How Much Calcium Do You Need?

Detailed Dietary Reference of Intakes can be found here (PDF)

Calcium: What do I need to know?

Calcium is an essential nutrient your body needs every day. You may already know that it helps build and maintain healthy teeth and bones. But that's not all. Calcium also keeps your heart beating steadily, your blood working correctly and your nerves and muscles in good shape, too.

Calcium is key to keeping your body running smoothly. Because your bones are made from calcium, if you do not get enough from your daily diet, your body will "steal" the calcium from your bones to make up the difference. Over the long run this can reduce your bone strength and lead to osteoporosis, a potentially crippling disease of thin and fragile bones.

Osteoporosis can make your bones so weak, in fact, that they can break with a firm handshake. Because people often do not get enough calcium from their diets, osteoporosis is now a major health concern and one of our most common diseases, affecting over 28 million Americans.

What can you do? You can make smarter choices about what you eat. Add calcium-rich foods such as low-fat dairy products and broccoli to your daily diet. If you can't get enough calcium from your diet, you can add a calcium supplement like Pincta-Cal to your daily routine.

This information provides you with the basic facts about calcium, tells you how to get it daily and answers some commonly asked questions. Remember: Calcium is essential to good health and getting enough can help you reduce the risk of osteoporosis. But calcium is only part of the picture. You also need exercise and a balanced diet to prevent disease and stay healthy.

What is the Calcium Continuum?

Your need for calcium starts even before you are born and extends throughout your lifetime. However, most people today are consuming fewer dairy products and vegetables that are calcium-rich. Think about your own diet. How many glasses of milk, if any, do you drink a day? When was the last time you had cottage cheese, broccoli, or sardines?

The most recent government survey of the eating habits of Americans confirms that most people are not getting enough calcium. Teenagers, young women and post-menopausal women in particular are consuming far less than is healthy -- and less than their body's need.

How much calcium do you need each day? On average, if you're not drinking three glasses of milk per day, you're not getting enough.

Is Calcium essential during Childhood to Young Adulthood?

From birth until about age 18, bones are forming and growing. Calcium is essential to this process. That's why breast milk and infant formulas are rich in calcium. As children grow, it is equally important that their diet remain calcium-rich.
 
Unfortunately, the calcium intake of most Americans peaks at age eight. Think about it. While preschoolers have most of their diet chosen by a parent, by age eight, children are making more decisions on their own. They prefer juice or soda to milk with lunch. They like other snacks besides cheese and crackers.

During late adolescence, through young adulthood, adult bone is formed and reaches its maximum strength and density. Bones continue to accumulate calcium and become stronger after we have stopped growing. The calcium that you provide to your bones when you are young determines how well they will hold up later in life. By age 35 your bones are about as strong as they are ever going to be.

How does Calcium help during childbearing?

No matter what age a woman is when she becomes pregnant, calcium is very important to both the mother and the baby. Calcium from the mother's body is used by the developing baby, putting increased demands on the mother's supply. Additional calcium should be consumed for both the mother's and baby's health.

Based on an analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association there is evidence that increasing calcium intake can help maintain normal blood pressure in pregnant women. Pregnancy-induced high blood pressure is a serious complication that can put both mother and child at risk.

How does calcium affect menopause?

When a woman enters menopause, her body produces much less of the female hormone estrogen . Loss of estrogen increases the risk of osteoporosis. Simply put, osteoporosis is a thinning of the bones. Bones become weak and fragile and can break easily. That's why it is so important to take steps to protect yourself from osteoporosis by getting enough calcium every day.

Calcium by itself has been shown to prevent some bone loss after menopause, and it definitely can help estrogen replacement therapy work more effectively. Recent studies have shown estrogen plus daily calcium is up to three times more effective in building bone than estrogen alone! Other prescription drugs for osteoporosis such as Miacalcin®, Fosamax® and Evista® also need calcium to be most effective.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that women make certain they get adequate daily calcium intake to make hormone replacement therapy and other prescription osteoporosis medications work more effectively. Men are also vulnerable to osteoporosis and need to consume adequate calcium through their older years to prevent further bone loss, and in their younger years to achieve peak bone mass.

