Calcium citrate

Oh heck! I know I saw a thread on OH sometime in the last 1-2 days about how to know if your calcium citrate is the right kind. It said something about the label reading calcium "as calcium citrate" or "from calcium citrate" or something similar.  It said that if the ingredient said just calcium citrate, it wasn't the right kind.

I'm really concerned now because I've been taking plain calcium citrate for almost 2 months and I just bought a bottle of Citracal petites.  If you can help me find that thread I'd appreciate it. I've already done a search of the OH site and couldn't bring it up.

I've never heard of more than one kind of calcium citrate. There is calcium citrate and calcium carbonate we should have the citrate for better absorbtion, that's what I've been told anyway. I use citrical petites myself.

It isn't a matter of "right" or "wrong, kind of calcium citrate (as long as it is calcium citrate, it is fine); it is a matter of whether the dosage is  actually the amount of elemental calcium that you are actually getting.

Some labels makes it clear by showing two numbers, a total calcium number AND and elemental calcium number. (Upcal D does it this way.)  If the label says 500 mg (as citrate) or 500 mg (from citrate), it is showing you the amount of elemental calcium, but if it just says 500 mg calcium citrate that is just the total calcium not the elemental calcium. 

If it only lists total calcium, divide the total calcium by 5 to get the amount of elemental calcium citrate.

Lora

Where on the label would that be? I'm not seeing it in the ingredient list.

Where the nutrition facts are.

It should say something like Calcium 500 mg (as citrate), and then list a percentage, like 50%, which is how much of the recommended daily allowance of calcium that is.  It probably lists vitamin D underneath the calcium, because most calcium supplements also contain vitamin D. 

If you bought Citracal petites, that's 200 mg calcium citrate per pill.

Okay, so that would mean I need to be taking 2-3 pills at a time, right? My Citrical just says "Calcium citrate" in the ingredient list. No "as citrate" and no percentage.

OK, here is the label online.

Under the supplement facts, it lists 400 mg calcium (elemental).  Which is what you want to know, how much elemental calcium.

That article was posted in the VSG forum by Keith!  if it says calcium citrate,  that's what you want. If it just says calcium,  that is usually just calcium carbonate unless it specifies elemental or from calcium citrate. 

What she's talking about is the amount of elemental calcium

If it says 500 mg calcium (as citrate), it has 500 mg elemental calcium.

If it says 500 mg calcium (from citrate), it has 500 mg elemental calcium.

If it says 500 mg calcium citrate, it only has 100 mg elemental calcium.

It's important to know how much elemental calcium you're getting so you know that you're taking the recommended amount.

Yes,  that's all explained in the article that was posted in the VSG forum.