Bioavailability of Calcium from Calcium Carbonate, DL-Calcium Lactate, L-Calcium Lactate and Powdered Oyster Shell Calcium in Vitamin D-Deficient or -Replete Rats

• Published in: Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin Vol. 18; no. 5; pp. 677 - 682
• Main Authors: TSUGAWA, Naoko, OKANO, Toshio, HIGASHINO, Raita, KIMURA, Tamiko, OSHIO, Yukiko, TERAOKA, Yumiko, IGARASHI, Chie, EZAWA, Ikuko, KOBAYASHI, Tadashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan 1995; Maruzen; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Availability; Body Weight - physiology; Bone and Bones - physiology; Bone Density; bone mineralization; Calcium - blood; calcium bioavailability; Calcium Carbonate - pharmacokinetics; calcium metabolism; calcium salt; Diet; Eating - physiology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lactates - pharmacokinetics; Lactic Acid; Male; Ostreidae - chemistry; Powders; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - metabolism; vitamin D-deficient rat; vitamin D-replete rat; Calcium; Rat; Deficiency; Rodentia; Oral administration; Supplemented diet; Bioavailability; Metabolism; Lactates; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Vitamin D; Calcium Carbonates; Animal; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0918-6158; 1347-5215
• DOI: 10.1248/bpb.18.677

The bioavailability of calcium from various calcium sources in humans and animals has been the subject of investigation for many years and there is considerable controversy as to the relative bioavailability of different calcium salts. Most of the studies have used a calcium balance technique which has numerous problems in terms of performance and interpretation. Using a method for evaluating the efficacy of calcium from calcium salts used for plasma calcium metabolism and bone mineralization, we examined the bioavailability of calcium from four commercially available calcium salts, namely calcium carbonate, DL-calcium lactate, L-calcium lactate and powdered oyster shell-calcium in vitamin D-deficient or -replete rats. Among the calcium salts, the differences in bioavailability were small and not statistically significant as tested by analysis of variance in both groups of rats. Thus, we conclude that calcium is utilized to the same extent from calcium carbonate, DL-calcium lactate, L-calcium lactate and powdered oyster shell-calcium in both vitamin D-deficient and -replete rats.