[Yakkal's 3-Line Summary💊]

High dosage isn't always better. The right amount 'for your age and gender is key!
Expensive â Good. 'Compare by price'per tablet.
Just checking for the health functional food mark and whether the ingredient supplier/country of origin is disclosed filters out 80% of products.

Search 'calcium-magnesium' on Coupang or iHerb and hundreds of products flood in. Each package is packed with dense information.

Calcium carbonate, citric acid calcium, absorption rate, 2:1 ratioâ¦ it's all unfamiliar terms.

"What on earth should I look at to choose?"

I've been there too. My eyes got tired and my head got confused, but I've investigated this first so you don't have to experience this uncertainty.

With this one article, you'll be able to choose a calcium-magnesium supplement with confidence!

1. Active Ingredients â Always High Dosage? That's Actually Risky

More must be better, right? Wrong.

If you consume too much calcium, something called 'arterial calcification' can occur. Calcium accumulates in blood vessel walls and hardens them.

Conversely, excessive magnesium intake interferes with calcium absorption.

So knowing 'the right amount for your body' comes first.

You don't need complicated calculations. Just look at the nutrition label on the back of the product.

✔ Example: Calcium 500mg (43%)

That 43% means 'this product provides 43% of the calcium you need daily'.

Since you get calcium from other foods too, you don't have to be greedy about reaching 100%! Actually, 50-70% is more appropriate.

2. Price â Expensive Doesn't Mean Good

Even if two products are both 30,000 won and come with 30 tablets

Product A: 1 tablet per day â 30-day supply
Product B: 2 tablets per day â 15-day supply

Both have 30 tablets inside, but A lasts a month while B only lasts two weeks.

A is twice as economical, right? So be sure to 'check the price per tablet.

The Yakkal website has this price pre-calculated!

3. Brand â Just Check 4 Things

🔸 First, is there a health functional food mark?

Having this mark means, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved it by saying 'we've conducted animal and human trials and confirmed efficacy'.

Without this mark? It's just a regular food item.

Even if sold as a supplement, its efficacy hasn't been verified. This is the mark you should check first.

칼마디 영양제, 확인하세요! 건강기능식품 마크가 있는가?

🔸 Second,, is there a GMP or NSF mark?

GMP means "'this product was manufactured in a hygienic and clean facility' according to Ministry of Food and Drug Safety certification.

Only factories that pass manufacturing facilities, equipment, and quality control standards can obtain it.

NSF is an international standard Having this mark means "'sanitation and quality standards recognized anywhere in the world'.

You'll mainly see it on products with overseas ingredients or imported products.

If you have at least one of the two, basic quality control is in place for the product!

🔸 Third,, has the ingredient supplier been disclosed?

The ingredient supplier is 'the company that manufactured the raw ingredients in this product'.

Products using quality ingredients proudly disclose this.

On the detail page like this: 'This product Albion社's magnesium ingredient is used."

If it says this, that's a good sign. It means 'we're confident in our ingredients'.

For reference, famous ingredient companies are as follows.

Calcium: Coral LLC, Algalithe
Magnesium and other minerals: Albion (famous for chelated minerals with high absorption rates))
Vitamins: DSM, Bart (global vitamin ingredient leaders))

Of course there are many other good companies. What matters is 'whether they disclosed it or not'".

Naturally, a product that confidently discloses its ingredient supplier is more trustworthy than one that doesn't?

🔸 Fourth, has the country of origin of the ingredients been disclosed?

If it's difficult to search up ingredient suppliers one by one, at least check the country of origin (the country where the ingredients were made).

Some product detail pages say 'Calcium (Icelandic)', 'Vitamin D (Swiss)' like this.

This means 'we won't hide where our ingredients come from'.

How to check is,

first see if the detail page promotes the country of origin, and
if not, check the 'ingredient name and amount' notation

Disclosing country of origin doesn't guarantee top quality, but it can serve as a standard: 'at least a product with minimum transparency'.

💡Ideally, I recommend products where all threeâcalcium, magnesium, and vitamin Dâhave disclosed countries of origin~!

칼슘, 마그네슘, 비타민D 세 가지 모두 원료국이 공개된 제품을 고르세요

Okay, now let me summarize, and this is all you need to check.

Checklist	Meaning
Health functional food mark	Product approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as 'effective'
GMP mark	Evidence that it was manufactured in a hygienic facility
Ingredient supplier disclosure	"Signal that 'we're confident in our ingredients'
Country of origin disclosure	Minimum transparency

Checking just these 4 things filters out most vague products!

4. Quality â Check These 7 Things

Quality can be important differently for different people, but I evaluated by 7 criteria!

🔸 Calcium process: Is it non-calcined?

This is the most important.

There are two ways to make calcium: calcined and non-calcined.

Calcined: made by burning at temperatures over 1000Â°C
Non-calcined: made by processing at low temperatures

Burning at high temperatures produces pure calcium, but, the original minerals and nutrients it contained can be destroyed.

On the other hand, non-calcined processing is low-temperature treatment, so natural minerals remain intact, digestion and absorption are better, and gastrointestinal issues are less likely.

On the detail page, check "non-calcined process", "low-temperature extraction" for phrases like these.

By the way, calcium characteristics vary greatly depending on the source and process.

