Effect of Calcium Citrate-Malate on Skeletal Development in Young, Growing Rats

Abstract

It has been previously demonstrated that calcium from calcium citrate-malate (CCM), a mixture of calcium, citric acid and malic acid, is better-absorbed than calcium from calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in humans and in rats. It was of interest to determine if this differential in absorption would result in differences in bone development under chronic feeding conditions. The present study was designed to compare CCM with CaCO3 for effects on bone development in weanling female C/D rats fed either CCM or CaCO3 at 0.3 or 0.6% dietary Ca for 4 or 12 wk. There was a nonsignificant trend for rats fed CCM to weigh more and have larger bones than rats fed CaCO3. Histologic evaluation of cortical and trabecular bone revealed normal bone formation in all rats. Trabecular bone was significantly affected by calcium level and source. The 0.3% Ca diets (either source) resulted in reduced trabecular bone volumes in tibias. After 4 wk, rats fed CCM had 23-25% more trabecular bone than rats fed CaCO3. By 12 wk, the difference was even greater; rats fed CCM had 44-47% more trabecular bone than rats fed CaCO3. Dietary calcium source did not affect cortical bone. It is concluded that because of its positive effects on bone, CCM is a more bioavailable calcium source than CaCO3.

Calcium bioavailability of different organic and inorganic dietary Ca sources (citrate, lactate, acetate, oyster‐shell, eggshell, β‐tri‐Ca phosphate)

“…Citrate, acetate and lactate were superior to the inorganic Ca sources, especially with respect to true absorption. A similar ranking is known also from other divalent kations (W eigand and K irchgessner 1979; R oth and K irchgessner 1983; K ochanowski 1990). One major reason for the superior absorptive potential of organic compounds may be their high solubility in the digestive tract and in part also their propensity to formulate chelates.…”

“…This potential is usually addressed by the term ‘bioavailability’. Most attempts to estimate Ca bioavailability are based on in vitro methods such as solubility and dialysability or indirect in vivo parameters such as bone characteristics (K ochanowski 1990; S hen et al 1995; T rinidad et al 1996). Indeed, these methods may detect relative graduations among dietary Ca sources but they do not provide quantitative figures of bioavailability.…”

Absorbability of Calcium from a New Calcium Supplement Prepared from Bovine Marrow-Free Bone in Rats.

“…Furthermore, it has been reported that calcium-citrate-malate (CCM), a mixture of Ca carbonate, citric acid, and malic acid, exhibits approximately six times the solubility of either Ca citrate or Ca malate, both of which are much more soluble in water than Ca carbonate is (17). It is also well known that Ca from CCM is better absorbed in humans and animals than Ca from Ca carbonate is (18)(19)(20)(21). Similar to CCM, TBE is a composite salt of Ca phosphate derived from bovine bone, citric acid, and malic acid.…”

Calcium citrate malate as source for calcium for use in foods for Particular Nutritional Uses and in foods for the general population (including food supplements) - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing aids and Materi

“…The effect of calcium supplementation on skeletal development in four groups of 14 C/D female rats administered for 4 or 12 weeks as calcium citrate malate, measured as cortical and trabecular 2 bone formation, was compared with administration of CaCO 3 (Kochanowski, 1990). Animals fed calcium citrate malate showed significantly more trabecular bone formation after 4 weeks (44 to 47% more) and 12 weeks of treatment (23-25% more) than rats fed CaCO 3 .…”