Which calcium is best for women

First and foremost, calcium is a mineral. It is essential for life. Like vitamin D , calcium is necessary for building bones and keeping them strong.

Speaking of vitamin D, calcium and vitamin D go hand-in-hand. After all, vitamin D helps absorb calcium from the digestive tract. Beyond bone health, calcium performs many vital roles. It also acts as a co-enzyme for many metabolic processes, and is often most closely associated with the skeletal system.

Without sounding like a broken record, calcium is critical for developing and maintaining bone structure and function. However, you also need calcium for other things: Cardiovascular and muscle function, nervous system signaling, and more.

Our bones, in turn, act as a reservoir for calcium. Calcium is released when needed. In addition to various organs needing calcium to function properly, some studies suggest that calcium—along with vitamin D—may have benefits beyond bone health. For example, warding off cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. In the very least, calcium is vital for survival and maintaining enough calcium is key. When necessary, incorporating a calcium supplement is very helpful.

Children and adolescents are at risk, but so are adults. Particularly, women who are 50 and older. Men and women ages should aim for 1, mg of calcium per day, and those who are older than 51 should get at least 1, mg of calcium.

The recommended upper limit for calcium is 2, mg per day for adults ages Most calcium supplements contain at least 1, mg of calcium. Please speak with your physician before making any changes to your supplement routine. Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? In the case of calcium, unlike vitamin B12 , the answer is yes.

While calcium is necessary for beefing up bones and supporting muscular function, excess calcium can cause consequences. Think: Constipation, kidney stones, kidney failure, heart function problems, and cognitive issues. When it comes to choosing the best calcium supplement, work with your doctor to find the right dosage. This causes bone loss.

Losing bone mass makes the inside of your bones weak and porous, putting you at risk for osteoporosis. Osteopenia and hypocalcemia are other common side effects of low calcium. Consuming enough calcium regardless of age can ward off these consequences. Interestingly, early stage calcium deficiency may not cause any symptoms.

However, symptoms will develop as the condition progresses. Calcium deficiency disorders osteoporosis, osteopenia, and hypocalcemia can show up in many forms.

For example, memory loss, muscle spasms, tingling in the hands and feet, hallucinations, weak and brittle nails, easy fracturing of bones, and more. The supplements may lead to major health problems. But there is a growing body of evidence that suggests no health benefit, or even worse, that calcium supplements may be harmful.

On the other hand, recent studies have linked calcium supplements with an increased risk of colon polyps small growths in the large intestine that can become cancerous and kidney stones, which are hard masses usually formed in the kidneys from an accumulation of calcium and other substances.

If you take a supplement with more than that, your body has to do something with the excess. While taking calcium supplements may produce unwanted side effects, meeting your calcium needs through your diet is safe. Women ages 19 to 50 should consume 1, milligrams of calcium a day, and the target for women over 50 is 1, milligrams per day. Good dietary sources of calcium include:. Reading the labels with an eye toward cost and convenience may help you sift through your options.

While products that yield a high amount of calcium may seem to be the best bet at first blush, they may not serve you best. Because your body has difficulty absorbing more than mg of calcium at a time, more of the mineral may go to waste. So, while you may think that you've met your daily requirements by taking that 1,mg calcium pill, you may actually be only halfway to your target.

Calculate your cost per serving based on how many tablets or chews the package contains, and consider whether you might find it inconvenient to take several tablets a day. Here are some final tips for choosing and taking calcium supplements as found in the Harvard Special Health Report Osteoporosis: A guide to prevention and treatment :.

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