# Taking vitamin c and calcium together?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-vitamin-c-and-calcium-together/518075>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 18, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-vitamin-c-and-calcium-together/518075 "2009-11-18T21:32:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mr.Lahey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@Mr.Lahey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Lahey)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-vitamin-c-and-calcium-together/518075/1 "2009-11-18T21:32:33Z")

</div>

I take both of these supplements. Since vitamin c is an acid and calcium is a base will they counteract each other if I take them together? Would I absorb less of the nutrients?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-vitamin-c-and-calcium-together/518075/2 "2009-11-18T21:40:09Z")

</div>

Your digestive acids and basis are stronger than the vitamin c and calcium, so will pull them apart.

Calcium absorption, though, is a difficult thing. The cheap chalk (calcium carbonate) doesn’t absorb as well as combinations with citric acid or other compounds. Also I strongly suggest taking calcium together with phosphorus, as that is the combination that is stored in bones. The supplement I take is Carson Labs Liquid Calcium.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-vitamin-c-and-calcium-together/518075/3 "2009-11-18T21:54:49Z")

</div>

There is far more acid in your stomach than in supplements.

As far as calcium, taking it with vitamin D is better. And the calcium citrate form is absorbed better.

> **[Calcium Citrate Shown to Have Superior Bioavailability](https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/412220)**
>
> An important follow-up study that reaffirms calcium citrate's superior bioavailability when compared with calcium carbonate also provides new evidence of calcium citrate's role in protecting against bone loss.

Also taking it with magnesium might be helpful. A good form of that is magnesium citrate in 300mg doses.