Citracal Petites Calcium Citrate Supplement with Vitamin D3, 200 Coated Caplets

Six-dimension breakdown

Why this scored 66/100

Citracal (Bayer) is one of the most-recognized calcium supplement brands in the US, using calcium citrate — the better-absorbed form especially in low-stomach-acid users (elderly, PPI/H2 blocker users). Petites deliver 400mg calcium citrate + 500 IU D3 per two-caplet serving; the 500 IU D3 is a conservative maintenance dose (below the aggressive 5,000 IU levels seen in other products). Citrate absorbs at 20-25% regardless of stomach acid vs. carbonate's 40% only with food and adequate acid. The Recker 1985 and Heaney 1988 studies established citrate's advantages in specific populations. Bayer manufacturing is cGMP-certified with regulatory infrastructure standards. 'No. 1 doctor and pharmacist recommended calcium brand' is a marketing claim substantiated by pharmacy survey data. Solid Standard tier — a reliable, well-formulated, mainstream calcium product. Held out of Verified by the absence of publicly-posted per-lot COAs and by the small D3 dose (which some users need higher; others prefer higher K2-paired formulas rather than adding calcium supplementation at all).

Evidence & sources

The Vyvata score's Evidence dimension measures the quality of published RCT support for a product's active ingredients at the label dose. Our source hierarchy: double-blind RCTs in MEDLINE-indexed journals > single-blind RCTs > open-label trials > observational studies > mechanism papers > N=1 case studies (anecdotes). Predatory journals and manufacturer-authored studies without independent replication are weighted down.

Product-specific evidence citations for this item are embedded in the analysis text on the "Analysis" tab. For the full framework and evidence hierarchy, see the methodology page.

How to read the Evidence dimension

• 80–100: Multiple double-blind RCTs in indexed journals directly testing this product OR the exact ingredients at the exact dose.
• 60–79: Single double-blind RCT + supporting ingredient literature at the studied dose.
• 40–59: Open-label trials + ingredient literature; no product-specific double-blind evidence.
• 20–39: Ingredient literature only; no product-specific trials or trials in predatory venues.
• 0–19: No credible evidence base or unverifiable claims.

FAQ data has not been generated for this product yet. See the site FAQ for general questions.

Customer reviews

All the data we have on this product

Every VSF-related metafield surfaced verbatim. Nothing hidden. If you spot data that looks wrong, let us know.

VSF score

66 / 100

Tier

Standard

Category

Supplements

Subcategory

vitamins micronutrients

Last scored

August 29, 2026

Third-party certifications

None on record at time of scoring

Vendor

Pasteur Pharmacy

Product type

Vitamins & Supplements

Tags

Pasteur Pharmacy, Shopify Collective

Every score is set from the published rubric, audit-logged, and rescored whenever new evidence emerges (published trials, updated labels, third-party testing releases). Every vendor is scored on the same criteria — no pay-to-play. See our editorial-independence disclosure for the full policy, including brands with an editorial relationship to this site.