As a child, you may have been told to drink up your milk to make strong bones. But now you are grown, it’s quite possible you’re more likely to swallow a calcium supplement than drink milk to protect your bones. If you are trying to find out how much calcium for osteoporosis you need, you are probably concerned about losing calcium. While it is true that calcium helps strengthen our bones and keep them healthy, too much can be harmful.
It’s important to get enough calcium especially for women as they are more likely to develop osteoporosis than men (weak fragile bones that are prone to fracture) 8 million of 10 million Americans with osteoporosis are women. But taking too much calcium as a supplement is not useful for building bones – it can’t be used by the body. The amount of calcium you need in your diet is determined by your gender, age, family history, amount of exercise, and the amount of fat in your body. The amount of calcium you need varies according to age. You should consult your doctor about your calcium needs and follow their advice.
Many people don’t realize that they may have an osteoporosis condition until they break a bone. They may then struggle with the diagnosis of having osteoporosis. You can often reduce your risk of fracture by increasing the amount of calcium that you take in each day. The easiest way to do this is to eat a healthful diet that includes foods rich in vitamins D and K. Vitamins D and K are essential to building strong bones as well as maintaining healthy blood vessels. If you eat foods like milk, cheese, dark green, leafy vegetables, yogurt, tuna, salmon and other oily fish regularly, you are well on your way to meeting your daily calcium and vitamin needs.
By following a good exercise program and a healthy diet, you will soon be back to your old self and able to enjoy a healthy, active life.The body needs calcium for good health and not just for strong bones and teeth. Calcium is a mineral and is found naturally in some foods while it is added to other foods (like bread). It can also be found as a food supplement.
Almost all of the calcium in your body is stored in your bones and teeth. The rest of it is needed to keep the body functioning normally. Calcium helps blood vessels and muscles expand and contract and helps glands secrete hormones, among other things. But taking too much in supplement form may not help your bones or teeth and may have adverse effects. Supplements are not processed in the same way as food. Calcium taken as part of your diet is safe, whereas calcium in supplement form may have unwanted side effects.
Taking calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart problems, kidney stones and gastrointestinal problems. Calcium eaten as part of your diet is taken in small amounts throughout the whole day and is part of other foods, which help you absorb it. Almost everyone can get enough calcium in their diet if they try.
For women between 19 and 50, they should get about 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, whereas women over 50 should get 1,200 milligrams per day. Exercise also protects your bones, especially weight training, walking and jogging. On balance it seems to be better to get enough calcium through your diet, rather than through supplements.
