Calcium Stealers: Medications and Substances That Impede the Absorption of Calcium

It’s so important to get the proper amount of calcium to fight bone loss and other medical disorders; so make sure you are checking what you eat to be sure you aren’t consuming something that hinders calcium’s affect.

Do you know what medications or foods sabotage your daily intake of this vital nutrient?

How ever you get your calcium, whether from food or supplements, we must be aware that there are things that can interfere with our hard work by depleting or blocking the calcium we consume.

Substances That Interfere with Calcium Absorption:* Oxalates reduce calcium absorption (examples of foods high in oxalate are: spinach, rhubarb and beet greens)

• Phytate Sodium (example of a foods high in phytate are: 100% wheat bran, pinto beans, navy beans and peas). You can reduce the phytate level in beans or legumes by soaking them in water for several hours, discarding the water, and then cooking them in fresh water.
  If you eat wheat bran, take your calcium 2-4 hours before or after eating 100% wheat bran.

• Protein (Our daily calcium requirement increases with diets too high in animal protein)

• Caffeine (Excess caffeine interferes with calcium absorption)
  You can counteract excess caffeine by adding milk to your drink, or extra calcium to your routine of drinking caffeinated beverages.

• Sodium (Excess sodium inhibits calcium absorption)

• Vitamin D deficiency (inhibits calcium absorption)

Calcium Interactions:* Tetracycline (calcium may reduce absorption of this antibiotic)

• Iron Supplements (calcium should not be taken at the same time as iron)

• Thyroid hormones (take calcium 4 hours apart from thyroid hormones)

• Medications taken on an empty stomach (these medications should not be taken at the same time as calcium)

• Proton Pump Inhibitors (such as Prevacid
  ®, Prilosec
  ®, and Nexium
  ® interact with calcium).
  Because these medications block stomach acid, you may better absorb these with calcium citrate which does not need stomach acid for absorption.

It’s best to get our calcium, whether from diet or supplements, in doses of no more than 500 – 600 milligrams per serving, or less, taken several times a day.
If you get the required dose for calcium from your food (1,200 mgs for those over 50, and 1,000 mgs for those under 50) then you wouldn’t need to supplement with additional calcium tablets.
Check your total daily intake through foods and drinks and then decide if you need to add more calcium to that to equal the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 1,200 mgs.

I hope you are getting what you need from your calcium; and be sure to check this list for things that could hinder your hard work in getting the proper amount of calcium.

List Source: National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) 2010 on Calcium.

Other Resources on Supplements From HealthCentral:
Getting the Most From Your Vitamin D

Medications That Cause Bone Loss

Calculating How Much D You Get From the Sun

Notes: This article was originally published February 6, 2010 and most recently updated June 15, 2020.

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Factors affecting Calcium Absorption in Body – By Dr. Priyanka Joshi

Last Updated: Jan 10, 2023

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Written ByDr. 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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Nutricytologist named four products that flush calcium from the body

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Calcium deficiency in the body can significantly worsen well-being and reduce the quality of life. This mineral not only provides the strength of bones and teeth, but its concentration in the blood depends on well-being in general. Nutricitologist Irina Kononenko named “Doctor Peter” four groups of products that contribute to the leaching of calcium from the body.

The first enemy of calcium is alcohol. Alcoholic drinks have a diuretic effect and disrupt the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract, these factors in themselves contribute to the removal of calcium from the body. Moreover, in some people, alcohol is absorbed worse, for example, women are more difficult to remove alcohol from the body than men. The longer alcohol “lingers” in the body, the stronger its effect on the concentration of calcium and other minerals.

Prevents calcium absorption from palm oil. It, the expert notes, has excessive density, almost does not oxidize and creates a block for the cells of the body, which prevents the membranes from absorbing not only calcium, but also other vitamins and minerals.

If palm oil and alcohol are the enemy of calcium in any concentration, then coffee is dangerous if you drink four or more cups a day. The fact is that coffee has a diuretic effect and literally flushes minerals from the body. True, there are nuances here. According to Irina Kononenko, some people have a breakdown in one of the genes, in which sensitivity to caffeine increases and a pronounced diuretic effect occurs already from one or two cups of coffee per day.

