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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
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| Lifestage Group | DRI (mg/day) |
| 1-3 years | 500 mg |
| 4-8 years | 800 mg |
| 9-18 years | 1,300 mg |
| 19 - 50 years | 1,000 mg |
| 51+ years | 1,200 mg |
Pregnant or breastfeeding women less than 18 years of age 1,300 mg/day
Pregnant or breastfeeding women 19-50 years of age 1,000 mg/day
These recommendations are for total intake through diet and supplement, and not just one or the other.
Each cup of milk provides 300 mg of calcium. So 1,000 mg. = approximately 3 1/3 cups of milk per day (the new National Dairy Council slogan is "Drink 3 for the calcium you need.")
According to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Dietetic Association "the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for calcium is 2,500 mg/day. This is the maximum intake that is unlikely to pose risks of adverse health effects in almost all healthy individuals in a specified group. There is no established benefit for individuals to aim for the UL, or levels well above the daily goal. The need for setting ULs grew out of the increase in the practice of fortifying food with nutrients and in the use of dietary supplements by more people and in larger doses."
Healthy foods that are rich in calcium include:
These foods are rich in calcium, include them in your diet. If you don't receive enough calcium in your diet, check with your doctor about taking a calcium supplement.
To absorb calcium, your body needs vitamin D. Most people get enough vitamin D just from being out in the sun for a short while every day, but you can also get this vitamin from cereal and milk fortified with vitamin D, or supplements. Most multivitamins contain 400 IU of vitamin D. Experts are discussing whether the vitamin D recommended level should be raised. Women over 70 should take 600 IU of vitamin D per day.
For more information on calcium supplements, see the Frequently Asked Questions article, "How do I know what kind of calcium supplement to take?"
The development of this topic was funded in part by the Ohio Department of Health.
Last Reviewed: Apr 13, 2006
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Margery Gass, MD Professor, Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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Thomas A deHoop, MD Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology Director, Medical Student Education Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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Jane Korsberg, MS, RD, LD Senior Instructor Department of Nutrition School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University |
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