Daily Intake of Calcium

Dr. Ann Kulze outlines general recommendations for daily calcium intake. Dr. Ann also discusses different sources of calcium.

What do we need to know about calcium supplements? Dr. Ann Kulze: Calcium supplements are important for up women, adult women especially for bone health osteoporosis protection and the very best way to take your calcium is kind— the dose you need to take depends on how you are doing in your diet so I recommend that you get a total daily dose of calcium along with the food in your diet of anywhere from thousand to 1200 milligrams. So you can have to assess your diet and remember that dairy products contain about 300 milligrams so for most women that generally needs 600-800 milligrams the very best most valuable form of calcium is calcium citrate. Calcium citrate is going to be absorbed better than calcium carbonate, very important for elder woman to choose calcium citrate over calcium carbonate. The other thing that’s important is I would recommend that you avoid calcium supplement from coral or dolomite or bone meal because they may contain a toxic heavy metals. Very important to buy your calcium supplement in such a way that will also provides vitamin D because vitamin D deficiencies are absolutely epidemic in America and if you have a deficiency of vitamin D and you take calcium it does absolutely nothing for you so get your calcium, combine with vitamin and also a little bit of magnesium the reason why that's important because magnesium deficiency is very common and taking supplemental calcium in the context of magnesium deficiency can actually exacerbate the magnesium deficiency. So again, are readily available they are recommend for women for bone health and osteoporosis protection, mention avoid calcium supplements unless they have been specifically directed to take one by there healthcare provider. So that’s important to know because in some evidence that excess intakes of calcium in males could perhaps increase the risks of prostate cancer, so I hope this clear as things up on a calcium and should I take it, should or not take it. And until next time, this is Dr. Ann for ICYou enjoy health.