(ARA) – Eighty percent of women don’t get enough calcium from food alone, according to a recent study conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. That means women’s bodies are stealing calcium from their bones.
Many foods like milk and other dairy products are well known to be prime sources of calcium. Calcium is a crucial nutrient that helps build and maintain bones, muscles and teeth. It also keeps us moving by helping to maintain muscle health and strength. But taking a calcium supplement alone isn’t enough. The NIH reports that vitamin D intake is also important because it improves calcium absorption.
But many women are falling short of meeting their recommended daily calcium allowance – between 1,000 mg and 1,200 mg. In fact, many assume that a drop of milk in their morning cup of coffee will provide all the calcium they need for the day. Ladies may be surprised to learn that an eight ounce glass of skim milk only makes up 30 percent of the calcium they need each day.
If you are not getting enough calcium or enough exercise, your body is more likely to steal the calcium it needs from your bones.
Risks of Not Enough Calcium
One of the most common risks of not getting enough calcium is osteoporosis, a disease characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue. Osteoporosis can lead to bone fragility. Without bone-density testing, you may not know you’re suffering from osteoporosis until you suffer a fracture – which happens to half of all women older than 50.
Starting Young
If you think calcium is important only when you’re older, think again. NHANES also found that 90 percent of teenage girls aren’t getting enough calcium through diet alone. Since boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 18 years old need 1,300 mg of calcium per day, getting a head start on healthy habits can prove vital in providing a strong nutritional foundation as they get older.
Finding the Right Supplement
If you don’t get enough calcium through your diet, then supplements, like Caltrate, are a good compliment to giving your body the nutrients it needs to help keep your bones strong and your body moving. These days, calcium supplements, like Caltrate, are available in tablets, soft chews and gummy forms and most can be taken with or without food. However, calcium alone isn’t enough. Calcium should be taken in conjunction with vitamin D because it helps the body absorb calcium for the development and maintenance of bones. It also supports mobility as it may help improve muscle health and strength.
Caltrate helps replenish the calcium and vitamin D3 women need each day. To highlight that commitment, Caltrate is partnering with Susan G. Komen for the Cure as a national sponsor of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure series.
To learn more about the importance of calcium and vitamin D in your diet, for special offers and product information, and to share your story about who, or what, moves you, visit Facebook.com/Caltrate.
