What is the best type of calcium to take?

Wondering what the best type of calcium to take? Well, there’s a lot of choice, but in terms of getting calcium in your body, the best type is found in food.

Large amounts of calcium are found in fish, nuts and some fruit like figs. However, the food type which has its largest share is dairy, and calcium can be gathered easily through milk, cheese and yoghurt.

Which is fine for most people, however, for vegans or people with diary intolerances, it becomes slightly harder to get large amounts of calcium in through the diet.

Habits like smoking and drinking a lot of caffeine also inhibit people’s ability to absorb calcium in to their blood stream.

As a result, their calcium levels are often low, but this can be easily rectified. If you have been recommended a calcium supplement, it is more than likely that a blood test has given a low calcium reading. In this case, your doctor will advise you on how much calcium you need to take on a day to day basis.

For most people it is around 1000mg, but some people may benefit from a higher dose.

Regardless, the best type of calcium to take is normally discovered through trial and error.

There are a number of different types of calcium to take – the main ones being calcium carbonate and calcium citrate. Try taking one of these, and see if they agree with you. Most people take their first choice of supplement and stick with them. Others may experience mild side effects like excess gas. Changing tablets more often than not reduces these symptoms.

One thing you should bear in mind is that calcium citrate tablets can be taken any time of day, and calcium carbonate tablets have to be taken with food. They are the only real differences. We advise that you take your calcium supplement with a vitamin D supplement and take them three times a day. The body deals with calcium best in small doses, so take them around meal times to easily remember.