Calcium Supplements

Determining whether you're consuming just the right calcium your body needs can be difficult. However, choosing the right way to achieve the required amount can be much harder.

Calcium supplements are the easy way out for some people who find it hard to comply with the desirable amount of calcium intake daily. But with the different types and brands of calcium supplements in the market, people are faced with an even more confusing situation - which one to choose.

Experts suggest that people should pay particular attention on the elemental calcium contained in the calcium supplements available. This term refers to the calcium present in the calcium supplements which your body can absorb. Most of the calcium supplements available will show how much elemental calcium is present. However, there are some brands of calcium supplements that show only the total weight of each tablet in milligrams.

The best way to know the amount of elemental calcium in a particular supplement is through the Nutrition Facts label. The percent Daily Value for calcium is according to a 1,000 milligram of elemental calcium. That means 10% Daily Value signifies 100 milligrams of elemental carbon. It follows that calcium supplements with 50% Daily Value contains 500 milligrams of elemental carbon. Furthermore, when taking in calcium supplements, it is essential that you know the serving size. This means how many tablets are needed to be taken for you to reach the % Daily Value shown on the label.

Since there are numerous calcium supplements available in the market, all of which do not need prescriptions from the doctor, choosing the safest and most effective one can be a headache. As a tip, calcium supplements that have the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) logo assure you that they are free from metals like lead. However, the appearance of the USP logo is a voluntary thing that is why there are safe and effective calcium supplements in the market that may not have the symbol.

You can test those calcium supplements that do not have the USP logo to find out if they're metal-free. Just put a supplement in a glass of transparent vinegar. This test should produce an environment similar to your stomach. A supplement that dissolves in about 30 minutes would certainly do so in your stomach. If the supplement does not completely dissolve in the glass of vinegar, chances are, it won't totally dissolve in your stomach as well.

Choosing from among the many supplements should not be a guessing game. Unless we want to end up with more than a calcium deficiency problem, we should choose a supplement like it's our lifeline.