What’s the Best Calcium Supplement?

Calcium deficiency and imbalance is a growing problem and a concern to many; and those who aren’t concerned probably should be. Calcium deficiency is contributes to the prevalence of many horrible health problems that affect more than the bones and teeth. Calcium deficiencies can even be a factor in some gastrointestinal disorders, some studies have even included it as a characteristic of celiac disease. ^[1] It’s no surprise that many people have low levels of this crucial nutrient. Industrial farming and all its glory have rightfully caused many people to question whether or not their food contains less than sufficient amounts of nutrients, including calcium. On that front, all we can do is have a diet high in locally grown, organic produce and other food. There are many fruits and vegan-friendly foods that are good sources of calcium. However, despite best efforts to get enough calcium through dietary sources, many folks still don’t meet the daily requirements for many nutrients, not just calcium. ^[2] For those people, I recommend they consider supplementation with an effective and natural calcium product, only by making it a point to supplement with the most worthwhile supplement can they hope to give provide their body with the nutrition it needs.

Dietary Calcium is Best

Calcium is a must for maintaining a healthy body and benefits more than just your teeth and bones; some associations have even been made between depression and low levels of calcium and magnesium. ^[3] [4] Although, thanks in part to pervasive advertisements, many people believe getting enough calcium means consuming more dairy, that’s not true and many fruits and vegetables such as kale, spinach, and apples are a great source of dietary calcium. Being aware of the various foods that contain calcium and how to best intertwine them into delicious recipes is a fantastic way to increase both the diversity of the food you eat, and the nutrient density in your diet. If you’re only relying on milk for calcium, you’re really short changing your palate and your health.

Calcium Supplement Contamination Concerns

Food, supplements, and anything you ingest should always be a decision you make on purpose. What’s really in the $2.99 bottle of “calcium pills” at the supermarket? Where was it made? Who made it? What type of calcium do they contain? How bioavailable is it? Is it a product that will benefit your body or simply satisfy a mental “vitamin checklist”? We have to be careful to only consume forms of calcium that are beneficial to our bones and tissues and, unfortunately, you also have to make sure your supplements are not contaminated.

A few years ago the University of Florida performed lead analysis on a number of different calcium carbonate formulations and found that over two-thirds of the calcium supplements contained lead and were a potential health concern. ^[5] The University of Florida isn’t alone in this analysis, Canada’s University of Saskatchewan also warns of lead AND aluminum contamination in many calcium carbonate supplements, including ones that are listed as “natural source”! ^[6] Just because it’s in the “health products” section doesn’t mean it is one! A 2011 examination of calcium supplements as a source of lead poisoning noted that some supplements contained lead levels that are beyond regulatory limits in the United States. Furthermore, only 10% of evaluated calcium supplements met acceptable levels! That means out 9 out of 10 calcium supplements are potentially more damaging than beneficial. ^[7] Perhaps the most scary revelations about some sub-par calcium supplements came out of Thailand just last year. Researchers at Mahidol University in Bangkok warn that many evaluated sources of calcium carbonate tested positive for not just lead and aluminum, but also mercury and cadmium. ^[8]

Choose the Best, Non-Toxic Calcium

Satisfying your nutritional requirements is something you should simply be mindful and proactive with. First, start by consuming all organic foods grown in non-depleted soil (if possible). As said before, the best source of calcium, and all nutrients, is from organic foods. Second, when you need additional nutritional supplementation to meet your daily requirements, only choose the most effective supplements of the highest quality. The research of Dr. Hans Nieper verifies that calcium orotate is the most absorbable form of calcium. For this type of calcium, I only recommend IntraCal™, an ultra-high quality calcium orotate supplement that is bioavailable to your body and COMPLETELY lead and toxin free.

References (8)

1. Babar MI, Ahmad I, Rao MS, Iqbal R, Asghar S, Saleem M. Celiac disease and celiac crisis in children. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2011 Aug;21(8):487-90. doi: 08.2011/JCPSP.487490.


2. Straub DA. Calcium supplementation in clinical practice: a review of forms, doses, and indications. Nutr Clin Pract. 2007 Jun;22(3):286-96. Review.


3. Buzinaro EF, Almeida RN, Mazeto GM. [Bioavailability of dietary calcium]. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metabol. 2006 Oct;50(5):852-61. Portuguese.


4. Bae YJ, Kim SK. Low dietary calcium is associated with self-rated depression in middle-aged Korean women. Nutr Res Pract. 2012 Dec;6(6):527-33. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2012.6.6.527. Epub 2012 Dec 31.


5. Ross EA, Szabo NJ, Tebbett IR. Lead content of calcium supplements. JAMA. 2000 Sep 20;284(11):1425-9.


6. Whiting SJ. Safety of some calcium supplements questioned. Nutr Rev. 1994 Mar;52(3):95-7. Review.


7. Rehman S, Adnan M, Khalid N, Shaheen L. Calcium supplements: an additional source of lead contamination. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2011 Oct;143(1):178-87. doi: 10.1007/s12011-010-8870-3. Epub 2010 Oct 15.


8. Bunyaratavej N, Buranasinsup S. Calcium supplement: humanity’s double-edged sword. J Med Assoc Thai. 2011 Oct;94 Suppl 5:S56-8.

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