AboutDr Alan Galbraith Expertise I can answer most questions on drugs, both medical and "recreational". Answers can be given in either technical or layperson terminology. My main areas of interest are psychiatric, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular drugs.
Experience I have been a university lecturer/head of department for almost thirty years, but am now retired. My research interests were alcohol, smoking and cardiovascular disease.
Organizations Institute of Biology, London.
Publications Principal author of "Fundamentals of Pharmacology" 4th Edition published in November 2003 by Pearson Education, Australia.
Question I see all these advertisements for Calcium supplements and I am just curious. If the body cannot get the calcium out of the foods you eat how can you get it from a tablet since the table goes in to the stomach just like the food does. I am just curious.
Thank you in advance
Answer Dear John
The problem with calcium is that we are not very good at absorbing it from the gut and thus need a fairly large intake from the diet. Furthermore there are common foods especially in wholemeal products that prevent its absorption. This is usually of no significance in the young but can be in the elderly when hormone levels change in the blood of both sexes to increase bone turnover. Hence osteoporosis is more common in the elderly. There is no harm and probably a lot of good in taking calcium supplements especially those with vitamin D which increase the absorption. If contemplating calcium supplements it is best to take the lower dose ones twice per day than a higher dose one once a day because of reasons already stated.
