What is the best calcium supplement?!

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This is a question with a few sided answer. First off, Calcium Carbonate takes the most stomach acid to break down so it's usually the hardest to absorb... most all of the rest you asked about are all good options, though.

Second, Vitamin D has a LOT of research that's come out over the past 10-20 years that show just how important it is and 4-800 IU daily is very insignificant compared to what most need. If you mom's doctor said she was "extremely low", 2,000 IU daily can even be really low and you may need higher doses like 5-10,000 IU daily for a while to get her back up to snuff... but she'll need to be tested periodically (once every month or two should cut it) to make sure she doesn't get too high. The Vitamin D council and other Vitamin D experts are recommending a blood level between 40-80 ng/mL depending on various factors... that should give you a good target guideline.

Third, tablets are hardest to break down (especially for those with less stomach acid like seniors) so those are best avoided if there is a concern. Capsules, softgels, and powders are probably your best bet since you can guarantee an exact amount in each dose (although some don't like powders because they have to be mixed). Liquids are a nice idea in theory, but Calcium is a heavy enough mineral that it doesn't completely mix in a liquid suspension so you might not get as much as you should in the first several doses. I've seen some that you're left with a solid mass of minerals in the bottom when you've got 20-30% of the bottle left... all of that is unusable Calcium and indicates how much you didn't get earlier. :-(

Fourth, the type of Calcium doesn't matter as much as what's taken with it to help the absorption of the Calcium. What I mean is that Calcium isn't absorbed very well on it's own, but there are several things that help it to get absorbed into the bones like Vitamins D and K, Magnesium, Boron, Zinc, Silica, Ipriflavone, etc.
Your best bet would be to get a good Calcium complex that has at least a few of these. The more you get in the pill means the more pills you have to take throughout the day, but it also means better absorption of the Calcium and stronger bones in turn. Also, you'll want to make sure you don't take more than 600 mg of Calcium at a time since the body can't absorb more than that at a time... but you'll also want to take at least 1,000 mg spread throughout the day for proper intake of daily Calcium. Good luck and I hope I helped!


[edit]: Actually, quite a number of the food sources are tougher to absorb. For example, several of the well touted plant sources of Calcium are Calcium Carbonate (the one that takes the most stomach acid) and Calcium from milk sources is commonly tough to get all of (there's a lot of conspiracy theories I've heard on each side of it about the Dairy Council hiding research and whatnot, but there's enough to question it).
It's a nice idea to get nutrient from food-based supplements, but not all the nutrients you need may be in a well absorbed form when it's such a small quantity in a food-based supplement for that reason.

Health/nutrition classes, personal experience, and personal research in my role as a Product Specialist for a vitamin company

I agree with the other two respondents, although if there is an need for extra calcium, it's difficult to get enough from food alone.

My personal input - magnesium is needed for calcium deposition, so I always recommend a calcium supplement with magnesium included (or taken at the same time), and I also suggest Silica (it works a bit like a 'traffic cop' to ensure that the calcium gets laid down where it should be)

I recommend getting calcium from food sources - yogurt, cheese, almonds, sardines (mush in the bones - that's the calcium source) make sure you use the full fat versions - Saturated fat is required - 50% of dietary fats need to be saturated fats to make calcium bioavailable.

It's important to have the complementary minerals & that is almost always found in whole foods.

Vitamin D3 & calcium need saturated fats but for calcium to be incorporated into bone, you need vit.K2.

I recommend this product as the best pricing I've found for K2 & has added vit.D3

http://www.vitacost.com/Michaels-Naturop…

Vitamin D3 is not a vitamin at all but a necessary hormone that effects the immune system & nearly every aspect of health. Having low Vitamin D levels greatly increases risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, MS & being deficient can create or greatly exacerbate health problems. Many researchers claim that optimized vitamin D levels are more effective than a flu shot in preventing viral infections.

The prescription vitamin D supplements are the wrong type (ergocalciferol ). As warned by the National Institute of Health -

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17023…

Luckily you can buy vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) over the counter and the upper limits are extremely high. Current recommendations are for 35iu per pound - a 150# person needs minimum of 5250iu per day & the rda is 400iu. This amount is for minimal needs and does not account for depleted stores. March is when stores are at their lowest.

Vitamin D3 deficiency is becoming an epidemic. U.S. RDA are much too low. It is possible that upper atmosphere pollution is blocking the needed UVB light from the sun.

I also highly recommend a low carb way of eating to allow the body to regenerate rather than degenerate.


http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1560…
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articl…

25(OH)D test level is between 50–80 ng/ml (125–200 nmol/L), summer and winter

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health/de…

In northern latitudes (above that of Atlanta, Georgia) the sun is at too low an angle for half the year to provide sufficient UV radiation. Most people need to take vitamin D, especially seniors, as the ability to synthesize vitamin D in the skin declines with age.

With exposure to sunlight in the summer, the body can generate between 10,000 IU and 20,000 IU of vitamin D per hour with no ill effects. In addition, no adverse effects have been seen with supplemental vitamin D intakes up to 10,000 IU daily.

Always take your vitamin D with a fat-containing meal to ensure absorption.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400676/Mo…

Dr. Joe Prendergast, an endocrinologist /diabetologist has managed over 1500 diabetic patients and, in the last decade, not one of his patients has had a stroke or heart attack. Only one has even been hospitalized! His secret—50,000 units of Vitamin D3 daily. Dr. Joe further reports:

* Reversal of advanced coronary disease
* Reversal of advanced lung disease, avoiding a lung transplant!
* Cure of multiple sclerosis
* Cure of amotrophic lateral sclerosis
* Regression of rheumatoid arthritis
* Improvement in allergies
* Control of many cancers including prostate, breast, colon, brain tumors, leukemia, myeloma, etc
* Reversal of osteoporosis
* Prevention of influenza
* Cure of depression and many other mental disorders
* Hashimoto’s hyperthyroidism

In summary, the evidence for safety and remarkable efficacy of Vitamin D3 suggests that virtually ALL adults should probably take 50,000 units of D3 daily. This is certainly true for those with virtually any illness.

http://enews.endocrinemetabolic.com/2008…