TUMS FAQs

The amount of carbohydrates in a TUMS tablet depends upon the strength of the tablet. Following are the various strengths of TUMS and their corresponding carbohydrate contents (per tablet):

• TUMS Smoothies (Extra Strength): 540 mg (0.54 gm)
• TUMS Regular Strength: 747 mg (0.747 gm)
• TUMS E-X 750 (Extra Strength): 1110 mg (1.11 gm)
• TUMS Ultra 1000 (Maximum Strength): 1494 mg (1.494 gm)

Most TUMS varieties are kosher. Smoothies Assorted Fruit and Smoothies Cocoa & Creme are kosher dairy. TUMS receives a Kosher Certificate from Diamond K Supervision. See front label to determine the Kosher status of the variety you have selected.

TUMS bottles are made from polystyrene, and they have a #5 recycle symbol on the bottom. Check to see if they can be recycled in your municipality.

Lead occurs naturally in our environment. All animal and plant tissues contain small amounts of lead, as does the soil from which plants and plant-derived foods are grown. Consequently, nearly everything that we ingest — including water, cereals, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products — contains lead in some small amount. Many calcium supplements with the active ingredient calcium carbonate (the most efficiently absorbed form of calcium), including TUMS, are derived from sources where trace amounts of lead occur naturally. Since removing lead entirely is impossible, the goal in producing our product is to refine the calcium carbonate to a level where the lead content is in very trace, and safe, amounts.

All of the raw materials that go into the TUMS product are assayed prior to manufacture to insure that the trace levels of lead meet the permissible level established by the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), the body responsible for determining standards for strength and purity of drugs in the United States. The USP has set the lead tolerance level for calcium carbonate at 3 ppm (parts per million). By employing scrupulous quality control procedures, we ensure that every batch of TUMS falls well below the 3 ppm level.

Although we do not use gluten as a filler in TUMS, there may be trace amounts of gluten in TUMS Smoothies Assorted Fruit and Berry Fusion flavors via ingredients that are supplied by outside vendors. Other varieties of TUMS do not contain gluten. Review the “inactive ingredients” section on the bottle label to see if the variety you have selected contains gluten.

TUMS does not contain animal by-products, with the exception of our E-X Sugar Free tablets, which have calcium stearate. Calcium stearate is used as a conditioning agent in certain food and pharmaceutical products and is derived from a bovine (cow) source.

TUMS does not contain aluminum as an active ingredient.

TUMS tablets contain calcium carbonate USP. The calcium carbonate in TUMS is processed from pure limestone, resulting in a high degree of purity.

Because TUMS has a dual usage — as both an antacid and as a calcium supplement — the label includes the actual amount of calcium carbonate (for those who use the product as an antacid) and the elemental calcium (the amount of calcium that your body is actually able to use). For those who use TUMS as a calcium supplement, the amount of calcium under Supplement Facts is the amount of elemental calcium contained in the calcium carbonate.

While it is correct that Vitamin D helps with calcium absorption, it is not necessary to consume Vitamin D and calcium simultaneously to receive the calcium benefits. It is important, however, that your body has an adequate level of Vitamin D.

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The human body converts sunlight exposure to Vitamin D, and for those who don’t get much exposure, there are other sources, such as Vitamin D-fortified foods including milk. For the average adult, these sources of Vitamin D provide sufficient levels of this nutrient for the body’s use in absorbing calcium. If you have concerns about whether you are indeed getting enough Vitamin D, we urge you to speak with your physician.