Dr Oz: Too Much Calcium?
Dr Oz shared that while calcium is great for your bones and body, too much of a good thing can actually have a negative impact on your health. He wanted to make it clear exactly how much calcium you should be getting every day. He said that most women actually don’t know how much calcium they’re getting every day, but said they’re probably actually getting more than they think they are.
Dr Oz said you should be getting 1,000-1,200 mg of calcium per day. 1,000 mg is one gram, to make it easier to remember.
Dr Oz: Natural Sources Of Calcium
Dr Oz talked about how you can tell if you could be getting too much calcium, and issued a warning about taking calcium supplements. (healthgauge / flickr)
Dr Oz talked to a woman who kept a food journal of what she ate, including a breakfast of orange juice and yogurt that contained a total of 650 mg of calcium. He said a lot of women don’t realize that orange juice is usually fortified with calcium and vitamin D. For lunch, she liked having salad with cheese and turkey, and Dr Oz explained that the cheddar cheese actually has about 300 mg of calcium.
For dinner, she had a cheese pizza which was another 300 mg of calcium, which meant she was over what she needed for the day. Dr Oz said that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, however, because it’s not usually a problem when you’re getting your calcium from your food.
Dr Oz: Calcium From Supplements
The problem is when you’re getting calcium from sources outside of food. He said you can calcium in a supplemental form, and calcium supplements usually contain 600 mg of calcium. A multivitamin typically contains 200 mg of calcium, and an antacid typically has 500 mg of calcium.
Dr Oz: Supplemental Calcium Warning
If you take a lot of extra calcium in supplement form, Dr Oz explained that sometimes, you can develop kidney stones, which can cause infections and other problems. The more common problem they see is in the intestines. When you have a lot of calcium from supplements, it can cause constipation.
Dr Oz: Foods Rich In Calcium
Dr Oz said you should limit calcium from supplements, and instead get calcium from foods. You can get calcium from cheese, leafy greens, tofu, and salmon. To help you absorb the calcium, you should get some vitamin D as well. You can get vitamin D from mushrooms, eggs, or again, salmon. You can enjoy an omelet with cheese, a salad with mushrooms, or salmon over leafy greens.
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