Calcium Taste Test
April 2000; Volume 2; 31-32
Products Tested
Mead Johnson Nutritionals Viactiv Mochaccino Rank: 1
Per piece: 20 calories, 100 IU vitamin D, 40 mcg vitamin K, 500 mg calcium carbonate
Price: $8.69/60 chews Price per dose: $0.14
Nature Made® CalBurst Calcium Supplement Chocolate Rank: 2
Per piece: 15 calories, 200 IU vitamin D, 500 mg calcium carbonate
Price: $8.99/60 soft chews Price per dose: $0.15
Nature Made® CalBurst Calcium Supplement Cherry Rank: 3
Per piece: 15 calories, 200 IU vitamin D, 500 mg calcium carbonate
Price: $8.99/60 soft chews Price per dose: $0.15
Heritage Consumer Products CHOOZ® Antacid/Calcium Supplement Gum Rank: 4
Per piece: 200 mg calcium carbonate
Price: $2.39/16 pieces Price per dose: $0.15
SmithKline Beechum TUMS® Peppermint Rank: 5
Per piece: 2 calories, 200 mg calcium carbonate
Price: $1.79/36 pieces Price per dose: $0.05
Comments by Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD
Candy that’s good for you? Could it be true? There are now options other than pills for calcium supplementation—and some of these new products almost reach dessert status. These are not your mother’s calcium supplements. We conducted taste tests of an admittedly non-random sample of products (composed of what was available at one Washington and one Atlanta drugstore) among an admittedly non-random sample of the Alternative Therapies in Women’s Health editorial board and staff, and other people who were standing around when the aforementioned parties opened their packages.
The products evaluated included two brands (and three flavors) of soft calcium candies, one hard calcium candy, and one calcium gum.
Sixteen people participated; six of these voted as a committee (composed of one editorial board member’s sister, brother-in-law, three nieces ages 7-17, and the boyfriend of the 17-year-old). Participants were asked to rank five different products and to provide descriptive comments if so moved. They also were asked to rank the comment "I would prefer to take calcium supplements in pill form," but due to mass confusion about this point, these data were deemed uninterpretable and ditched. Ranked scores were added, so the lower the score, the more popular the product.
Taste Test Results
And the winner, with 18 points, is...Viactiv mochaccino! Comments included:
• "Absolutely delicious—a risk for inducing hypercalcemia due to excessive snacking"
• "I would actually take this one. Flavor and texture were pleasant."
• "This one won out on taste and packaging."
• "Best flavor"
• "Almost a butterscotch mocha"
The only minor complaint was texture-related:
• "Doesn’t chew as well as Calburst chocolate."
The runner-up, Calburst chocolate, came in a close second, scoring 22.
• "Tastes good; like a tootsie roll"
• "The best—tastes great."
There was not, however, universal acceptance; more ambivalent comments included:
• "Wouldn’t quell a chocolate craving but not bad"
• "Mmm...yummy—with a hint of chalk"
• "A bittersweet chocolate, left less pleasant aftertaste"
• "Flavor was bland, but okay"
Its lowest rater commented:
• "this seemed to grow in my mouth—the more I chewed, the larger the blob of candy."
Calburst cherry, scoring 37, did not fare well in general but did have some fans: two people gave it their highest rating. (They are married to each other. Coincidence?) This elicited strong negative reactions from most raters: Two people described the taste as "medicinal." Other comments included:
• "Nauseating Pepto-Bismol taste"
• "Gritty, chewy texture and nasty flavor"
• "brought back bad childhood memories of flavored antibiotic syrup"
• "rather too sweet, though tasty" and "who would get cherry when you can have chocolate?"
The one calcium gum tested, Chooz, was not popular and scored 41, although one rater described it as "pure Chiclet® heaven."
More typical comments included:
• "Close to Aspergum® in bad taste and chewability"
• "Chalky, bad taste initially; then okay"
The chewing gum delivery system elicited several dosage-related comments, including:
• "This was okay but I don’t know if I want to chew gum all day to get the benefit."
• "I like chewing gum, so this represents something I’m likely to do, but at 200 mg apiece, I can’t chew enough for the RDA."
• "How long you need to chew it to get all 200 mg?"
Everybody disliked Tums, which scored 49 with no rating higher than fourth place; a direct quote was "like licking a chalk board," and four other raters used the word "chalk" or "chalky" in their descriptions. One rater hated the flavor but did note that it’s the least expensive option. Another participant criticized the flavor choice (peppermint), pointing out that our survey "unfairly does not include fruit-flavored Tums, which are much better."
It’s clear that there is a wide range of individual preference. As one rater put it, "I think the options are great and represent a wide range of choice for taking much-needed calcium. Everyone ought to be able to find something that works for them."
Safety Concerns
All of these supplements contain calcium carbonate in doses ranging from 200-500 mg. Calburst and Viactiv also contain vitamin D. Viactiv also contains vitamin K, which should be avoided by those on warfarin. Unlike calcium pills, these products are sweetened with sugar or aspartame.
One problem with these supplements is that there are no warnings about overdosing on calcium—or other ingredients. Several of these products taste enough like candy that someone with a sweet tooth could overindulge. One would only have to eat five Calbursts to ingest 2,500 mg calcium and 1,000 IU vitamin D (> 1,000 IU of vitamin D are not recommended and daily doses > 2,000 IU can be toxic: Symptoms include weakness, headache, nausea, hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, and impaired renal function). Too much calcium can cause constipation, bloating, and gas; calcium in excess of 2,500 mg/d can cause hypercalcemia or renal stones. Overdosing might be a particular concern with children (none of the products comes in childproof packaging).
For those who should take calcium supplements, compliance is bound to be better with these new products than with the usual horse pills. However, labeling should emphasize that these are supplements, not snacks.
April 2000; Volume 2; 31-32
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