She has written numerous articles on children's health and nutrition for parenting publications. Dear Lien, It is perfectly fine for your son to take a calcium supplement if he is finding it too hard to get his calcium from food sources. An eight year old needs about 800mg of calcium per day. One cup of whole milk contains 300 mg. of calcium. It is not recommended that people get much more than their recommended intake of calcium because it may, in small overdoses, lead to constipation In larger overdoses, it can interfere with the absorption of iron, zinc, and other essential nutrients, cause hypercalciuria, hypercalcemia, and a deterioration in renal function.
Calcium citrate is that best absorbed form of supplemental calcium.
It is well absorbed either taken with meals or between meals. Unfortunately, it is hard to get it into a swallowable pill. That is why calcium carbonate is the most common form on the market. Avoid calcium carbonate derived from oyster shells since they may contain heavy metal contaminants such as lead. Calcium carbonate is best absorbed if taken just after eating.