Calcium Citrate/Malate

Builds and maintains strong bones.

Highlights

• Calcium citrate/malate is more easily absorbed than other forms of calcium1,2,3,4

• Most doctors recommend supplemental calcium to women of all ages

• Calcium citrate/malate maintains bone mass better than calcium carbonate alone2

• Calcium is essential for healthy bones and teeth

Facts about Calcium Citrate/Malate

The current Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of calcium is as follows:5

• Infants - birth to 1 year . . . . . . . . . 400 - 600 mg/day

• Children - 1 to 10 years . . . . . . . . .   800 - 1,200 mg/day

• Adolescents - 11 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . 1,200 - 1,500 mg/day

• Men - 25 to 65 years . . . . . . . . .   1,000 mg/day

• Men - 65 years and older . . . . . . . . . 1,500 mg/day

• Women - 25 to 50 years . . . . . . . . .   1,000 mg/day

• Pregnant and Nursing . . . . . . . . .   1,200 - 1,500 mg/day

• Women - 50 years or postmenopausal . . . . . . . . . 1,500 mg/day

• If on estrogens . . . . . . . . . 1,000 mg/day

• Women - 65 years and older . . . . . . . . . 1,500 mg/day

Magnesium is also essential (at 50% of calcium levels) to maintain strong bones.6 Vitamin D, “the sunshine vitamin,” is well-known for its ability to increase calcium absorption and reduce bone loss.6  Vitamin K is essential for normal bone formation.6  Calcium maintains bone better when taken with copper and zinc.6

Calcium intake should be highest from birth to age 30 — the bone building years. The better the calcium is absorbed, the greater the benefits on bone health and strength. Calcium citrate/malate has enhanced absorption (bioavailability) due to its unique form. It is a fully reacted combination of calcium, citric acid and malic acid.

In a comparison of all commercially available calcium forms: calcium oxalate, hydroxyapatite (veal bone meal), calcium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate, calcium citrate, calcium citrate/malate and bisglycinocalcium; calcium citrate/malate was the most soluble of the group.4  When taken with a meal, calcium citrate/malate absorbed better than the other calcium sources studied.4

In one study of women aged 21 to 30, a calcium citrate/malate supplement containing 250 mg given three times per day was absorbed better than a calcium carbonate supplement containing the same amount of calcium and also given thrice daily, 37.3 percent versus 29.6 percent, respectively.1  In the same study, calcium citrate/malate was also absorbed better than calcium from milk, 38.3 percent versus 29.4 percent, respectively.1  In another study of 12 adolescents, those who took calcium citrate/malate supplements (containing 250 mg of calcium each) absorbed the mineral much better than adolescents who took calcium carbonate supplements (also containing 250 mg of calcium).3

Benefits of Calcium Citrate/Malate

Regular weight-bearing exercise (walking or jogging, for example), along with a healthful diet rich in, or supplemented with, calcium, helps maintain healthy bones and may reduce risk of brittle bones. For these reasons, most doctors recommend supplemental calcium to women of all ages including teenagers and women on low-calorie diets who run a high risk of calcium deficiency.5

A study of 301 postmenopausal women (half of whom consumed less than 400 mg of calcium per day, and the other half who consumed  between 400 to 650 milligrams of calcium per day) found that those women whose calcium intake was lower than 400 mg when the study began, and who increased their intake to 800 mg/day via a calcium citrate/malate supplement, significantly reduced bone loss.*2 In this study, supplementation with calcium citrate/malate was more effective at reducing bone loss than supplementation with calcium carbonate.*2

In addition to its effects on bones, calcium also supports the normal function of a healthy cardiovascular system*: it aids in blood clotting,*6 regulates blood pressure levels*7 (along with potassium and magnesium), and helps maintain a normal cholesterol level.*8  High levels of blood pressure and cholesterol are known contributors to poor heart health.  Calcium also helps transmit signals across nerve cells and aids in muscle contraction.*6

References

1. Smith KT, Heaney RP, Flora L, et al. Calcium Absorption From a New Calcium Delivery System (CCM). Calcif Tissue Int 1987;41:351-352

2. Dawson Hughes B, Dallal GE, Krall EA, et al.  A Controlled Trial of the Effect of Calcium Supplementation on Bone Density in Postmenopausal Women. N Engl J Med 1990;323:878-88)

3. Miller JZ, Smith DL, Flora L, et al. Calcium Absorption from Calcium Carbonate and  a new form of calcium carbonate (CCM) in Healthy Male and Female Adolescents. Am J Clin Nutr 1988;48:1291-1294

4. Heaney RP, Recker RR, Weaver CM. Absorbability of Calcium Sources: the Limited  Role of Solubility. Calcif Tissue Int 1990;46:300-304

5. NIH Consensus Development Panel on Optimal Calcium Intake. JAMA 1994;272:1942-1948

6. Recommended Daily Allowances, National Academy Press, 1989

7. McCarron DA, Morris CD, Henry HJ, Stanton JL. Blood pressure and nutrient intake in the United States. Science 1984;224(4656):1392-8

8. Denke MA, Fox MM, Shulte MC. Short-term dietary calcium fortification increases fecal saturated fat content and reduces serum lipids in men. J Nutri 1993;123(6):1047-53