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Article: The form counts: minerals. (Food for Thought).(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Consumers' Research Magazine
- Article date:
- October 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Consumers' Research, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Minerals have many forms. It is important to recognize the differences, especially in choosing supplements. Calcium, for example, may appear in supplements as calcium ascorbate, citrate, carbonate, gluconate, lactate, or tricalcium phosphate. How do they differ?
Calcium carbonate contains the highest amount of elemental calcium, which makes it possible to concentrate calcium in a small pill. By contrast, calcium lactate requires a larger number of pills to get the same amount of elemental calcium. However, this form is well absorbed. Calcium citrate is readily absorbed, and frequently is used to fortify fruit juice products. Calcium gluconate requires a large ...