Update--Calcium Absorption Info

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I posted a question last week asking about the different absorption

rates of iron in supplemental forms. I did not receive any responses

about this topic, but I know several of you are interested in my

chart about calcium absorption. I have the article saved in my

computer as a scanned PDF file, so I am retyping the most important

information below:

The original article was in the Journal of the American Dietetic

Assocation (I do not have the exact month or issue number--sorry)

posted under " Question of the Month " . I tried to search ADA website

to find the original article, but I was unable to locate it again.

The article states:

" …Not all calcium supplements are created equal. The percent of

calcium found in a supplement can vary greatly depending on the type

of compound used. Elemental calcium is highest in calcium carbonate

(40%) and the lowest in calcium gluconate (9%). The calcium

percentage in the different compounds is as follows:

*Calcium Carbonate: 40%

*Calcium Phosphate (tribasic): 38%

*Calcium Citrate: 21%

*Calcium Lactate: 13%

*Calcium Gluconate: 9%

To calculate the amount of elemental calcium in a supplement, you

need to know the kind of calcium used and the number of milligrams it

contains. For example: 1 pill = 500 mg calcium citrate; 1 pill = 500

mg x .21 (21%) = 105 mg elemental calcium. If you used a calcium

carbonate supplement with 650 mg you would need to have 4 tablets/day

to meet 1000mg. On the other hand, if the supplement used a calcium

gluconate with 650 mg, you would need to have 18 tablets/day.

Gluconate and lactate are generally not recommended for

supplementation since they have a low percentage of elemental

calcium… "

Hope that helps you--I have also posted this information in

the " Files " section.

Annie Sasseville, RD, CNSD

Denver, CO