calcium suppliments

Question
Hi!

I recently broke my toe doing something so simple (tripping over my shoes) so I started thinking about how much calcium I get in my diet (you know, for strong bones!).  I've been taking a multivitamin every day for years, but when I checked the label I noticed that it only has 20% of my RDA for calcium.  So off I went to the grocery store to look into buying calcium suppliments.  That's when I noticed that the ingredient in antacids like TUMS is the same exact ingredient in calcium suppliments (calcium carbonate).  I have two questions for ya卼he first is, how does that work?  Is calcium a natural antacid?  And second (and more importantly) is it safe to take a couple TUMS every day for extra calcium?  I've heard it's not safe to take it every day since it can raise the acid levels in your blood, but on the back of the label it says to take 4 a day for extra calcuim.  Can you help me clear up this mystery?

Some info that I'm not sure would help or not?  I'm 29 years old, I've been a vegetarian for 15 years (lacto-ovo, not vegan, so I still eat dairy), and I teach fitness classes at my gym 5 days a week so I'm very active.

Thanks for all your help!

Erica

Answer
You can get a calcium supplement, or you can invest in a new daily multi-vitamin that has 50-150% of the daily value for vitamin C. Taking TUMS everyday is not a good idea, especially for long term. They can sometimes be related to kidney stones which are often made of calcium oxalate as a result of taking in too much calcium. This is more often a result of those people that use TUMS constantly for indigestion without seeking the help of their physician. TUMS can also work against some prescription meds, so if you are taking any prescription meds you probably shouldn't use TUMS. To be on the safe side I would just recommend buying a daily supplement that has a better source of calcium.

Leigh-Anne

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