Key Factors for Absorbing Calcium Supplements

Calcium Soluability

If calcium is soluble, it dissolves easily in water or stomach acid. (In fact, it is not uncommon for calcium supplements to be close to 100 percent soluble.) Calcium dissolves in the stomach and is absorbed through the lining of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, calcium builds bone, regulates the expansion and contraction of the blood vessels, and performs other important functions.

Key Factors

Here are key factors that can affect how well your body is able to absorb the calcium you take in.

• A diet high in phytic acid — Found in the bran coating of whole grains, phytic acid binds calcium and other minerals, making them insoluble and not absorbable in the intestines. Your calcium then passes out of the body without being absorbed. If you typically consume a lot of whole-grain bread and cereal, you may want to try calcium-fortified products.
• High levels of sodium — Excessive salt can interfere with calcium absorption. Read more about salt and the health of your bones.
• Insufficient vitamin D — Vitamin D is critical to regulating calcium absorption.
• Coffee (and tea) consumption — The caffeine in coffee, tea, as well as most sodas acts as a mild diuretic, so that valuable calcium is excreted before the body can make use of it. Consuming these drinks in small quantities is relatively harmless, but excessive use can lead to reduced absorption.
• Smoking — Studies of smokers show reduced bone mass. The reason is not well understood, but it appears that smoking interferes with the absorption of calcium in the intestines. PLEASE STOP SMOKING.
• Celiac Disease ­— This health condition is an inherited autoimmune disease characterized by gluten intolerance. It often goes undiagnosed in both children and adults. Celiac disease changes the lining of the intestine and impacts absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D and calcium. If you have celiac disease, it is a significant risk factor for osteoporosis. 

Other Factors

Other factors, such as an inactive lifestyle and a diet that features a large amount of meat, may also affect your ability to absorb calcium. American Bone Health suggests that you discuss these factors with your healthcare provider and evaluate your own diet and lifestyle for areas where you can make improvements.

Posted: 9/28/2016; Revised: 03/04/20. 
As a service to our readers, American Bone Health provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of the last review on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician

Factors affecting Calcium Absorption in Body – By Dr.

Priyanka Joshi

Last Updated: Jan 10, 2023

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Dr. Priyanka JoshiDietitian/Nutritionist • 4 Years Exp.Ph.D – Food Science and Nutrition

Incorporating healthy foods in the diet is not enough. One should understand the factors affecting the absorption of nutrients from the food. Some factors are responsible for increased absorption of particular nutrients whereas some decrease its absorption.

Calcium is the hardest mineral to get absorbed in the body. 30-80 % of the dietary calcium is not getting absorbed in the adult body.

Check out some factors influencing calcium absorption in our body, these factors can be related to the hormone, amino acids, milk, and more:

1. Vitamin D: Vitamin d works in the digestive tract to absorb calcium into the bloodstream from the walls of the duodenum. Vitamin D also helps maintain normal blood calcium levels.
2. Parathyroid Hormone: It increases calcium transport across the membrane of intestinal cells.
3. Acid Environment: Hydrochloric acid secreted in the stomach during the process of digestion is required for the absorption of calcium in the duodenum. Calcium supplements could be taken with magnesium at bedtime or between meals due to the acid environment needed in the stomach to assimilate the calcium. Always consult a physician before beginning a new supplement regimen.
4. Milk Lactose: it favors absorption in infants. Lactose is acted upon by intestinal microbial flora to form acid which causes the lowering of ph which makes calcium more soluble.
5. Amino Acids: Supplemental calcium is often chelated, or combined with protein molecules called amino acids, to help the body absorb them during digestion. Lysine and arginine increase calcium absorption.
6. Exercise: Exercise along with Vitamin D intake helps calcium absorption thereby making bones strong.

Factors Decreasing Absorption of Calcium in Body

1. Oxalic acid phytic acid: Foods that are high in oxalic acids such as spinach, chard, and chocolate, reduce calcium absorption. Oxalic acid binds with the calcium to form a salt crystal, calcium oxalate which cannot be absorbed. Phytic acid, which is found in whole-grain foods and high-fiber foods, affects calcium absorption the same way.
2. Phosphorus: Too much phosphorus in the diet causes precipitation of calcium in the form of calcium phosphate.
3. Stress: Stress can have a negative effect on hcl production in the stomach and on normal digestive behavior in the body, and can, therefore, have a negative effect on calcium absorption.
4. Caffeine, drugs like anticoagulants, cortisone, and thyroxine reduce calcium absorption in the body.
5. Lack of exercise and vitamin d deficiency leads to decrease in calcium absorption.

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Calcium.

General information

In the human body, more than 98% of Ca is fixed in bone tissue, and only 1–2% is in soft tissues and extracellular fluid, incl. in blood. In blood serum, 40% Ca circulates in complex with proteins, 9% in the form of salts (phosphates, citrate), the remaining 50% are present in the ionized (free) form (Ca2+) and therefore are able to diffuse into the intercellular fluid. It is free calcium that is the regulator of intracellular processes.

