The Top 5 Best Calcium Supplements

We all need calcium, yet many of us don’t get enough. There are also so many different types of calcium supplements available that it can be challenging to know where to start looking for the right one.

Do you need a calcium supplement at all?

What Is Calcium?

Calcium is a mineral that helps build our bones and keep them strong and healthy. Beyond that, calcium has other important functions for our health.

For example, calcium is used by the blood for clotting, and it helps our heartbeat and our muscles contract.

We regularly lose calcium throughout the day in different ways. For example, we lose calcium through our skin, hair, nails, urine, feces, and sweat.

Our body doesn’t produce its own calcium, so it’s important to get it from dietary sources and, in some cases, perhaps take a calcium supplement.

If you’re not consuming as much calcium as your body requires, it will be taken from your bones. This can lead to weak bones and bone breakage.

How Much Calcium Do You Need?

How much calcium do we need per day? It depends on your sex and your age.

• Women who are 50 and younger need 1000 mg of calcium a day
• If you’re a woman aged 51 and older, the recommended amount of daily calcium is 1200 mg
• If you’re a man and you’re under the age of 70, the recommendation is 1000 mg of daily calcium
• For men aged 71 and older, the recommended amount of calcium is 1200 mg each day

Other guidelines recommend lower amounts of calcium each day.

For example, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), adults need around 500 mg of calcium daily. If you’re unsure what’s right for you regarding calcium requirements, speak to your healthcare provider.

Along with bone health and strength, calcium is used in our blood to regulate hormones, including insulin. Calcium is also used to regulate the contraction and dilation of blood vessels.

Why Do We Need Calcium?

We touched on some of the reasons you need calcium above. Calcium keeps the organs and the skeletal muscles functioning properly.

Your bone density can decline when the breakdown of bone happens faster than the formation of bone. That’s why doctors believe ensuring enough calcium in your blood can help the body avoid removing it from the bones.

Along with calcium for bone health, vitamin D is essential. Vitamin D is sometimes taken with calcium for strong bones, and we also get vitamin D naturally from sunlight. However, your skin’s ability to use vitamin D from sunlight decreases as you age, so as you age, taking a vitamin D supplement may also be useful.

The recommended amount of vitamin D daily is 800 to 1000 IU.

Should I Take a Calcium Supplement?

Not everyone needs a calcium supplement, but some people do.

First, women are more at risk of osteoporosis than men, so women are also more likely to use calcium and vitamin D supplements.

Older women especially may benefit from taking a calcium supplement, particularly after menopause.

You may know that your diet doesn’t provide enough calcium, so taking a calcium supplement may be beneficial.

Other people who commonly benefit from a calcium supplement include:

• Vegan People
• If you eat a high-protein or high-sodium diet, your body may excrete more calcium.
• Some diseases and health conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, make it more difficult for the body to absorb calcium.
• You may need a calcium supplement if you have taken corticosteroids for a long time.

People with osteoporosis are also almost always advised to supplement with calcium.

Foods that are high in calcium include:

• Dairy products like cheese, milk, and yogurt
• Vegetables like kale and broccoli
• Some fortified breakfast cereals and juices
• Sardines
• Canned pink salmon
• Fortified tofu
• White beans
• Collard greens
• Figs

What Are the Benefits of  Supplements?

Along with helping your bones, there are quite a few benefits of calcium supplements.

Some of the benefits of using one of the best calcium supplements include:

• After a woman goes through menopause, she may start to lose bone mass because of declines in estrogen. Studies show that when postmenopausal women take calcium supplements of around 1,000 mg daily, bone loss can be reduced by 1 to 2%.
• Evidence shows that low calcium intake can be associated with high body fat percentage and body mass index. A study in 2016 showed that when overweight individuals were given a 600-mg calcium supplement daily along with vitamin D, they lost more body fat when limiting calorie intake than people who didn’t take the supplement.
• One significant study showed calcium intake might help reduce the risk of developing colon cancer.
• Metabolic markers, including inflammation markers and high blood pressure, may improve when calcium and vitamin D supplements are used.

What Are the Signs of Calcium Deficiency?

Calcium deficiency symptoms can occur when levels are incredibly low. 

When someone has a calcium deficiency, it can be called hypocalcemia.

There are risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing hypocalcemia.

These include intolerance to calcium-rich foods, medications that reduce calcium absorption, and hormonal changes. Genetic factors may also play a role in hypocalcemia.

Other conditions can also cause problems with the body’s ability to absorb calcium and may contribute to hypocalcemia.

