Instead of drinking milk or taking supplements to get adequate amounts of calcium, calcium-rich mineral water is an equally good source, researchers say. And it’s calorie-free.
A German study, funded by the Association of German Mineral Water Bottlers, looked at how well the body absorbed calcium in five different products, each containing 300 mg calcium: three types of calcium-rich mineral water, milk and a calcium supplement.
Twenty-one men and women participated in the study. There was no difference in how calcium from the five different sources was absorbed.
Other minerals in the water did not affect calcium absorption.
Most mineral waters list mineralization on the label, and the higher the amount of calcium, the better the water is as a calcium source, the researchers noted.
A person would need to drink two liters of 500 mg/L mineral water per day, or more than three eight-ounce cups of milk, to meet daily requirement for adults aged 19 to 50 of 1,000 mg calcium. Older women need 1200 mg of calcium; the daily requirement increases to 1200 mg for men after age 70.
An earlier study published in 2004 also revealed that calcium in mineral water was as well absorbed as calcium in milk.
Source: Journal of the American College of Nutrition, online June 19, 2017.
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