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$21.99- Our Price:
- $12.76
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- UPC: 733739012609
- # N1260
NOW Foods Calcium Lactate (250 Tablets) — Bioavailable, Phosphorus-Free Bone & Mineral Support
Looking for a daily calcium supplement that is easy on digestion? NOW® Calcium Lactate (Item #1260) delivers a premium, readily absorbable form of elemental calcium formulated specifically for superior solubility and comfort. While standard calcium carbonate pills frequently cause gas, bloating, and constipation, calcium lactate dissolves efficiently across a wide digestive pH range—making it an exceptional choice for older adults, individuals with lower stomach acid, and anyone seeking gentle daily skeletal support.
Quick Product Highlights:
- Gentle Organic Mineral Form: 255 mg of elemental calcium per 3-tablet serving (from 1,962 mg of pure calcium lactate).
- 100% Phosphorus-Free: Ideal for individuals who need supplemental calcium without elevating dietary phosphorus levels.
- Dairy-Free & Vegan: Despite the name “lactate,” this formula contains no milk, no whey, and zero lactose.
- High Bioavailability: Rapidly breaks down in the gut without requiring heavy stomach acid for dissolution.
- Clean Label Assurance: Non-GMO, Kosher certified, Halal compliant, and free from common allergens.
Calcium is the most abundant essential mineral in the human body, playing an irreplaceable role in skeletal density, tooth mineralization, muscular contractions, nerve impulse transmission, and vascular tone (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2024). NOW Calcium Lactate provides this vital mineral in an easy-to-swallow coated tablet engineered for steady daily replenishment.
How Calcium Lactate Works: Absorption, Bone Remodeling & Physiology
To understand why calcium lactate is so effective, it helps to look at how your digestive system and bones interact with different mineral salts. Not all calcium supplements behave the same way once you swallow them.
1. Superior Solubility in Low Stomach Acid
The most common over-the-counter calcium form is calcium carbonate (chalk or limestone). Calcium carbonate requires high concentrations of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach to dissociate into free calcium ions. When it reacts with stomach acid, it releases carbon dioxide gas, which frequently triggers uncomfortable belching, acid rebound, and severe constipation. Furthermore, adults over 50 naturally produce less gastric acid (a state known as hypochlorhydria), and millions take acid-reducing medications (such as PPIs or H2 blockers), which dramatically impairs calcium carbonate absorption.
In contrast, calcium lactate is an organic mineral salt bound to natural lactic acid. Clinical trials have demonstrated that organic calcium salts exhibit significantly higher water solubility and ionic dissociation across neutral and slightly acidic environments (Sheikh et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 1987; Heaney et al., Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2001). This allows calcium ions to release smoothly in the duodenum and upper jejunum without relying on extreme stomach acidity or creating gastrointestinal gas.
2. Constant Bone Remodeling & Osteoblast Activity
Roughly 99% of your body’s calcium reserve is stored within bones and teeth, primarily locked into a crystal matrix called hydroxyapatite. Your skeleton is not static stone; it is dynamic living tissue undergoing continuous “bone remodeling.” Specialized cells called osteoclasts break down old bone tissue to release minerals into the bloodstream, while osteoblasts deposit fresh calcium and protein matrix to build new bone (Institute of Medicine Committee to Review Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D, 2011).
When dietary calcium intake falls short, your body secretes parathyroid hormone (PTH), prompting osteoclasts to leach calcium directly from your skeletal structure to maintain tight blood serum calcium levels. Over time, this negative mineral balance leads to porous, fragile bones and osteopenia or osteoporosis. Comprehensive meta-analyses confirm that adequate daily calcium intake preserves bone mineral density (BMD) and significantly reduces fracture risk in aging men and women (Weaver et al., Osteoporosis International, 2016).
3. Why Phosphorus-Free Calcium Matters
Many mass-market bone supplements combine calcium with dicalcium phosphate or bone meal, introducing substantial amounts of phosphorus. Modern diets—rich in processed foods, carbonated beverages, and dairy—already supply excessive phosphorus. An unfavorable phosphorus-to-calcium ratio can trigger PTH secretion and impede proper calcium retention. NOW Calcium Lactate is completely phosphorus-free, giving you clean, targeted calcium without throwing your body’s delicate mineral ratios off balance.
Supplement Facts, Dosage & Complete Ingredients Listing
We believe in 100% label transparency. Every tablet contains verified concentrations of bioavailable calcium manufactured under strict Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).
| Supplement Facts | Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Serving Size: 3 Tablets | Servings Per Container: 83 | |
| Calcium (elemental) (from 1,962 mg Calcium Lactate) |
255 mg | 20% |
Other Ingredients:
Microcrystalline Cellulose, Hydroxypropyl Cellulose, Vegetarian Coating [hypromellose (cellulose), stearic acid (vegetable source), sunflower lecithin, triethyl citrate, sunflower oil], Magnesium Stearate (vegetable source), and Silicon Dioxide.
Allergen & Dietary Specifications:
- ✓ Allergen Free: Not manufactured with wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nut, or sesame ingredients.
- ✓ Vegan & Vegetarian: 100% plant- and mineral-based with a vegetarian tablet coating; contains no animal bone meal or gelatin.
- ✓ Dairy & Lactose-Free: Does not contain lactose. The lactic acid used in calcium lactate is derived via microbial carbohydrate fermentation, making it completely safe for dairy-sensitive individuals.
