And Magnesium, and other key bone-building
micronutrients
Calcium is crucial to bone health. Besides
being the largest mineral deposit in your body - 98% in your bones!
- calcium builds and strengthens bone, helps muscles contract,
aids digestion, acts as a hormone messenger, and regulates blood
pressure. It's vital to keep
your calcium balance intact, to preserve calcium in your bones
when you're young, and to keep feeding calcium to your bones as
you age.
Calcium
is found in dairy products, canned salmon and sardines, dark green
leafy vegetables, fortified cereals, juices, tofu, dried fruit
and nuts, legumes, soybeans.Now you can get calcium-fortified
hot cocoa! If you don't get enough calcium from your food, there
are supplements available in many different shapes and forms.
Calcium
Supplements
Types
of Calcium
Carbonate
Most common, most concentrated, least expensive, least # of pills
per dosage,
May cause stomach upset or constipation; must be taken with meals
Citrate
Recommended, less concentrated, costs a bit more, highly absorbable,
need not necessarily be taken with food
Types
of offering
Pills, Antacids, Chocolate and fruit chews, Powders, Liquid, Lactose-free!
Types
to avoid
Bone meal, Dolomite, Oyster shell: can have traces of lead
Aluminum or sodium in antacids
How
to take:
Maximum 500mg at any time
Separate from iron supplements, meals high in fiber, meals
high in calcium, raw spinach
If taking synthroid, take 4 hours apart from calcium supplements
Spread out throughout day to allow best chance of absorption
Must be taken daily with Vitamin D, but not necessarily
in the same tablet, or at the same time of day
| How
much calcium do I need? |
| -
Infants up to 6 months |
400
mg/day |
| -
Infants 6 months-1 year |
600
mg/day |
| -
Children 1 - 5 |
800
mg/day |
| -
Children 6 -10 |
800-1200
mg/day |
| -
Teenagers and Young Adults |
1200-1500
mg/day |
| -
Women over 25 but not menopausal |
1000
mg/day |
| -
Pregnant and Breast-Feeding Women |
1200-1500
mg/day |
| -
Women after menopause taking estrogen |
1000-1200
mg/day |
| -
Women after menopause not taking estrogen |
1500
mg/day |
| -
Men 25-65 |
1000
mg/day |
| -
Men over 65 |
1500
mg/day |
Vitamin
D is the key that opens up the door to calcium absorption.
It is vital to bone strength. Vitamin D allows calcium to leave
the intestines and enter the blood, and works with the kidneys
to resorb the calcium that would otherwise leave via the urine.(It
also promotes phosphorous absorption, lowers excess parathyroid
hormone, lowers blood pressure, and prevents breast and colon
cancer.) You can get Vitamin D via sunlight, and in egg yolks,
fish and fish oils, liver, avocados, fortified milk and cereals,
wild mushrooms, and via supplements.
Recommended dosage is 400-800 IU's daily.
Magnesium too is crucial to bones,
supporting the underlying structure that calcium crystallizes
on. It prevents calcium excretion, activates vitamin D, and has
a role in controlling estrogen, parathyroid hormone, and calcitonin,
all key to bone formation.
Other
vital bone-building vitamins and minerals include:
Vitamin K, Potassium, Vitamin C, Boron, Copper, Manganese, Selenium,
Silicon, Strontium, Zinc, Vitamin B6, B12, Folic Acid