There's a comprehensive guide that covers in depth the differences between coral calcium and bone meal calcium, and the pros and cons of calcined and non-calcined processesâ

👉 [Complete Guide to Coral Calcium/Bone Meal Calcium and Calcined/Non-Calcined Process Differences]âcheck it out too!

🔸 Calcium:magnesium ratio of 2:1?

Why specifically 2:1?

The ratio of calcium to magnesium in our body tissues is exactly 2:1 The concentration in blood is similar too. So taking in this ratio allows them to absorb in a balanced way without interfering with each other.

If you consume too much calcium only, ⭢ it interferes with magnesium absorption.
If you consume too much magnesium only, ⭢ it interferes with calcium absorption.

So most calcium-magnesium products on the market come in a 2:1 ratio. It's best to avoid products with significantly different ratios.

🔸 Light-blocking packaging?

Light-blocking packaging is, a container that blocks light.

Components like vitamin D are sensitive to light. If exposed to sunlight or fluorescent lighting for long periods,

the components break down (photodegradation))
and oxidation accelerates
eventually reducing efficacy

So good products use containers in colors like amber, dark brown, or cobalt blue.

Darker colored containers are better than transparent onesâjust rememberthat.

On the detail page, check if there are phrases like 'uses light-blocking container' or 'UV-blocking packaging'.

🔸 Individual packaging?

Individual packaging is better than having everything in one bottle.

The reason is simple!

Every time you open the cap, exposure to air and moisture accelerates oxidation
Individual packaging maintains the sealed state until right before consumption
It's also convenient to carry

However, individually packaged products may cost a bit more.

🔸 Number of daily doses?

Check how many times a day you need to take it.

Once daily: convenient. Take once in the morning and you're done!
2-3 times daily: splitting doses improves absorption, but honestly it's easy to forget.. 🥲

Since consistent intake is what matters most, choose a dosing frequency that fits your lifestyle.

For busy modern people, a once-daily product is realistic!

🔸 Can it be split?

Sometimes tablets are so large they're hard to swallow.

In that case, check if you can split it. Some products have a groove down the middle so you can split it in half. Some products can't be split due to coating.

For those who have difficulty swallowing, check on the detail page for descriptions like 'has split line' or 'can be taken split'.

🔸 Capsule size appropriateness?

Calcium-magnesium products tend to have relatively large tablets. They need to fit calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D all into one tablet.

If too large, it feels like it gets stuck in your throat and you won't want to take it daily. Detail pages sometimes list tablet size (mm), so check.

Generally, if the length is 20mm or less, it's comfortable to swallow.

Summary looks like the table below!

Item	Why it matters?
Non-calcined calcium	High-temperature (calcined) manufacturing destroys nutrients. Low-temperature (non-calcined) has better absorption.
Calcium:magnesium = 2:1	Matches body tissue ratio for balanced absorption.
Light-blocking packaging	Protects light-sensitive components. Amber/dark containers are better.
Individual packaging	Prevents oxidation + convenient to carry
Number of daily doses	Once daily is convenient!
Split dose possible	Check if can split if tablet is too large!
Capsule size	Is it a comfortable size to swallow!

5. Inactive Ingredients â Good to Have vs. Good Not to Have

✅ Good to have ingredients

Ingredient	Role
Vitamin K	Acts as 'adhesive' to help calcium attach to bones
Zinc, manganese	Supporting players that strengthen bones
Polygamma-glutamic acid	'Helper' that boosts calcium absorption'

❌ Good to not have ingredients

Ingredient	Why it's good to avoid?
Cellulose derivatives (HPMC, etc.))	Material used in tablet making; rarely can cause stomach discomfort or allergies. Some products substitute with rice bran extract or chicory fiber.
Magnesium stearate	A lubricant that makes tablet surfaces smooth. Extremely rarely can cause weight loss or toxicity to liver/kidneys, so choosing products without it is also an option.

At Yakkal, all ingredients except active ingredients (calcium, magnesium, vitamin D) are classified as inactive ingredients.

⭕ Cases containing vitamin K, zinc, manganese, polygamma-glutamic acid, or other types of vitamins receive plus points.

❌ Cases without cellulose derivatives or magnesium stearate receive plus points.

⮕ Check out Yakkal's 'Calcium-Magnesium Supplement Comparison' to see scores for each supplement!

If you're curious about how each inactive ingredient actually works for bone health,?

👉[How to Choose Calcium-Magnesium Supplements Part 2 - How Vitamin K, Manganese, Zinc, and Polygamma-Glutamic Acid Work]is worth checking out!

I remember digging through hundreds of product detail pages, searching for ingredient suppliers, calculating amountsâ¦ my eyes tired and my head pounded.

But as I organized it piece by piece, it became clear. 'Ah, in the end these are what matter'."

You don't have to go through this process. I've investigated first for you.

Now you don't have to feel lost standing in front of supplement packaging.

You'll be able to tell which phrases are real and which are just marketing.

If choosing still feels like a hassle,?

👉 [check out Yakkal's Pick]for products we personally selected based on these criteria.

Our pharmacists have already done the complex comparisons based on the above standards for you!

This has been Yakkal's Ebing 😊

[약알's Pick] 에서 약사가 직접 선별한 칼마디 제품들을 확인해보세요.