Calcium supplements are known to be essential to our health. We benefit from it in many ways as it strengthens our bones and teeth and helps to lower risks of some forms of cancer. That’s why for a long time now the element’s salts have been made into supplements for consumption by the general public. We can consume this necessity via a good diet, but for those who cannot get the right amount, supplements can be taken.
Want to get hold of these supplements? Head down to your local supermarket or pharmacy. Or if you’re like a lot of people now moving online, you’ll be able to get them online too. Most people now shop around on lots of different websites to find a better deal on individual and bulk-buy products. Just make sure you check on the reliability of the source, and always make sure that the calcium product they are selling to you is legitimate.
The benefits of the element aren’t recent discoveries. Since about 40,000 BC it has had various uses. Its heavy and ductile qualities meant that it was useful as building materials, and it was one of the first methods of white pigmentation in paint and chalk. Once it had been recognised as essential to our health, the World Health Organisation included it in their List of Essential Medicines, and the demand for supplements and a more balanced diet boomed.
Up-to-date, supplements can be taken via capsules, chews, liquids or powders, and there are many types to purchase. The two main types are carbonate and citrate. If you want to enjoy a cheaper, more readily available product with a higher percentage content of the raw element in (at 40%), then carbonate is the way to go. Citrate is indeed more expensive, less readily available and has a smaller percentage content of the raw element at only 21%. However, there have been many side effects associated with taking carbonate supplements. These include bloating, constipation and gas.
There are also other alleged side effects to them. Firstly, taking more than 2000mg daily could increase the risk of kidney stones, according to the Institute of Medicine. On top of this, there is the possibility that children could develop rickets and adults osteomalacia/osteoporosis in later life, and hypercalcemia is a possibility. You can often identify hypercalcemia if you experience side effects such as nausea, memory loss, muscle weakness and dehydration. If you’re wanting to avoid risks to taking the supplements, perhaps try to improve your diet.
At the end of all things, whilst the side effects may appear to be more than the actual benefits, we all need enough calcium to maintain our strength and allow our bodies to function normally. It is true that they can be linked to increased risk of heart attacks too, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t important to ensure we get enough of it. In fact, those who suffer from conditions that stop the body from absorbing enough of it should definitely think about acquiring the products.