The key difference between Citracal and Caltrate is that Citracal contains calcium citrate, which is made by the combination of citric acid and calcium hydroxide, whereas Caltrate contains a naturally occurring form of calcium.
Calcium is a mineral that is essential for the development, function, and health of bones and teeth. It also plays an important role in the nervous and circulatory systems. We usually get calcium from dairy products, some vegetables, and fortified drinks. However, some people tend to take calcium supplements. Citracal and Caltrate are important supplements consisting of vitamin D and calcium.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Citracal
3. What is Caltrate
4. Citracal vs Caltrate in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Citracal vs Caltrate
What is Citracal?
Citracal is an important source of calcium that is composed of calcium citrate. Calcium citrate is not a naturally occurring substance. It is obtained from the combination of citric acid with calcium hydroxide. Compared to Caltrate, Citracal is less calcium-dense.
Typically, about 21% of calcium citrate is calcium by weight. Furthermore, two tablets of Citracal contain about 2380 mg of calcium citrate, so two tablets give you about 500 mg of calcium chemical element. Moreover, this supplement also contains vitamin D, which is important in using calcium more efficiently by the body.
When considering the absorption of calcium citrate, it dissolves slightly better in water compared to Caltrate. Therefore, the body can absorb calcium chemical elements from this supplement around 20% more than that of Caltrate.
Furthermore, Citracal absorption is not dependent on the stomach acid content, which allows us to take it with or without food. However, it does have a potential for drug interactions and can cause fewer intestinal side effects compared to Caltrate.
What is Caltrate?
Caltrate is an important source of calcium, and it contains calcium carbonate, which is a form of calcium that naturally occurs in eggshells, snail and oyster shells, pearls, chalk, limestone, and marble. Generally, calcium carbonate is an inexpensive substance and a dense source of calcium chemical element because it contains about 40% of calcium by weight.
Typically, one tablet of Caltrate-600 can provide us with 600mg of calcium or 1500 mg of calcium carbonate. There are Caltrate tablets that are available as chewable tablets and other tablets consisting of vitamin D and some essential minerals as well.
Usually, calcium carbonate is not very much soluble in water. Normally, about 14 mg of calcium carbonate dissolves in 1 liter of water. If we take Caltrate as a calcium supplement, it can get absorbed more than natural calcium carbonate because of the action of stomach acids. About 36% of Caltrate tablets make it into the bloodstream.
However, there can be some side effects of Caltrate like constipation, intestinal gas, and bloating. Additionally, Caltrate tends to interact with certain prescription drugs. E.g. antacids.
What is the Difference Between Citracal and Caltrate?
The key difference between Citracal and Caltrate is that Citracal contains calcium citrate, which is made by the combination of citric acid and calcium hydroxide, whereas Caltrate contains a naturally occurring form of calcium. Moreover, calcium citrate dissolves slightly better in water compared to Caltrate. Therefore, your body can easily absorb calcium from Calcium citrate.
The below infographic presents the differences between Citracal and Caltrate in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Citracal vs Caltrate
Citracal and Caltrate are important sources of calcium chemical element. The key difference between Citracal and Caltrate is that Citracal contains calcium citrate, which is made by the combination of citric acid and calcium hydroxide, whereas Caltrate contains a naturally occurring form of calcium.
Reference:
1. “Citracal with Vitamin D Maximum Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing.” WebMD.
Image Courtesy:
1. “500 mg calcium supplements with vitamin D” By Ragesoss – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia