Calcium

I think we all know it's important to get calcium from our diets and/or supplements, but did you know that in this case, bigger is not always better.

I don't drink milk and am aware that i'm probably not reaching my RDA of calcium.  To counteract this, I had been taking a 600mg calcium plus Vitamin D supplement daily.  However I just ran out.

While perusing the shelves at the local Walgreens I noticed many different varieties and dosages of calcium, ranging from 500mg to 1200mg.

Something in my head told me that your boday can absorb no more than 600mg calcium at a time, so I wanted to check.

The data I found actually indicates that calcium is best absorbed in dosages of 500mg or less.  Given that a woman my age needs approximately 1000mg, my best bet is to take two doses of 500mg, one in the morning and one at night.

Why then would they even sell a dosage over 600mg that apparently ends up being flushed from your system?  Well, I don't know.  Marketing perhaps?

In summary, stick with about 500mg at a time.  When I finish my 600mg bottle i'm going to switch to 500mg, no sense in throwing away 100mg each time I take a supplement, right?