Calcium supplements come in a variety of forms. Calcium lactate is one of the chelated forms, which means the calcium is combined with an organic acid. Calcium lactate have the advantage of being more easily absorbed, but you may find that it makes calcium lactate a more expensive option. While it’s best to get your recommended intake through calcium-rich foods, you can use calcium lactate to supplement your diet.
Calcium lactate is produced by mixing lactic acid with calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide. While it’s used as a calcium supplement and to fortify foods, calcium lactate fills a variety of roles in the food industry as an approved firming agent, thickener, flavor enhancer and leavening agent. Calcium lactate contains less elemental calcium than two other forms of calcium commonly used in supplements like calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.
Calcium lactate is used to prevent or treat low blood calcium levels in people who do not get enough calcium from their diets. It may be used to treat conditions caused by low calcium levels such as bone loss (osteoporosis), weak bones (osteomalacia/rickets), decreased activity of the parathyroid gland (hypoparathyroidism), and a certain muscle disease (latent tetany). It may also be used in certain patients to make sure they are getting enough calcium (e.g., women who are pregnant, nursing, or postmenopausal, people taking certain medications such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, or prednisone).