Because calcium consumption is critical throughout life, please click on 1994 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Conference on Optimal Calcium Intake to view the recommended daily requirements.

How can I increase my calcium intake?

No-fat or low-fat dairy products provide the easiest, most plentiful sources of calcium in the diet. In addition, try adding broccoli, kale, and salmon, especially with the bones included, to your diet. Many processed foods are now fortified with calcium, including fruit juices, snack foods and breakfast cereals. You might find the easiest way to get the daily calcium you need is to make changes in your diet and take a calcium supplement.

Am I getting calcium from my multi-vitamins?

Maybe, but not much. Read the label. Even in the case of prenatal vitamins for pregnant women, the calcium content may not be enough to meet the daily demands of the mother and growing baby. A multi-vitamin may provide additional nutrients and vitamins that your body needs, but if your diet is low in calcium, you need to take a special calcium supplement.

How do I choose a supplement?

The key is to choose a supplement that you will actually take every day. Taking a supplement at mealtime is a convenient way to remember your daily calcium. The most common type of supplement, calcium carbonate such as Pincta-Cal, is even more effective if taken with a meal. Calcium carbonate is inexpensive and contains as well as provides more elemental calcium (what the body actually uses) than other supplements - such as calcium citrate and calcium lactate.

Check the label of your supplement for the amount of "elemental calcium" per tablet. Also, look for the USP mark. This is an assurance that the product meets standards for purity and quality.

Do I need other nutrients like Vitamin D with my calcium supplement?

Vitamin D helps your body absorb and use calcium. Unlike calcium, however, vitamin D can be stored by the body for extended periods of time. It does not have to be taken with your calcium supplement.

Vitamin D is available from fortified dairy products, cod liver oil and fatty fish, and is manufactured by the body in reaction to sunlight. Generally, about fifteen minutes of direct sunlight per day gives you the vitamin D you need. However, the elderly and the homebound, in particular, often do not get enough vitamin D. Also, during the winter season the sunlight in the Northern parts of the U.S. is not intense enough to build up vitamin D in your body. If you think you are not getting enough vitamin D, talk to your doctor or health-care professional. You may also consider Pincta-Cal as a supplement for vitamin D.

When should I take a calcium supplement?

If you aren't getting enough calcium from your diet, you need to take a calcium supplement every day. Here are some tips to help you remember.

• Take your calcium supplement with meals. For example, calcium carbonate is most effective with meals, and studies have shown that it may be better absorbed with food.
• Take your calcium supplement in divided doses throughout the day. The body can absorb only so much calcium at one time, so try taking a supplement with two or three of your meals each day.
• Try keeping your calcium supplement in several places (bathroom, kitchen, purse) so if you do forget, you can take it easily.

What problems might I have taking calcium?

It's very difficult to get too much calcium. Any excess which the body cannot use is excreted from the body in the urine and stool. Daily consumption up to 2,500 mg has been shown to be safe.

If you experience constipation or gas from calcium, your body may be adjusting to the new levels of calcium. If this happens, try starting with a small amount and build gradually to an adequate daily amount. And take your calcium in several doses during the day, for instance at meal times.

What about kidney stones? Are they caused by calcium supplementation?

Additional calcium intake may actually lower your risk for kidney stones. The largest study ever conducted on calcium and kidney stones, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1993, and another published in 1997, showed that daily calcium intake above 850 mg decreased the incidence of symptomatic kidney stones.

Reducing your intake of dietary oxalate, a substance found in wheat bran, rhubarb, beets and nuts may also lower your risk of stones. The most important dietary factor in preventing kidney stones is water. Drink plenty of fluids, but not soft drinks, to help lower your risk for stones. And keep taking your calcium. Restricting calcium intake could increase the risk of stones.

Do antacids interfere with calcium absorption?

No. Although stomach acid is necessary for some forms of calcium to be absorbed into the body, antacids do not interfere with this process. Calcium supplements taken with meals find enough stomach acid for full absorption. Although calcium carbonate acts as an antacid, it can both neutralize the stomach acid and still be used by the body. Calcium carbonate supplements act as antacids and calcium carbonate antacids act as supplements. The available calcium is the same.