Examples of conditions include:

• Low vitamin D levels make it harder for the body to absorb calcium
• Certain medications, including phenobarbital and corticosteroids
• Septic shock
• Renal failure
• Pancreatitis
• Some chemotherapy drugs
• Removal of tissue from the parathyroid gland

Hypocalcemia Symptoms

When someone is in the earliest stages of a calcium deficiency, they may not experience symptoms.
However, as the condition gets worse and becomes severe, symptoms may include:

• Memory loss
• Confusion
• Muscle spasms
• Numbness in the hands, feet and face
• Tingling
• Depression
• Hallucinations
• Weak, brittle nails
• Bones that fracture easily
• Muscle cramps
• Slow hair growth
• Thin or fragile skin
• Seizures

If your health care provider suspects you could have a calcium deficiency, they will usually take blood and measure not only your total calcium level but also your ionized calcium level and your albumin level. Albumin is measured because it’s a protein that binds to calcium and helps move it throughout your blood.

Normal calcium levels are usually 8.8 to 10.4 mg per deciliter, but every lab may have slightly different parameters.

Types of  Supplements

You may not realize it, but when shopping for the best calcium supplements, you should know there are different types.

According to Harvard, when you take a calcium supplement, the calcium is combined with another substance, which can be carbonate or citrate.

Some multivitamins will have calcium, which can be combined with a vitamin D supplement.

What Are Calcium Carbonate Supplements?

Calcium carbonate supplements are considered the best value if you’re shopping for affordable calcium supplements.

Calcium carbonate supplements usually have the highest amount of elemental calcium.

Calcium carbonate requires stomach acid for absorption, so you must take this supplement with food for the best results.

The side effects of calcium carbonate tend to be fairly limited, but they may include gastrointestinal issues like feeling bloated or constipation.

Calcium carbonate products include Caltrate and Tums.

What Are Calcium Citrate Supplements?

One of the big benefits of a calcium citrate supplement is that it absorbs better than calcium carbonate.

You can take it on an empty stomach, but you may have to take a larger dose since these products usually have less calcium. 

How to Choose a Calcium Supplement

Other considerations to keep in mind when choosing a supplement include:

• Calcium is best absorbed when you take a maximum of 500 mg at a time. If you buy a calcium supplement with 1,000 mg in a dose, split it up throughout the day. Otherwise, you’re not getting any extra benefits.
• If you take an iron supplement or levothyroxine, which is used to treat hypothyroidism, take them several hours before or after you take your calcium supplement because they can interact negatively.
• Elemental calcium is one of the most important things to consider when comparing the best calcium supplements. Elemental calcium is the actual amount of calcium in the supplement.
• If you’re worried about constipation, which can be a side effect of a supplement, know that calcium carbonate tends to cause this side effect most often.
• Calcium supplements are available in different forms, including capsules, chews, liquids, powders, and tablets. It’s about finding what works and is easiest for you.

Can You Take Too Much?

When you’re receiving calcium from your diet only, you don’t have to worry about having too much, but you can overdo it on calcium supplements.

Taking too much calcium can cause uncomfortable gastrointestinal side effects like constipation, and it won’t help your bones any more than if you took the recommended amount.

Too much can impact your body’s ability to absorb iron and zinc.

Too much calcium from dietary supplements may increase the risk of developing kidney stones, and supplements can interact with certain medications.

Medications that may have negative interactions with  supplements are:

• Blood pressure beta-blockers can decrease calcium absorption
• Antacids that have aluminum
• Certain cholesterol medications like colestipol
• Estrogen medicines
• Diuretics
• Some antibiotics, including tetracyclines

Tips for Taking the Top 5 Best Calcium Supplements

Before you take a calcium supplement, there are some general tips to keep in mind that will help with absorption and ensure you get the maximum effects.

• Don’t take more than 500 mg of calcium at a time because your body can’t absorb more.
• Don’t take more than 2,500 mg of elemental calcium a day, or else you could be at risk of toxicity.
• Take 400 to 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily to support maximum calcium absorption.
• Taking calcium from foods high in insoluble fiber, such as bran and whole grains, can reduce your body’s calcium absorption.
• Phosphoric acid, often in dark-colored sodas, can negatively affect your body’s ability to absorb calcium.
• If you drink caffeine, it can increase the amount of calcium you lose in your urine.
• A diet too high in sodium can impact calcium excretion, meaning your body absorbs and uses less calcium.
• Calcium can affect how well your body impacts certain drugs, so speak with your doctor before taking a supplement.

Calcium Supplement Reviews

Below are our reviews of the top five best calcium supplements. We’ve included some reasons we ranked them, more information about each product, and links to purchase them.

Please remember that this list is not a replacement for medical advice from a healthcare professional.

If you’d like to learn more, always speak to your doctor or qualified healthcare professional.