Guest author Gwen Hawn, FACS Agent, UGA Extension Hall County
Maintaining bone health by having adequate daily dietary calcium and vitamin D is essential for everyone at all ages. The best way to get the calcium and vitamin D that we need is through a healthy diet, however, sometimes that is not possible, and supplements are recommended. Selecting a calcium and vitamin D supplement can be confusing. In addition, when you take a supplement and how you take it can affect how well your body absorbs the nutrients.
Calcium citrate supplements are absorbed more easily than calcium carbonate and can be taken on an empty stomach. However, calcium citrate is only 21 percent calcium, so you may need to take more tablets to meet your daily requirement. Calcium carbonate supplements tend to be the best value because they contain the highest amount of elemental calcium. Calcium carbonate requires stomach acid for absorption; therefore, it is best to take this product with food. Either type of calcium is best taken in multiple doses of 500-600 mg or less throughout the day and not to exceed 2500 mg/day. Calcium supplements come in many acceptable forms including chewable, powder, liquid and pills. Vitamin D is often included in calcium supplements as it is essential to the absorption of calcium.
Although your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium, you do not need to take vitamin D at the same time as a calcium supplement. Vitamin D supplements can be taken with or without food and the full amount can be taken at one time. Vitamin D comes in vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Studies have shown that Vitamin D3 is more efficiently utilized by the body than D2. Vitamin D can interact with heart medications, including statins and diuretics, so be sure to check with your physician before starting any supplements.
When selecting a supplement keep in mind, whether sold in stores or online, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness like they do for medications. The FDA has Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) that companies must follow to help ensure the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their dietary supplements. It is best to select name brand supplements and supplements that are certified by companies such as ConsumerLab.com, NSF International, U.S. Pharmacopeia to be sure you are purchasing safe and effective supplements.
For more information on the FDA’s role in regulating the dietary supplement marketplace to keep you safe, go to this webpage: https://www.fda.gov/media/158340/