Calcium Citrate Vs Calcium Carbonate Supplements
Calcium citrate vs calcium carbonate supplements is often the choice for people who would like to support their calcium levels. Many people who are into wellness are unaware that different supplemental forms of calcium exist.
Calcium is an essential nutrient and one of the most abundant minerals in the body. For some people with osteoporosis or bone related issues a calcium supplement is part of their daily routine. This disease effects millions of people worldwide. Calcium plays an important role in the maintenance of healthy bones and low calcium levels increase risks of bone fractures.
A massive unknown to many are the differences in forms of calcium supplements. Minerals can be found in different forms such as oxides or citrates. For example zinc can be supplemented as zinc oxide or citrate. You can read our articles on the differences between various forms of zinc and magnesium supplements here.
Calcium supplements are found in different forms such as calcium carbonate or calcium citrate which have different bioactivities within the body. This is centred around their differences in total calcium absorption which in turn affects the use of free calcium by the body. They also have differing prices in most cases.
Here the calcium citrate vs calcium carbonate supplement issue will be considered to show why the form of calcium supplement could have an influence on your wellbeing.
Why Is Calcium Important For Our Wellbeing
Calcium is an essential nutrient which supports optimal bone health alongside the partner mineral phosphorus. Calcium is also one of the most abundant minerals within the body.
The body also uses calcium for sending signals between cells and supports various processes throughout the body. We also need calcium for supporting healthy muscle contractions and nerve transmissions. People with chronic calcium deficiency could experience lethargy or muscle cramping. Disturbances in blood calcium can lead to heart issues or cognitive dysfunction.
Elevated calcium levels may support muscle performance and bone density because of the various roles of this mineral in our daily functioning. This includes older women who may be slightly more vulnerable to bone loss. Calcium supplements may also be preventative of tooth loss.
Current recommendation suggests we should at least be ingesting 1000mg of calcium daily to support healthy calcium levels.
Calcium Citrate Vs Calcium Carbonate Supplements
To use calcium the body must first absorb this mineral from our digestive system. Sufficient calcium absorption through the intestines is important for the maintenance of healthy levels of circulating calcium.
Calcium is obtainable via our diet but could also be absorbed via a calcium food supplement alongside our diet. One issue which affects calcium absorption is oxalates. Oxalates are an anti nutrient found in various plant foods which bind very strongly to calcium and prevent optimal calcium absorption. Levels of vitamin D are also a factor which regulate calcium intake or absorption into the body. Without sufficient vitamin D you could develop rickets of the bones from lack of calcium.
The more usual supplement forms of calcium available are calcium carbonate, calcium citrate and calcium formate. Calcium malate citrate also exists as a calcium supplement. Cheaper off the shelf supplements often tend to contain calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate tends to be found in the more expensive supplements.
One reason for this variation in price is the difference in calcium absorption from calcium citrate vs calcium carbonate supplements. For example one top of the range and more expensive calcium supplement product is known as Citracal Petite. This product contains calcium citrate rather than calcium carbonate.
Research also suggests that calcium citrate supplements may be better for reducing the risk of calcium oxalate urinary stones than calcium carbonate. They may prevent new stone formation and reduce further kidney stone growth. Kidney stones sometimes need medical treatment to remove and produce symptoms of pain in the abdomen. Calcium citrate seems to be more a kidney protective calcium supplement based on researched observations of kidney tissue health.
Calcium Citrate Bioavailability Vs Calcium Carbonate
Supplemental calcium from calcium citrate is regarded as being more bioavailable vs calcium carbonate. This means that more mineral calcium is available for the body to use and to support various aspects of our health.
A calcium citrate supplement would therefore have more significant possible benefits in comparison to a calcium carbonate supplement. Calcium citrate may better support people with osteoporosis for example than calcium carbonate who may experience bone loss.
Considering mineral calcium to be one of the most abundant in the body this could form a very important choice when looking at a calcium supplement.
Research shows that calcium carbonate may only raise circulating calcium levels by about 4% at the most. This was found in individuals who took 1200mg of a calcium carbonate supplement. Calcium citrate raised calcium levels significantly in these individuals to a much higher level than with the calcium carbonate supplement.
Maximal rises in circulating calcium happened after about 2 hours. In this study a calcium formate form of calcium supplement had the highest bioavailability of all the calcium supplement forms tested.
Other research agrees with this. One other recent study shows that calcium citrate supplements are the more bioavailable supplement vs calcium carbonate supplements. Another study suggests that calcium citrate could have up to 20% higher absorption rates vs a calcium carbonate supplement. Calcium absorption from calcium citrate was shown to be higher at 0.5g of calcium citrate vs 2g of calcium carbonate.
Calcium carbonate supplements are usually cheaper than calcium citrate but calcium citrate may offer higher value for money vs calcium carbonate because of absorption differences.
How Is Calcium Citrate More Bioavailable Than Calcium Carbonate
The higher absorption or bioavailability of calcium from calcium citrate vs calcium carbonate is thought to be because of the citrate group partnered or conjugated with calcium.
Our bodies may more easily recognise citrate than carbonate because of a high amount of citrate transporters which are located on our cells and in our digestive tract too. These transporters may encourage citrates such as calcium citrate to move a lot more easily throughout the body vs calcium carbonate. This may then also explain why mineral magnesium and zinc are more readily absorbed as citrates.
Another possibility is that the mineral bound citrate group releases ionic calcium or minerals into our digestive tract more readily for absorption. Studies have found that the same supplement form of calcium as calcium carbonate is absorbed better with a higher dissolution and disintegration level. This increases the free calcium available for absorption. This is therefore also likely to influence total calcium absorption.
Overall the research shows that calcium citrate supplements have an improved bioavailability verses calcium carbonate supplements and this could therefore be more beneficial for those who wish to support their levels of calcium.
Summary
People who would like to supplement with calcium usually have a choice between calcium citrate vs calcium carbonate supplements. Most people are unaware that there is a choice between these forms and that they have different bioactivities within the body.
Calcium one of the most abundant minerals within the body. High levels of calcium are found within the bones alongside phosphorus which is a partner nutrient. Calcium plays a very important role in maintaining healthy bones.
If one calcium supplement form has a much better absorption than another then that supplement could have very significant advantages in supporting our overall wellness. This is because of a higher level of circulating calcium within the body.
Research shows that calcium citrate is far more bioavailable vs calcium carbonate. This means that calcium citrate could offer more benefits in supporting calcium levels than calcium carbonate. Research with mineral supplements shows that citrates may be more readily recognised and transported throughout the body because of a high abundance of citrate transporters.
Some studies suggest that calcium citrate could have up to 20% higher absorption rates vs a calcium carbonate supplement. As calcium is one of the most abundant minerals within the body this could form part of a really important choice when purchasing a calcium supplement. Often calcium citrate supplements are more expensive than a standard calcium carbonate supplement. Citracal petite is one example of a calcium citrate supplement.
Overall the research shows that calcium citrate supplements could possibly offer those who supplement with calcium a more beneficial calcium supplement for their overall wellbeing vs calcium carbonate.
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