Most of us have grown up listening to lectures from parents, physicians and teachers about drinking milk for development of strong bones and teeth. Indeed calcium is an extremely important part of our daily diet requirement, and even more so for women than for their male counterparts. Few women, however, actually take in sufficient calcium, a fact highlighted by the staggering number of women who face risk of osteoporosis (gradual thinning of bones) in later age; the figure approaches 17 million in the USA alone!

The amount of calcium required varies with the age of the woman. Daily requirements are shown in the following table for women in different age groups:

Age group and Requirement

Age: 11 – 24

Req: 1200 – 1500 mg

Age: 25 – 50

Req: 1000 mg

Age: Older than 50 (post menopausal)

Req: On estrogens: 1000 mg

On estrogens: 1500 mg

Age: Older than 65

Req: 1500 mg

For pregnant or nursing women the amount required is 1200-1500 mg.

The most common food source for calcium is dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese, butter etc. however, these should not form the sole source of calcium in a woman’s diet. Along with being rich in calcium, most dairy items are also full of fat, which contributes to weight gain as well as accumulation of cholesterol, hence putting women health at risk of heart disease. Also for women who simply do not like dairy products, or for vegetarians, other sources are needed. Hence for most women, along with a moderate amount of dairy product consumption, it is advisable to include other calcium sources in diet.

These sources include broccoli, which contains 72 mg of calcium per cup if cooked, turnip greens (about 200 per cup if cooked), and mustard greens, as far as vegetable sources are concerned. Seafood can be a good source too, such as sardines, clams and oysters. Also Soy milk contains about 200-500 mg of calcium per cup. Apart from these, there are artificially calcium fortified foods, such as juices and cereals. Calcium fortified cereals contain 200 mg per cup of calcium, while fortified orange juice has 320 mg per cup.

Despite the wide variety of calcium food sources, the fast paced life of a modern woman rarely allows her to give enough thought to her diet to incorporate sufficient calcium in it. A good alternative, therefore, is to take calcium supplements. These include calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, and calcium lactate, among others. However, care needs to be taken with supplements because they can be involved in drug interactions with other medication a woman may be taking, so they should always be taken after consultation with a doctor.

A very important point about taking calcium supplements is to ensure that it gets absorbed properly. Calcium that is left unabsorbed in the body can form deposits outside of bones, and can also cause renal damage. Hence, the diet that is taken around the time of taking a calcium supplement should be such that it aids absorption of calcium. Thirty minutes before and thirty minutes after taking the supplement, only such foods should be taken that aid calcium absorption. These include lactose in milk and sugar, proteins, acidic foods and Vitamin D rich foods. Foods that should be avoided are those containing oxalate, these include cocoa, spinach, kale, unpolished rice and large amounts of wheat bran. Alkaline foods also interfere with absorption.

However, excess of any substance is a problem, and that of calcium in particular becomes a problem when the daily dosage becomes about 3-4 times greater than required. For doses lower than 4 grams, the body has a natural mechanism to deal with the. However, if it gets greater than that, there can be problems such as acid stomach, kidney stones and constipation, so women are advised to be careful in their calcium consumption. Lack of it is dangerous, but excess is even more so!