The bones in your body get some of their strength from the minerals calcium and phosphate. Osteoporosis is a condition in which your bones lose some of their strength, making them more prone to breaking especially after a fall or other trauma. Although you can help prevent osteoporosis by getting enough calcium in your diet, increasing your calcium intake may not be sufficient to ward off osteoporosis.
Calcium Absorption
One of the reasons why increasing your calcium intake may not be enough to prevent osteoporosis is that you may have trouble absorbing calcium. Calcium only helps prevent osteoporosis if your digestive tract is able to absorb it. Vitamin D is critical for calcium absorption, the Mayo Clinic notes. Generally, people should get between 400 and 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day so that they can absorb calcium. You may also have poor calcium absorption if you have had part of your digestive tract removed or have other digestive disorders.
Other Causes
Just because you are getting enough calcium and absorbing it properly does not mean that you will not develop osteoporosis. There are a number of other factors which can also cause osteoporosis, such as a family history of the disease, heavy alcohol use and smoking, the National Osteoporosis Foundation notes. You can also develop osteoporosis if you do not get enough exercise or if you take certain medications, such as corticosteroids, for an extended time.
Hypercalcemia
One of the risks of taking large amounts of calcium in the hopes of preventing osteoporosis is you cna develop hypercalcemia, a condition caused by having too much calcium in the blood. Hypercalcemia is dangerous because the amount of calcium in the blood affects the way that nerves and muscles function. Symptoms of hypercalcemia include constipation, nausea, muscle twitching, memory loss, irritability and frequent thirst and urination. To avoid developing hypercalcemia, do not consume more than 2,000 mg of calcium per day.
Treatment Options
There are a number of other steps that you can take in addition to taking calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis. For example, the medications aldrendronate and risedronate have been approved for the prevention of osteoporosis, the New York State Department of Health notes. You can also take the medication calcitonin, which comes as a nasal spray or as an injection. Some women also take hormone replacement therapy, such as estrogen-releasing patches or tamoxifen to prevent osteoporosis due to menopause.
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