The fourth group of products are those that contain a large amount of sugar. Such food disrupts the intestinal microflora. The absorption of calcium often occurs in the intestines. Accordingly, with excessive consumption of sweets, this mineral simply does not enter the body.

The nutritionist points out that various fasting diets can also affect the absorption of calcium. They affect bone mineralization.

But calcium deficiency is often not caused by diet, but by serious diseases such as kidney failure or chronic bowel disease. The lack of a mineral occurs with a deficiency of vitamin D, as well as with long-term treatment with diuretics and drugs based on steroids. Calcium absorption is reduced at menopause.

There are several signs that make a person suspect a calcium deficiency. The skin becomes dry, eczema, psoriasis may appear, teeth turn yellow, heart rhythm is disturbed. A person feels tired, lacks energy, irritability, insomnia may occur. Fingers and toes often become numb, sometimes there is a tingling sensation, while in general the sensitivity of the body is reduced, convulsions and difficulty in swallowing may appear, immunity weakens.

The nutritionist advises in case of calcium deficiency to replenish it with food. This mineral is found in dairy products, fish (although it must be eaten with bones), white beans, bananas, broccoli, nuts, mustard, turnips, parsley.

Sometimes it is impossible to restore calcium balance only with nutrition. Then you need to select vitamin complexes. But you can’t prescribe vitamins on your own. The dosage should be determined by the attending physician, in addition, an excessive concentration of calcium in the blood for the body is also quite harmful.

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Doctor Volkova named 4 reasons that interfere with the absorption of calcium after 40 years

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If you often eat foods rich in calcium, and even take special supplements, and the blood level of this important element is still not up to the norm, it may just be that you are not absorbing it well.

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With age, calcium metabolism in the body is disturbed, which ultimately leads to a decrease in bone density and, as a result, to an increased risk of osteoporosis and frequent fractures. But this microelement is important not only for bones. As obstetrician-gynecologist Ekaterina Volkova recalled, calcium is also involved in the blood coagulation system, muscle function, including the heart, and also in the conduction of a nerve impulse.

“If the body does not have enough calcium, it will take it from the bones. Therefore, to maintain bone density, its sufficient supply is important, ”the doctor clarified in her telegram channel.

The body needs to receive about 1000 mg of calcium per day. To fulfill the norm, the specialist advises to include foods rich in calcium in the diet more often:

In addition to a balanced diet, you may also need to take special calcium preparations. However, all this may not be enough to achieve the norm. And all because the trace element will simply be poorly absorbed.

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What prevents calcium absorption

Ekaterina Volkova named four possible reasons why this happens in people over 40 years old.

1. Vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D is a “conductor” of calcium to bone tissue. And if you don’t have enough of it, then calcium will be poorly absorbed and deposited in the wrong place – in the vessels and kidneys.

The ideal vitamin D level is 50 ng/mL or more. Therefore, if you are supplementing with calcium, do not forget about vitamin D.

2. Protein deficiency

Lack of protein in the body will also negatively affect the absorption and transport of calcium.

3. Certain foods

Certain foods can interfere with calcium absorption. According to the doctor, among them:

4. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Calcium deficiency is exacerbated by various diseases of the stomach and intestines that disrupt its absorption. And such problems are quite common in old age.

These 5 Foods and Drinks Wash Out Calcium

You also need to be careful about your food if you want to keep your bones strong for as long as possible. According to traumatologist-orthopedist Ruslan Niftullayev, some of them contribute to the removal of calcium from the body. Here are five of them:

1. Morning coffee, even with milk. Having a diuretic effect, coffee stimulates the leaching of calcium: every 100 ml of the drink removes 6 mg of the mineral;

2. Pickles, tomatoes. Even worse is the brine from under them, which is used the next morning after stormy feasts or added to first courses. In general, the same applies to any salty foods. According to scientists, excessive salt intake provokes the loss of minerals responsible for bone strength.

3. Sweet soda. Scientists attribute the negative effect on bones to citric or phosphoric acid in such drinks, as well as to high amounts of sugar.