Top Questions About Calcium

Vivian Goldschmidt, MA Nutrition

Evidence-Based
4 min Read
calcium questions

Did you know that calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body?

Today, as a follow-up to my last article about calcium, I’ll answer the top five questions about this essential mineral.

Let's get started…

1. Which calcium is organic?

All calcium is inorganic. In the chemical sense, the term “organic” refers to compounds that contain carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen, often along with other elements like oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus. Calcium itself is an element, and it can be bound to organic molecules, such as citrate, lactate, gluconate, ororate, and more. Calcium can also be bound to inorganic molecules, such as carbonate, phosphate, sulfate, chloride (to name a few).

While calcium from inorganic minerals, organic acid salts, and plant sources all contain the same type of calcium, their effects on the body differ depending on solubility, accompanying compounds, and overall bioavailability. For example, plant-based algae-derived calcium tends to be more bioavailable than other forms of calcium. This is because it has a more porous structure, contains bioactive trace elements, and is easier for the body to assimilate. Unlike traditional rock-based calcium, algae-derived calcium requires less stomach acid for absorption.

Understanding these differences can help in selecting the best calcium supplement, such as TrueOsteo.

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2. How much calcium do I need to take?

The answer is: it depends. Because not all types of calcium are utilized by the body equally. In other words, it has to do with bioavailability. So if you take a highly bioavailable calcium, you can take less than if you take for example, calcium carbonate, since the carbonate molecule is inorganic.

3. Is amino-acid chelated calcium organic or inorganic?

Chelation is a process by which the inorganic mineral molecule – in this case calcium – is bound to an amino-acid, so the digestive system recognizes it as food.  First, let's look at what makes a molecule organic or inorganic. An organic molecule is defined as compound primarily composed of carbon atoms covalently bonded to hydrogen (and often to other elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, etc.). Many naturally occurring molecules (like proteins, fats, and sugars) fall into this category. Inorganic compounds typically do not contain carbon-hydrogen (C–H) bonds. Examples include minerals, metals, salts (like sodium chloride), and many metal oxides.

Calcium aspartate, calcium citrate, malate and calcium gluconate are examples of amino- acid chelated calcium typically found in supplements. In essence, while the amino acid part of the chelate is organic, the calcium does not “convert” into an organic substance just because it is bound to an organic molecule. The compound is sometimes marketed as an “organic complex” because the ligand (the amino acid) is organic in nature, but from a strict chemical classification perspective, the calcium component remains inorganic. For nutritional purposes, the chelation is important because it enhances bioavailability and digestibility, so they are a good choice, along with the algae-derived calcium found in TrueOsteo.

4. Can I get all the calcium I need from foods?

It’s a great idea to get extra calcium from foods, but it’s very difficult to get to the desirable calcium levels without using supplements as a baseline. What’s so good about getting calcium from foods is that they also typically contain other valuable nutrients.

For example almonds, one of the Foundation Foods listed in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, are an excellent source of several Foundation Supplements, including calcium, magnesium, zinc, boron, copper and silicon. In other words, most foods don’t contain one mineral or vitamin in isolation.

Likewise, the best way to take calcium is together with other bone-healthy nutrients, such as magnesium, Vitamin D3, Vitamin K2, silica, and boron, all of which are present in TrueOsteo.

Read more about TrueOsteo™ here →

And use the coupon code: SAVEOURBONES at checkout to save 20% off your order!

Please note that TrueOsteo only ships to the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. So if you live elsewhere, I apologize for the inconvenience.

Till next time,

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