In fact, a recent National Institutes of Health study estimated that the average American consumes only about half of what he or she should . As many of you know, calcium is very important in reducing bone loss as you age, particularly if you're a woman, and in improving your resilience against heart disease, high blood pressure and colon cancer. It's also an important regulator of nerve and muscle function. One study of 94 adolescent white girls averaging 12 years old found bone-building to be significantly greater in those who took calcium supplements compared to those who didn't. Researchers are increasingly becoming convinced that greater bone mass in adulthood lowers the risk of osteoporosis problems later in life.
Tums are basically mint-flavored chalk, or calcium carbonate.
While it is certainly usable as a calcium source, calcium carbonate is not the most easily absorbed form of calcium. I don't think there's anything wrong with Tums, but there are better ways to get your calcium. I recommend 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium citrate taken at bedtime. You can buy calcium citrate as a pill, a chewable or a powder or tablet that dissolves in water for a pleasant, bone-boosting drink. Calcium citrate delivers half the amount of calcium as calcium carbonate, so you need to take twice as many tablets.