Scientific studies have clearly demonstrated that supplemental vitamin D intake (200 – 1000 IU/day) usually combined with calcium, increases bone density and helps prevent osteoporosis.
Higher calcium intake has been linked to increased bone density in short-term studies, but high protein intake and high dairy calcium intake are both related to increased risk of fractures in long-term prospective studies of men and women.
A study by Dawson-Hughes found that adding 500 mg calcium daily in postmenopausal women with very low calcium intakes (less than 400mg/d) maintained bone density in the femoral neck and radius and decreased the loss from the spine.
Although most young children meet the dietary requirements for calcium, the intake of calcium declines precipitously with age.
A calcium deficit during the growing years and in adulthood contributes to gradual bone loss – 0steoporosis, which can totally cripple a person in later life, affecting more than 25 million people in the United States.
Calcium maintaining of bone density and strength
