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Where Has All the Calcium Gone?

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Feeling smug about all that calcium-fortified soy milk you drink? Not so fast: A new study shows that the actual calcium content of a glass of fortified soy milk, rice milk, or orange juice may be quite different than what’s on the label.

Scientists at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, tested fat-free cow’s milk and a variety of calcium-fortified beverages: three brands of soy milk, one of rice milk, and ten types of orange juice. They melded the data to form a score for each drink that reflected its quality as a source of absorbable calcium. Not surprisingly, the cow’s milk topped the list with a score of 99.5 (or 292 milligrams per serving). But the other drinks showed little consistency: Eight of the OJs and the rice milk scored above 90, but two OJs fell below that mark, and none of the soy milks made it above 71.

Even worse, some of the calcium in the soy milk was found in a dense sludge at the bottom of the carton; to break it up, the scientists had to resort to “vigorous, prolonged agitation”—roughly equivalent to the force of a hardware store paint mixer.

Still, even if you drink the lowest-scoring beverage, you’ll get more calcium than you would from a nonfortified brand. Just don’t count on these sources to provide all you need. To meet the 1,000 to 1,200 mg-per-day standard, most people who steer clear of milk need a calcium supplement.

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