Although women experience osteoporosis at a greater rate than men, men need to observe daily calcium recommendations to prevent broken bones. Especially if you have an active lifestyle or a slender body type, strengthening your bones nutritionally can preserve your health. Fractures associated with a loss of bone density are more common in men over 50. However, low childhood or lifetime calcium intake can cause bone loss and fractures earlier. Improving your calcium consumption now can prevent pain and illness down the road.
Calcium Use
Males build 90 percent of their bone mass by about age 20 and store calcium mainly in bone tissue. In adulthood, bones are continually remodeled, a process in which old bone cells are replaced by new cells built with the help of dietary calcium. If you don't consume enough calcium daily, your body draws stored calcium from your bones, and you suffer a loss of mineral density that cannot be restored. Adequate calcium intake is critical to your health as you advance in age.
Calcium Intake
The average man consumes only about 50 percent of the recommended allowance of dietary calcium, putting the majority of men at risk for osteoporosis. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, all adult men should take in 1,200 mg of calcium per day to stave off bone loss. If you don't drink milk, try incorporating it into your diet with low-fat or nonfat varieties. Three cups of milk, yogurt or the equivalent of other calcium-rich foods will provide the recommended mineral amount. Additional sources include cheese, fortified orange juice, tofu, almonds and salmon and sardines canned with their edible bones. Taking a mineral supplement can help you make up for any calcium shortfall in your diet, but always discuss supplements with your doctor before you start taking them.
Additional Needs
Your body needs a source of vitamin D to absorb calcium. For this reason, most brands of milk and some yogurt are fortified with vitamin D. Vitamin D recommendations vary; the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests that men over 18 consume 600 international units per day, while the National Osteoporosis Foundation bumps up that amount to 800 IU or more for men ages 50 and up. Your body makes some vitamin D with the help of sunlight exposure and the rest can come from foods such as enriched milk products, egg yolks, saltwater fish, liver or from dietary supplements.
Significance
Around 1 in 5 men will develop osteoporosis in their lifetime and 1 in 4 will suffer a related bone fracture. Fractures to spinal vertebrae or hips can be debilitating and degrade men's quality of life, sending many into nursing home care. Adequate calcium intake can prevent broken bones and the subsequent death that occurs within a year of injury in far more male than female hip fracture patients.
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