Before you approach menopause, your need for calcium is not as high as after menopause. This does not mean, however, that your calcium intake is not important. Your calcium intake is highly influential on the health of your bones. Your skeletal system is always changing -- bones break down and reform constantly. Until you reach your peak bone mass, your bones increasingly get harder, but after a certain age your bones begin getting weaker. It is at this time that the break down of bone exceeds the build up. Getting the calcium you need before menopause prepares your bones for these life changing events.
Calcium Recommendations
The average age that menopause begins is 51, calcium recommendations are given according to this age. However, if menopause begins earlier than this for you, it is a good idea to increase your calcium intake after menopause has begun. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that women 50 and younger take in 1,000 mg of calcium each day. For those older than the age of 50, consume 1,200 mg per day.
Importance of Calcium
Calcium plays a part in everything from your heart rate to the health of your teeth and bones. Your bones store most of the calcium your body needs, but when blood calcium runs low, it is transported out of the bone to where it is needed. Inside and outside of the cells, calcium works to regulate nerve impulses, maintain blood pressure, aid in blood clotting, help with cardiac and skeletal contractions and with the secretion of hormones, neurotransmitters and enzymes.
Bone Density
One of the most important reasons to get enough calcium before menopause is to increase your bone density. If the other parts of your body are not equipped with the calcium they need, your bones are sacrificed. Getting the calcium your body needs assures that your bones reach a high peak bone mass, which occurs around the age of 30. After this happens, you begin losing bone. Once you go through menopause, a reduction in the production of estrogen affects your bone mass even more. The amount of calcium you get before menopause can set you up for good or bad bone health as you age.
Sources of Calcium
An average healthy and well-balanced diet is rich in sources of calcium. Most people think of calcium only existing in dairy products, but it can also be found in some vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates. A cup of milk contains about 300 mg of calcium and cheese has 306 mg per ounce. Broccoli contains about 100 g for a cup and turnip greens have around 200 mg in 1 cup. Tofu or soybeans, and black eyed peas contain about 100 mg for a 1/2-serving. Sardines, if eaten with the bone, contain about 324 mg for a 3-oz. serving.
References
- National Osteoporosis Foundation; Calcium: What You Should Know; 2010
- National Institute on Aging: Age Page: Menopause; April 20, 2010
- "Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies"; Francis Sizer and Eleanor Whitney; 2004.
