A recent study compared the bioavailability of Omyaforte calcium salt with other frequently used calcium salts. Omya says the results prove its ingredient not only contains a high percentage of elemental calcium, but is extremely bioavailable.
From a nutritional point of view, two factors are important when it comes to calcium supplementation: the amount of elemental calcium in the salt and its bioavailability. For the study published in the Food Chemistry journal, researchers compared the bioavailability of the ingredient with calcium citrate tetrahydrate, tri-calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. Using a Caco-2-model that reproduces the conditions of intestinal cells at lab scale, they studied the intestinal absorption of calcium.
The results showed Omya’s ingredient offers an elemental calcium content of 39%, which compares to 21% in calcium citrate. The ingredient is almost twice as biologically available as calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. It generated a total intestinal uptake of 5.68 ± 0.26%, compared to calcium carbonate (3.93 ± 0.99%), calcium citrate tetrahydrate (3.41 ± 0.33%) and tri-calcium phosphate (1.85 ± 0.34%). These results suggest that the type of calcium salt may affect the bioavailability of calcium, since the uptake efficiency values vary.
Owing to company’s patented recrystallization process, Omyaforte 100’s mineral composition and structure feature high porosity, which the company claims allows for faster access to gastric juices in the stomach. The accelerated dissolution in acidic environments results in a quicker release of calcium ions, it says which are then ready to be absorbed into the bloodstream via the small intestine.
The ingredient is suitable for applications which require a high level of bioavailable calcium, such as bone health mixtures, rehydration solutions and other powdered supplements. It can be combined with other bone health ingredients, such as vitamin D or biopeptides. Products containing the ingredient should be aimed at athletes, healthy agers and those who avoid dairy in their diet, Omya suggests.