- ✓ cGMP Audited: Produced in a certified facility that strictly controls and prevents cross-contamination.
NOW Foods Lab Purity: Advanced ISO 17025 Testing & Contaminant Limits
The dietary supplement industry is flooded with private-label brands that outsource their production and skip analytical verification. Mined calcium sources, in particular, can harbor dangerous heavy metal contaminants from environmental soil leaching. NOW Foods sets the gold standard for supplement safety in North America with its multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art laboratory testing facility.
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Accredited Laboratories
NOW operates in-house chemical and microbiological laboratories accredited by A2LA to the world’s most rigorous laboratory competency benchmark: ISO/IEC 17025:2017. Conducting over 19,000 analytical tests every single month, NOW examines raw ingredients upon arrival and re-tests finished tablets before release.
Strict Contaminant Screening & Heavy Metal Limits:
- ICP-MS Heavy Metal Testing: Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), NOW screens every batch for trace elemental toxins (Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, and Mercury) at parts-per-billion (ppb) sensitivity. NOW enforces contaminant limits that meet and frequently exceed California Proposition 65 thresholds and U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP ⟨2232⟩) standards.
- Potency & Identification Assays: Finished tablets are verified using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to ensure 100% active elemental calcium potency as declared on the box.
- Microbial Pathogen Screening: Raw materials and finished batches undergo testing to ensure complete absence of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and elevated aerobic yeasts or molds.
- Independent Audits: Manufacturing facilities maintain comprehensive cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) certification through the Natural Products Association (NPA) and UL Solutions.
Practical Usage Guidelines, Nutrient Synergy & Precautions
Getting the most benefit from your calcium supplement requires smart daily timing, an understanding of mineral competition, and simple nutrient pairing strategies.
Recommended Intake:
Take 3 tablets 1 to 2 times daily with food. While calcium lactate does not require harsh stomach acid to dissolve, taking your dose alongside a balanced meal naturally stimulates digestive transit and optimizes intestinal brush-border absorption.
Why Split Your Daily Dose?
The human gastrointestinal tract can only absorb approximately 500 mg of elemental calcium at any one time through active saturable transport mechanisms (NIH ODS, 2024). Taking large single mega-doses of 1,000 mg floods the intestinal receptors, causing the excess to pass unabsorbed into the colon. By providing 255 mg of elemental calcium per 3-tablet serving, NOW Calcium Lactate makes it simple to divide your intake throughout the day for maximum total mineral uptake.
Nutritional Synergy: Pairing with Vitamin D3 & Vitamin K2
Calcium cannot protect your bones alone. Vitamin D3 stimulates the synthesis of calcium-binding transport proteins (calbindin) in the intestinal wall, allowing calcium to enter systemic circulation. Meanwhile, Vitamin K2 (MK-7) activates osteocalcin, the protein responsible for binding free calcium into bone matrix, while simultaneously activating Matrix Gla Protein (MGP) to prevent calcium deposits in arterial walls. Pairing your calcium lactate with Vitamins D3 and K2 creates a complete skeletal support protocol.
Important Medication Timing & Drug Interactions:
- Thyroid Hormone (Levothyroxine): Calcium binds strongly to levothyroxine in the gut, severely decreasing thyroid hormone absorption. Take your calcium supplement at least 4 hours apart from thyroid medications.
- Antibiotics: Calcium chelates with tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Separate by at least 2 hours before or 4 hours after taking antibiotics.
- Iron & Zinc Competition: High doses of calcium compete for the divalent metal transporter (DMT-1) in the gut. If you take iron or zinc supplements, separate them from your calcium dose by at least 2 hours.
- Medical Supervision: Consult your healthcare provider prior to supplementation if you are pregnant, nursing, have a history of kidney stones, hypercalcemia, or impaired renal clearance.
Why Order NOW Calcium Lactate From VitaNet, LLC?
When ordering dietary supplements online, where you purchase matters just as much as what brand you select. Unregulated third-party online marketplaces often deliver counterfeit goods, expired inventory, or bottles exposed to uncontrolled warehouse heat and humidity.
VitaNet, LLC is a proudly independent, family-owned nutritional retailer founded in 1995[cite: 1]. For over 31 years, we have brought our deep, practical understanding of human biochemistry and verified supplement sourcing directly to wellness-minded consumers across the country[cite: 1].
- ✓ Freshness & Direct Sourcing: We maintain authorized relationships with premier manufacturers like NOW Foods. Our climate-controlled distribution ensures optimal potency, extended shelf life, and factory-sealed security.
- ✓ Unconditional 100% Money-Back Guarantee: We stand fully behind every product we sell. If you are unsatisfied for any reason, we offer a risk-free 100% refund—and we even pay the return shipping costs, even on opened bottles[cite: 1]!
- ✓ Better Business Bureau A+ Rating: Our commitment to transparent pricing and honest customer service has earned us an A+ accreditation with the BBB[cite: 1].
- ✓ Real Telephone Support: Have questions about your order? Talk to real, knowledgeable team members based at our Ohio facility rather than an automated chat bot[cite: 1].
- ✓ Everyday Discount Pricing: Explore over 16,000 name-brand vitamins, minerals, and herbs at everyday volume discounts[cite: 1].