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GOT
CALCIUM?
The Vital Role Calcium Plays In
Avoiding Bone Density Loss
Brittle bones,
caused by osteoporosis, is something all of us need to be aware of and avoid as
we grow older. Osteoporosis is a disabling disease that takes decades to
develop. Without proper diet and exercise, osteoporosis causes bones to
gradually become fragile and weak.
The National
Osteoporosis Foundation reports that one half of women and 1 in 8 men over age
50 will suffer a bone fracture due to osteoporosis. Currently, this frightening
disease affects 28 million people in the United States, with 80% of the cases
occurring in women. About 24% of these hip fracture patients will die within a
year of their fracture.
Some of the
keys for preventing osteoporosis include
The focus of this
article is about calcium -- how much you need and good dietary sources to obtain
it.
The optimal
calcium intake for most adults age 25 to 65 is 1,000 mg per day. The exception
is postmenopausal women who are not taking estrogen -- they require 1,500 mg per
day. Regardless, by age 65, all adults should get 1,500 mg of calcium per day.
Calcium is one of the cornerstones of osteoporosis prevention. Talk to your
doctor about your specific calcium needs as well as other ways you can prevent
osteoporosis that are specific to you.
The best way to
get calcium in your diet is by eating and drinking a variety of dairy products
including milk, cheese, and yogurt. As an example, you would need to drink about
4 glasses of milk a day to receive the calcium recommended by the National
Osteoporosis Foundation.
Other products
which are rich in calcium that you should consider are broccoli, fortified
oatmeal, dried figs, calcium-fortified orange juice, Kellogg's Eggo frozen
waffles, and calcium enriched V-8 juice. The following table shows
how much calcium is in a serving of each of these as well as other foods:
|
8 oz. glass of skim milk |
300
mg |
| 1
slice of American cheese |
100-150
mg |
| 8
oz. serving of non-fat cottage cheese |
50
mg |
| 8
oz. serving of non-fat yogurt |
450
mg |
| 1/2
cup of cooked broccoli |
47
mg |
| 1
serving of fortified instant oatmeal |
215
mg |
| 1/4
cup of dried figs |
72
mg |
| 8
oz. glass of calcium-fortified orange juice |
350
mg |
| 2
Eggo frozen waffles |
300
mg |
| 10
oz. glass of calcium enriched V-8 juice |
325
mg |
| 1
Kellogg's Nutrigrain Cereal Bar |
200
mg |
Getting your
calcium by foods is more preferable than taking supplements since calcium
benefits vary by supplement and some of us may have the tendency to take them
sporadically. But as the name implies, supplements can help on those days when
you haven't gotten enough from the foods you eat. An average calcium supplement
contains 600 mg. of calcium. Be make sure to take them on a daily basis however.
In addition, a daily vitamin D supplement will help your body absorb the calcium
that it needs. In fact, some supplements contain vitamin D in addition to
calcium to aid in this absorption.
Wherever you
decide to get your calcium, don't delay. Most people think osteoporosis can be
cured at any age without drugs. The truth is, you really need to prevent it
beginning in childhood.
Nicole Niemiec is
founder of http://www.healthy-insights.com,
a site containing reliable health information for improving your quality of
life.
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