Physiologically, the action of Ca is associated with the regulation of the permeability of cell membranes. In the cell, its concentration is very low; on the outer side of the plasma membrane, the Ca2+ content is many times higher. The establishment of such a balance of concentrations is ensured by the energy-dependent operation of membrane channels and pumps. Due to the low content of Ca2+ in the cytoplasm and the high concentration gradient on both sides of the plasma membrane, this ion is important in the regulation of cell activity. The plasma membrane of cells has a low permeability to calcium; the removal of the ion from the cell is energy dependent. Changes in the conductivity of calcium channels in the membrane and intracellular Ca2+ content change the functioning of many systems, including the processes of cell division. Calcium ions play an important role in the transmission of nerve impulses, muscle contractility, in the process of blood coagulation, and are cofactors in a number of enzymatic reactions. Determining the level of calcium is a diagnostically and prognostically significant test for a number of pathological conditions.

To maintain a normal level of calcium in the blood serum, it is necessary to adequately supply it with food. The intake of calcium in the body is affected by its content in food and their composition. The presence in the diet of substances that bind calcium, primarily phosphates and fatty acids, significantly reduces its absorption. Calcium absorption occurs predominantly in the proximal small intestine and in the jejunum. The intestines absorb from 30 to 70% of the calcium supplied with food.

Clinically, hypercalcemia manifests itself as a violation of the kidneys (polyuria, urolithiasis), gastrointestinal tract (nausea, vomiting, constipation), heart (shortening of the QT interval on the ECG), neurological symptoms (weakness, fatigue, confusion, stupor and coma). Clinical manifestations of hypercalcemia are more pronounced with its rapid development.

Clinical manifestations of hypocalcemia vary depending on the degree of calcium reduction. Muscle fatigue, weakness, twitching of individual muscle groups, positive symptoms of Khvostek, Trousseau, Lust are noted with a mild degree of hypocalcemia. Alkalosis increases the albumin-bound calcium fraction, exacerbating symptoms. Severe hypocalcemia causes drowsiness, confusion, spasms of smooth muscles, hypertonicity and convulsions, prolongation of the QT interval on the ECG. Chronic hypocalcemia can cause cataracts and calcification of the basal ganglia.

The exchange of calcium in the body is closely related to the exchange of phosphorus. The main factors regulating the metabolism of phosphates and calcium include PTH, calcitonin and vitamin D. When hypocalcemia occurs, an increase in PTH synthesis occurs, which provides increased tubular reabsorption and a decrease in calcium excretion in the urine. At the same time, under the influence of PTH, the excretion of phosphorus by the kidneys increases, which leads to a decrease in the concentration of phosphorus in the blood serum and extracellular fluid and a subsequent increase in the level of calcium in the blood. Hyperphosphatemia is accompanied by a decrease in calcium concentration, which leads to stimulation of the release of PTH, a decrease in tubular reabsorption of phosphate and an increase in its excretion by the kidneys.

The content of Ca in blood serum and urine changes with dysfunction of the parathyroid and thyroid glands, neoplasms of different localization, especially with bone metastasis, and renal failure. Prolonged hypercalcemia in combination with both hyper- and normophosphatemia can cause calcium phosphate deposition in the wall of blood vessels, connective tissue, gastric mucosa, and other organs and tissues.

Testing the level of total calcium in the blood

Short description:
Calcium is one of the most important minerals for humans. It is necessary for the contraction of skeletal muscles and the heart, for the transmission of a nerve impulse, as well as for normal blood clotting (promotes the transition of prothrombin to thrombin), to build the framework of bones and teeth.

Mechanisms of phosphorus-calcium metabolism:
• parathyroid glands with a high content of phosphate (with a low level of calcium) secrete parathyroid hormone, which destroys bone tissue, thereby increasing the concentration of calcium,
• when calcium levels in the blood are high, the thyroid gland produces calcitonin, which causes calcium to move from the blood to the bones,
• parathyroid hormone activates vitamin D, increasing calcium absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and reabsorption of the cation in the kidneys.

Synonyms (eng): Serum calcium
Synonyms (eng): Calcium total, Ca.

Method: Colorimetric photometric.

Units: mmol/l (millimoles per litre).

Study preparation:
• Do not eat for 12 hours before the test.
• Eliminate physical and emotional overstrain 30 minutes before the study.
• Do not smoke for 30 minutes before donating blood.

Biomaterial type: Venous blood.

Tube type: vacuum tube with clotting activator and separation gel (red cap with yellow ring).

Lead time: one business day.

Reference values:

Causes of high calcium levels:
An increase in the level of total calcium is hypercalcemia. Its two most common causes are hyperparathyroidism (enlargement of the parathyroid glands) and malignant neoplasms. Hyperparathyroidism is usually caused by a benign tumor of the parathyroid glands. Cancer formations lead to hypercalcemia after damage to the skeletal system.