Supplementation helps to maintain a positive balance so that adequate calcium remains stored in the bones. Unfortunately, not all of the calcium ingested in food and supplements will be absorbed by the body and utilized. Many factors affect the absorption of calcium into the body. Other foods may be fortified with calcium as well. This leavened bread also permitted greater calcium absorption than unleavened cookies made with the same fortified wheat flour.
Ingested calcium passes through the stomach and is absorbed by the small intestine.
The fraction of calcium absorbed does vary according to the quantity of food ingested. There appears to be an inverse relationship between the amount of calcium taken and the amount absorbed. This relationship disappears when calcium in milk is coingested with whole wheat bran. The quantity of calcium ingested, however, does not appear to affect the level of absorption in the presence of wheat bran. Overall, concurrent wheat bran ingestion may negatively affect the absorption of calcium as a result of the high levels of insoluble fiber.