What you need to know about: Calcium supplements
Doctors recommend that adults try to get 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day from foods. Most people get about 700 mg of calcium in the diet. A low-dose calcium supplement pill can make up the difference—often only 500 mg per day in supplements will be needed. There is strong evidence that the combination of calcium (from diet alone or from a combination of diet and supplements) plus vitamin D helps protect against bone fractures. There is little evidence that calcium supplements taken alone achieve such bone benefits.
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