Is it better for pregnant women to take calcium acetate or calcium carbonate?

Pregnant women must supplement calcium during pregnancy, which will be good for the fetus in the body, because calcium is the energy necessary for everyone's body. If pregnant women lack calcium, it is likely to cause slow development of the fetus or even malformation. There are many types of calcium for pregnant women. The more common ones are calcium acetate and calcium carbonate. So is it better for pregnant women to take calcium acetate or calcium carbonate?

Don't rush to take calcium supplements if you are deficient in calcium. Dietary supplements are the first choice.

The need for calcium increases during the second trimester. It is recommended to give priority to the following methods of food supplementation:

1. Drink 500 ml of milk every day. Provides 520 mg of calcium. If you are lactose intolerant to pure milk, you can drink yogurt, but it is recommended to choose sugar-free yogurt.

2. Eating 25 grams of soybeans and corresponding soy products every day is equivalent to 50 grams of dried tofu/tofu shreds/tofu skin or 100 grams of northern tofu, and their calcium content is 509 mg, 58 mg, 102 mg, and 138 mg respectively.

3. Eat 200 grams of green leafy vegetables every day, but blanch them in boiling water before cooking to remove oxalic acid that affects calcium absorption. You can probably get more than 100 mg of calcium.

This can basically meet the calcium needs in the middle and late stages of pregnancy. If this cannot be done, consider taking medication.

Calcium acetate is an organic calcium with high solubility and low gastrointestinal irritation, but its calcium content is low; calcium carbonate is an inorganic calcium with low solubility and high gastrointestinal irritation, but its calcium content is relatively high. However, their calcium absorption rates are basically the same, at around 30%, so as long as your gastrointestinal tract feels comfortable after taking them, you can take any calcium supplement.

However, excessive calcium supplementation will increase the risk of constipation. This is because excessive, unabsorbed calcium will combine with oxalic acid, fat, etc. in intestinal food residues to form a harder combination. You can roughly calculate how much calcium you can consume through food, and then supplement it with calcium supplements to ensure that you consume 1,000 mg of calcium every day in the middle and late stages of pregnancy.