Calcium Intake And Menopause

Even if you've been careful to keep up your calcium intake, the hormonal changes of menopause may put you at risk for calcium deficiency. When your body begins to produce less estrogen, a hormone that helps regulate bone formation and protects you against bone loss, your risk of developing osteoporosis increases. To prevent bone loss, you may need to consume more calcium in your diet or in supplemental form.

Function

Calcium, the primary mineral component of bone, makes bones strong and solid. Throughout your life, your bones go through a cycle called remodeling, in which your body absorbs calcium from your bones as new bone is being formed. When your body absorbs the calcium in bone more quickly than new bone is formed, your bones become brittle and porous, a condition called osteoporosis.

Significance

Many women reach their peak bone density at around age 30 and experience very little bone loss between that age and the beginning of menopause, according to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. When estrogen production declines in menopause, you may begin to lose bone mass rapidly, with bone loss continuing at a slower rate during postmenopause. To replace the calcium that you lose during menopause, you may need to increase your intake of calcium and avoid foods and beverages that impair your absorption of this mineral.

Recommendations

Before age 50, your adequate intake of calcium -- the amount you need to maintain bone health -- is 1,000 mg per day. After 50, your adequate intake increases to 1,200 mg per day. The Office of Dietary Supplements, or ODS, recommends that you get most of your calcium from foods and beverages rather than supplements. If you eat dark, leafy green vegetables, nonfat dairy products, cold-water fish or other calcium-rich foods several times a day, you should be able to meet your recommended daily allowance, or RDA, of calcium with little or no supplementation.

Sources

Dietary sources of calcium include milk and other dairy products, sardines and mackerel with softened bones, kale, broccoli, tofu and whole-wheat bread. As you increase your calcium intake, make sure you're getting enough vitamin D, a vitamin that your body needs for calcium absorption and bone mineralization. After age 50, your adequate intake of vitamin D is 400 international units, or IU, per day. In the presence of sunlight, your skin synthesizes most of the vitamin D your body needs. The rest comes from dietary sources, such as salmon and other fatty fish, vitamin D-fortified milk, egg yolks and liver.

Considerations

Some foods and beverages may detract from your calcium intake. Caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea and soft drinks increase calcium excretion in your urine and reduce calcium absorption. Diets high in sodium and protein may increase your excretion of calcium, notes the ODS. To protect your bone health, walk outdoors for 30 minutes to one hour most days of the week. Walking and other weight-bearing exercises help maintain bone density, and exposure to sunlight will enhance your skin's production of vitamin D.