Apart from being a major constituent of bones and teeth, calcium (Ca) is vital for muscle contraction, nerve conduction, the beating of the heart, blood coagulation, glandular secretion, energy metabolism and maintenance of immune function.
Of all the so-called “natural” mineral supplements, calcium supplements are the ones to avoid the most.
The 2 most common forms of Ca supplement are calcium carbonate and calcium citrate. Neither are particularly desirable, but calcium carbonate is the most widely used and should be avoided. Adult humans need about 30mg of food calcium per day, so why on earth are people buying 1000mg of Ca carbonate, which is nothing more than blackboard chalk!
Ca carbonates have been shown to cause gastrointestinal side effects such as constipation, bloating, gas and flatulence. Only approximately 5% of the calcium in calcium carbonate is retained within the body. The prolonged use of Ca carbonate (greater than 12g daily - about 5g of elemental Ca) may lead to the milk-alkali syndrome, hypercalcaemia, nephrocalcinosis and renal insufficiency.
Long-term use of Ca carbonate will potentially reduce your bone-mass density despite the fact that most people purchase it for the exact opposite intention.
What about Magnesium?
If you are taking inorganic magnesium and calcium together they both end up being even less effective than when taken separately.
What about foodstate calcium?
There are many inadequacies and potential problems by taking calcium as a salt of any kind. The calcium provided to us through food reaches receptor sites in the body, but inorganic calcium, or any inorganic mineral for that matter, is simply not recognised by the body. Foodstate Ca has been shown scientifically to be superior to all other forms because it is created as a food nutrient, and does exactly what it is meant to do.