. The liquid product will be more easily digested and absorbed than a tablet. The stomach will indeed have to digest the latter.

Not to mention that with age, the secretion of hydrochloric acid from the stomach often decreases, thereby reducing the ease of digestion.

A little bit of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar would help increase the strength of stomach acidity.

Take your supplement with food. The presence of protein and fat will help your calcium absorption, although too much of either will have the opposite effect.

Do not overuse cereals because they contain phytic acid which will harm the assimilation of calcium. The same goes for the oxalic acid contained in certain vegetables such as spinach, Swiss chard, cauliflower, asparagus and also chocolate!

Diets rich in phosphorus (be careful of sodas!) should be avoided
Vitamins C, A and especially D will positively influence this assimilation. The latter is usually present in the majority of calcium supplements.

Consider exercising if you don't, it affects the quality of absorption. Stress, once again, shows another negative side of its effect on the body by hindering the assimilation of this mineral so essential for us.

Source: InfoNaturel.ca