Dairy products contain approximately 300 mg of Calcium per serving
Use a supplement to make up the difference between what you eat and what you need daily
Take your calcium supplement at three separate times during the day (approx 500 mg per time)
Vitamin C helps with absorption
Do not take your supplement with dairy products or lots of fiber
Calcium Carbonate (Tums, Viactiv, Oscal, Caltrate) are best absorbed when taken with food
Calcium Citrate (Citracal) needs to be taken on an empty stomach or it will not be absorbed
Calcium
Citrate requires less stomach acid for absorption, so is recommended
for anyone taking proton pump inhibitors for heartburn (Prilosec,
Protonix, Pepcid, Aciphex, Nexium).
Calcium is best utilized by bones when taken with Vitamin D also (400-1000 IU per day)
Vitamin D is important for osteoporosis prevention, and decreasing the risk of breast cancer and heart disease
There
are many calcium supplements available – choose an inexpensive variety
and try it. Chose another type the next time if you don’t like the
taste or if your supplement causes you gas, bloating, or constipation.
Take the cheapest and best tolerated form of calcium for you
Get into the habit of taking calcium daily - for the rest of your life
More expensive does not mean better bone effect
Weight
bearing exercise (walking, jogging) and muscle strengthening exercise
are critical to stimulate bone to stay healthy and to properly utilize
available Calcium and Vitamin D
