Mineral water is a good source of calcium, a new study suggests

A new study shows that mineral water can be a good source of calcium and can be an alternative to dairy products.

Scientist Theresa Greupner of Leibniz Hannover University in Germany said. " In an increasingly obese world, it is important to reduce the amount of energy consumed and promote alternatives to meet calcium needs in addition to using milk and calorie-rich dairy products. . "

Her team's research, funded by the German Mineral Water Association, examined the body's absorption of calcium in five different types of products, each containing 300 milligrams of calcium: three types of calcium, milk and real mineral water. Calcium supplements.

About 21 men and women participated in the study. There is no difference in how calcium is absorbed from these five different sources, researchers report in the American College of Nutrition.

Other minerals in mineral water do not affect calcium absorption.

Most mineral waters list minerals on the label, and the higher the calcium, the better the water as a source of calcium, Greupner said.

One person will need to drink two liters of mineral water 500 mg / L / day to meet the daily standard requirement, in Germany 1,000 mg of calcium / day. In the United States, adults recommend 1,300 mg of calcium per day.

" In Italy, mineral water can be a good source of calcium ," Dr. Maria Luisa Brandi of the University of Florence in Italy told Reuters Health in a phone interview.

Brandi, who is not involved in the current study, and her colleagues showed in a 2004 study that calcium in mineral water was also absorbed as calcium in milk.

Brandi said: "This concept has been formed in medicine. We recommend using mineral water with a high calcium content for osteoporosis patients."