Calcium – add it to your Menopause Supplement List
Calcium is an essential nutrient for health, fitness and well-being. It is needed for healthy bones and teeth. Sufficient amounts of calcium are difficult to obtain from the diet alone, especially for women of all ages. While supplements are recommended, a healthy balanced diet as well as exercise is important for menopausal women.
Five Fast Facts on Calcium Supplements:
- 1200 mcg a day
- Split it in three doses of 400 mg taken with meals
- Check the “elemental” Calcium
- Avoid sources such as Oyster Shell, dolomite, and bone meal as they can have impurities such as lead
- Make sure you also get magnesium, Vitamin D3, zinc, copper, manganese, boron, silica and Vitamin K.
More about Calcium
Calcium absorption varies from person to person, according to genetics, but average, only 20-40 percent of calcium you eat is absorbed and this decreases with age. Illness or disease can decrease the amount you retain. Other factors that inhibit absorption of calcium include: lack of exercise, medicines, drugs, smoking, caffeine and stress.
Lack of nutrients also reduces absorption of calcium, especially the vitamins C, D and K, as well as the minerals magnesium and phosphorus.
Deficiencies of calcium contribute to osteoporosis, a condition where bones become porous and brittle.
Food Sources of Calcium:
The best and easiest food sources of calcium include milk, milk products, sardines and salmon.
Supplements:
There are many different kinds of Calcium supplements and you need to be aware of which type you buy as not only can the actual amount of elemental Calcium vary greatly but there is a chance that lead impurities being present.
Calcium Citrate is best absorbed form of Calcium and can be taken an empty stomach or with meals. 500mg of Calcium Citrate provides 100mg (21%) of elemental calcium. While it has less elemental Calcium, which means you need to take more, it is cheaper than Calcium Carbonate so taking more might still be a cost-effective solution.
Calcium Carbonate is the most popular form on the market and should be taken with meals. It has about twice as much elemental calcium by weight as calcium citrate. 500mg of Calcium Carbonate provides 200mg (40%) of elemental calcium.
In taking a Calcium supplement you need to make sure that you are also getting magnesium, vitamin D3, zinc, copper, manganese, boron, silica, and vitamin K. A Calcium supplement along with a multi-vitamin may be adequate. There are also Calcium supplements that come in combination with other supplements – particularly Vitamin D and K.
Dosage:
Age 19 to 50 = 1,000 milligrams (about 3 1/3 glasses of milk)
Age 50+ = 1,200 milligrams (about 4 glasses of milk)
Over 2000 mg is not likely to provide any greater benefit. Over 2500 mg is not recommended.
Calcium is absorbed most efficiently when it’s taken in amounts of 500 milligrams (mg) or less. If you take 1,200 mg of calcium a day, then it is recommended you split it into three doses. Therefore, Calcium is easiest taken with meals.
Cautions:
Oyster Shell, dolomite and bone meal supplements can often contain large amounts of impurities, including lead, and therefore should be avoided.
Because calcium supplements can impair the absorption of some medications, including certain antibiotics and blood pressure drugs, you may need to take your calcium supplements separately.
The following interactions affect bioavailability of calcium:
- A high protein diet or high coffee consumption increases calcium excretion — and therefore you need more calcium.
- Fiber, oxalates (in rhubarb, spinach, beets, celery, greens, berries, nuts, tea, cocoa), and high zinc reportedly decrease absorption and therefore you need more calcium.
- Lactose, other sugars, and protein increase absorption of calcium.
- While Calcium can be taken with or without meals, oil soluble vitamins D and K are better absorbed if taken with meals.
