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Calcium and Bone Health

Calcium is a mineral important for good health in people of all ages, especially women during their college years. Calcium primarily helps form and maintain healthy bones and teeth, but is also required for normal blood clotting, heart function, and muscle contractions.

Osteoporosis
Calcium can also help prevent osteoporosis—a skeletal disorder characterized by a loss of bone density or mass, causing weak and fragile bones that fracture and break easily. Osteoporosis happens gradually over years and is often not detected until a fracture or break occurs.

Osteoporosis usually appears in older age, but the most important years for its prevention start in adolescence and continue until the age of 30, meaning that the years in between are the most important time to take in sufficient calcium and vitamin D. After age 30, bone mass begins to decline, so the stronger the bones are at age 30, the less the density loss will affect them.

Unfortunately, osteoporosis is occurring more and more frequently in young women. Recent studies found that two percent of college-aged women already have osteoporosis and that 15 percent are at risk of developing the disease because of significant decreases in bone density. Female athletes and young women with eating disorders are at highest risk.

Prevention
Osteoporosis can be prevented or delayed with a few simple lifestyle changes, starting at a young age.

Change unhealthy habits, such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake, and inactivity.

Engage in a regular routine of weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, running, or climbing stairs.

Incorporate resistance exercise such as weight lifting into exercise routines.

Take in adequate calcium and vitamin D through diet and supplements.

People on thyroid medications or prednisone should talk to their clinician about osteoporosis.

Daily calcium requirements
Ensure a calcium intake of 1200 to 1500 mg daily if under the age of 25 or over the age of 50. If between the ages of 25 and 50, 1000 mg of calcium daily is sufficient.

Calcium supplements
Some individuals may have difficulty eating enough foods with calcium and should consider a calcium supplement. Supplemental calcium is better absorbed when taken in smaller doses (500 mg or less). If more calcium is necessary, split the dose into two or three smaller doses and take them throughout the day. A calcium intake greater than 1500 mg is not recommended, as high amounts of calcium may cause kidney stones in some people.

Vitamin D
The body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium and help in forming and maintaining strong bones. Vitamin D works with other vitamins, minerals, and hormones to promote bone health. Most experts recommend a daily supplement of 1000 to 2000 IU of vitamin D3 from October through March.

Dietary Sources of Calcium

[Updated: 01/08]

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