January 4, 2000 – According to three recent studies, calcium citrate supplements are better metabolized than calcium carbonate supplements.
In a first study, researchers at the Southwestern Medical Center at the University of Texas compared the results of 15 previous studies of calcium citrate and calcium carbonate to find that calcium citrate was better absorbed in a proportion of ‘about 25%. This difference is important for women who take a calcium supplement to fight osteoporosis or the weakened bones resulting from a loss of calcium.
Another study, published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, showed that postmenopausal women using calcium citrate absorbed two and a half times more calcium than those using calcium carbonate.
A third study found that women who took a calcium citrate supplement for two years had better spine bone density than those who took a placebo. The researchers note that the protection was not as great as that provided by hormone replacement therapy or a specific osteoporosis medication, but that the protective effect of calcium citrate was greater than that provided by other supplements. calcium for postmenopausal women.
Other forms of calcium, such as gluconate, aspartate, lactate, and calcium orotate, are also better absorbed than calcium carbonate, especially by people with low stomach acidity. (Encyclopedia of Natural Healing, Alive Books, 1998)
HealthPassport.net
Heller HJ, Stewart A, Haynes S, Pak CY. Pharmacokinetics of calcium absorption from two commercial calcium supplements. J Clin Pharmacol. 1999 Nov; 39 (11): 1151-4.
American Journal of Therapeutics 1999; 6: 303-311, 313-321
