Calcium

[violetangel1111]

It is recommended that older women get 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day. Shouldn't body weight and size be taken into consideration?

[Met00]

That's a very good question! It's something I've asked myself over a number of things, including what counts as a portion for 5 fruit and veg a day (they say fist-size, but I have large hands but a petite body!). The same applies to medication, which is often tested on men, who are on average quite a bit bigger than women, with some women being not much larger than a child - they do children's portions of things, so why not for smaller adults too?! As far as calcium is concerned, it's much better to get it from diet. The World Health Organisation says adults need 500mg daily, in the UK 700 - 1000mg is recommended, yet in the US it's 1200mg, which I really don't understand!

[Mark_ABH in reply to Met00]

In the U.S., RDA is 1,000 mg/day for adults. It is 1,200 only for ages 9-18, post menopausal women, teenagers who are pregnant or nursing, and adults over age 70. Still quite a bit higher than other countries.

americanbonehealth.org/nutr...

[NY2GANANA]

Treatment and recommendations need to be individualized and not just across the board for everyone. We are all different, with different health issues and may be on meds that may conflict with treatments. My primary dr suggested prolia for my osteoporosis but the dr at Mayo Clinic said he would not recommend that treatment for me but did mention other meds. I have decided not to take any meds but to find other natural ways to address it. Also, when taking calcium, I have read that there is a possibility of kidney stones with taking too much or taking certain types. We have to be our own advocate and research before making choices.

[310102 in reply to NY2GANANA]

I agree with your comment on Kidney stones being a problem with calcium tablets. I am 74, never had problems with kidney stones. In May I found out, after back pain and other symptoms I had 4 kidney stones, and quite large, 10, 8, 6, and 4 mm. I can’t blame it all on calcium tabs b/c I also loved my tea (lots of iced tea) which also contributed. I am trying to be careful in only taking enough tabs to bring me up to 1200 after eating calcium foods.

[dcdream]

As you can see, it varies by countries and in the USA it's around 1200mg. However, it is best getting it from food and not going over the range of 1200. If you do take a supplement, make certain that you add into the count, all foods with calcium and adjust your calcium supplement to reflect that. That's what I have learned from my nutritionist and research.

[yogalibrarian in reply to dcdream]

Good points

[Aerobics-Instructor in reply to yogalibrarian]

And check the amount of calcium in your water. My water was so hard that I was actually getting too much calcium in total. It actually added about 800 mg a day to my already high food consumption level of calcium. I was at risk for kidney stones.

[yogalibrarian in reply to Aerobics-Instructor]

True. And if you want to add calcium to your diet some of the mineral waters are high in calcium. My favorite is Gerolsteiner. Ferraralle is also high calcium

[yogalibrarian]

Good question -- and sometimes confusing.

Calcium requirements (and this is true of most vitamins and minerals) are dependent on age and gender and some life stages (pregnancy and lactation) not on size. The Office of Dietary Supplements website. is a good source of information. ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/C...

The recommendations are for "healthy." people. Some medical conditions might require you to limit calcium intake. (Talk to your healthcare provider.)

The recommendation is to get your vitamins and mineral from the food you eat. This is where the challenge comes in. If you are an older, smaller woman who has a relatively sedentary lifestyle you need fewer calories than a young very active person. You need to try to get all of the nutrients you need from fewer calories (for example a 1,200 calorie diet). You have less room in your diet for "empty calories" than someone on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. Every calories has to cout. And if you can't get the vitamins and minerals you need from your diet alone, that is where supplements come in. Supplements are meant to fill the gap (supplement) between your dietary needs and your food intake.

You might also think of it this way. If it is a nutrient that contains calories (fat, carbohydrate, protein) then gender, age, and activity level are part of the equation.

Good nutrition can be complicated by a lot of mythology.

The human body was meant to consume food not individual nutrients.

[Hidden in reply to yogalibrarian]

Thank you for the link you provided re: calcium. The information is extensive and from what I see the bottom line is - “More research is needed to better understand whether consuming more calcium from food or supplements improves bone health in older adults.” I take with hope for improvement but accept it’s a fact of life for those of us who are aging.

[violetangel1111]

Thank you for all your very informative replies. I still am confused about why calcium (whether from food/supplements/or both) requirements are based on age, gender, medical conditions, activity level, but not include body weight/size. For example, assuming all the criteria above are the same, why would a 250 pound 6 foot 5 person require the same amount of calcium as a 100 pound 5 foot person?

[inapart in reply to violetangel1111]

SO agree Violet I always question recommendations /requirements of supplements. I weigh 110lbs, and make my own adjustments, especially minerals . I found a very good Calcium supplement 'Plant Fusion'. It has all the essential ingredients required to take with the calcium and you can easily cut them in half. Also, from what I've read about Calcium, I've chosen to take calcium made from algae, I feel it eliminates the issues of kidney stones.

[yogalibrarian in reply to violetangel1111]

If you look at the Office of Dietary Supplements website, body size and activity level are not differentiators. Age and gender are. And medical conditions and other medications are too individual-specific to go into general guidelines.

[Lupusrelative]

good question. Both my husband and myself have hypothyroidism. Both have same score on blood tests. Both on levothyroxine, same dose. I am 5ft 2in, 130lbs, while he is much taller and heavier. Doesn’t make sense.