Is Calcium Making Me Constipated?  I’m trying to ensure I get enough calcium to prevent osteoporosis. But since I started taking a supplement with the recommended 1,200 mg a day, I’m always constipated. Is it the calcium?
Calcium may indeed be to blame for your constipation. Supplementing with over 800 mg a day or using a carbonate based supplement seems to have a drying, muscle-contracting effect on the intestines. If you’re taking calcium carbonate, switch to calcium citrate. It’s easier on the gut and better absorbed by the body. Or pair calcium with magnesium. In addition to boosting calcium absorption by 72 percent, magnesium has muscle-relaxing properties that cancel out calcium’s intestine-contracting effect. A citrate-based supplement like Now Calcium & Magnesium provides the bone-building nutrients without the tummy woes.
