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Bone Up on Calcium
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Right on Stephanie! If you missed the post by Stephanie Siegrist check it out. Most women in this country do not take in enough calcium and Vitamin D on a day to day basis to protect their bone health. Depending on your age, most women need at least 1000 milligrams (mg) of calcium daily and many women need upwards of 12-1500 mg per day. The average serving of yogurt, cheese or milk provides about 300 mg—you do the math—and see that it will take a good 3-5 calcium rich foods per day to meet this recommendation.
With the foray of functional foods into the market place, there are more ways to get calcium in the diet through food. A functional food is one that has been fortified with certain nutrients for a specific purpose such as calcium fortified cereal or orange juice. Orange juice itself is not a good source of calcium but many manufacturers have started adding calcium and vitamin D to orange and other juices as a way to make it easier for people to up their intake.
Other food sources of calcium from the USDA food composition data include:
Spinach
Collards
Soybeans
Turnip greens
White beans
Pink salmon with bones
Kale
Okra
Chinese cabbage
Baked beans
Should you decide that the only way you will get enough calcium in your diet is through a supplement in addition to food and fortified foods, be sure and spread your supplements and calcium from food throughout the day as your blood maintains a consistent calcium level. 500 milligrams is about the most calcium that can be absorbed by your body at one time—another reason to spread it out. Calcium citrate and calcium carbonate tend to be better absorbed and utilized by the body than other forms.
As always, speak with your health care provider about your particular needs.
Dr. Susan
Comments (6)
Have something to say? Share your thoughts.
Posted July 8, 2006 4:15 PM
What natural remedies wd be best to
take everyday if one is not able to
take bisphosphonates? What wd be a
daily supply consist of.....e.g. wd you
take.....1 tsp of Cod Liver Oil along
with 400 mg of vit d and a 500 mg of
calcium citrate two times per day ( morning and evening)......wd that be a
sufficient quantity along with exercise
3 x per week?
Thank you for your help
Anne
stv11@yahoo.com
Posted July 20, 2006 2:33 PM
Anne,
First try to get calcium and vitamin D thru your food....dairy sources, soy sources that are fortified, juices, breads and cereals that are fortified. Many times the absorption rate of calcium is higher from food.
I would discuss this with your physician, particularly if you take any prescription medications. Have you had a bone density test? Do you know if you have osteopenia or osteoporosis? All of this makes a difference as to what supplements you take and how much. Nutrition is very personalized.
The American Medical Women's Association suggests that women 50 and over get 800 IUs of Vitamin D each day (supplements typically run 400 IUs and foods vary in it's level) thru food and/or supplement. Calcium citrate is a highly absorbable form of calcium that can be added to a diet that is not adequate in calcium thru food. But, if you take medications, again the timing is important so discuss with your doctor and pharmacist.
Dr. Susan
Posted November 2, 2005 9:04 AM
Are you getting enought Vitamin D?
Thanks to sound calcium-intake advice, like from Dr. Susan, you know that your healthy bones need enough calcium. But don't forget vitamin D! Vitamin D helps your intestines absorb calcium; without it, your dietary/supplement's calcium will just kee...
Posted November 2, 2005 5:41 AM
Recent research shows that even when women are taking prescription drugs for osteoporosis, they still need to take calcium supplements and Vitamin D.
Posted October 26, 2005 4:42 PM
Thanks, Susan. Readers: Don't forget about Vitamin D! I was at a national orthopedic meeting recently, and Vitamin D's importance in promoting healthy bones was a big deal.
Vitamin D helps your intestines absorb calcium; without it, your dietary/supplement's calcium will just keep passing thru! A little science: Vit D is actually a hormone made in your body. It is activated in 2 steps, step 1 in your kidneys, step 2 in your sun-exposed skin triggered by ultraviolet light. Visit the NIH for interesting facts: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp
Read your labels and do the math! The new recommendation for daily D intake to prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women is 800-1000 IU/day. Since 1 quart of milk is only fortified with 400 IU, you might need Vit D supplements. If you take calcium with D, make sure there's enough.
Whole foods, vigorous exercise and plenty of fresh air and sunshine: sounds like a reasonable health plan!
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