Best Calcium Supplements

Calcium is a vital mineral for the human body and it is important to maintain the required levels in the bones and blood. Most of the calcium is stored in the teeth and bones and about one percent is required in the blood. Apart from maintaining the strength of the bones and teeth, calcium is required for clotting of blood, contraction of muscles and conduction of nerve impulses. The human body tries to maintain the required levels of calcium, but when there is a decrease in the blood level, it takes it from the bones. Such a situation will lead to the decrease in the mineral density of the bones and setting in of diseases like Osteoporosis. To avoid this from happening a person should take adequate amounts of calcium in his daily diet and even when this is not possible, calcium supplements become a necessity.

The best calcium supplements are the ones which have the highest amount of elemental calcium in them. Calcium supplement as a tablet is in a compound and will always be in a citrate, carbonate, gluconate or lactate form. Hence it is important to know what is the amount of pure or elemental calcium present in the tablet. Only the amount of elemental calcium, is available for absorption by the body.

The best calcium supplements will clearly state the level of elemental calcium in a tablet. The label should not mislead you into believing that you are taking a certain amount of calcium while in actuality you might be taking only half the amount of elemental calcium. For example a 500 mg of Calcium Carbonate tablet will be having only 200 mg of elemental calcium. The elemental calcium content can also be inferred from the "Nutrition Facts" section of the label. It will list the serving size as compared to the daily recommended dosage. It is important to know the daily dosage of elemental calcium which is suitable for you, as this will vary with age, sex and condition of the person.

It is also important to know the level of acidity in your body before deciding on a calcium supplement. If your body has acidity problems than the best calcium supplement would be a calcium carbonate compound in comparison to calcium citrate. Also the best calcium supplement will have a certain amount of Vitamin D in the tablet, as this vitamin helps the absorption of calcium in the body.

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