What Calcium Does
Calcium is one of the most valuable minerals to the human body. Not only does it increase your bone mineral density but it is needed to clot the blood, regulate nerve activity and normalise muscle contractions among many other functions. The main source of calcium in the modern diet is milk but this could be harmful in large amounts as it also contains cholesterol. Other good sources of calcium include sesame seeds, soybeans, almond nuts and flax seed. Studies show that plant sources of calcium are far superior to meat ones.

Calcium Supplements
Calcium supplements are readily available in the market, however many of them contain heavy metals which sit in your cells and aren’t very easily extracted. This is due to their production process in making the calcium supplement. One company that has got it right is GNLD who has been around for 50 years and have their own scientific advisory board consisting of world renowned scientists. This site recommends GNLDs Cal-Mag which is a mixture of calcium and magnesium at a ratio of 2:1. The recommendation is based on experience; please use the contact page if you would like to know more.

Ins and Outs of Calcium
The absorption of calcium is dependant on many factors, the greatest of them being that the presence of vitamin D greatly aids calcium absorption and, as mentioned on the vitamins page, vitamin D comes from the sun. A diet high in saturated fat will hamper calcium absorption as fats bond with calcium to form insoluble soaps.
Many people think that a headache is a sign of nurofen or paracetemol or panadol deficiency, as these are the products we take when we have when a headache comes along. A headache could be caused by a number of things, the most common being a calcium deficiency (I don’t think nurofen deficiency is the cause).
There is much debate about when to take a calcium supplement, whether it be before bed or first thing in the morning. Some people who suffer from night time leg cramps say that taking calcium before bed helps reduce these cramps. Some people believe that absorption of calcium is greater when taken with food but there is no scientific proof to support this yet. In the end, every person is different and the time of day to take calcium and whether or not to take it with food depends on the individual and you would just have to see what works for you.