Health
Winter Calls for Calcium Boost
Winter means it's time for postmenopausal women to hit the bottle hard -- the milk bottle, that is. Or, they can turn to calcium supplements.
Postmenopausal women who are not getting out in the sunlight on a regular basis need to increase their calcium supply to help avoid bone loss, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The report says 1,000 milligrams a day should be the minimum daily calcium intake -- about what's available in four glasses of milk. Sunlight helps the body synthesize vitamin D, which helps the system absorb calcium. In a test of some 60 women living through two winters in rural Maine, the scientists found the extra calcium helped prevent bone loss, even without any increase in vitamin D.
Using x-rays of the women's femur bones to check density loss, the study found palpable loss in women who took a placebo, but none in women who drank the milk and even a slight increase in density in women who took supplements.
Postmenopausal women who are not getting out in the sunlight on a regular basis need to increase their calcium supply to help avoid bone loss, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The report says 1,000 milligrams a day should be the minimum daily calcium intake -- about what's available in four glasses of milk. Sunlight helps the body synthesize vitamin D, which helps the system absorb calcium. In a test of some 60 women living through two winters in rural Maine, the scientists found the extra calcium helped prevent bone loss, even without any increase in vitamin D.
Using x-rays of the women's femur bones to check density loss, the study found palpable loss in women who took a placebo, but none in women who drank the milk and even a slight increase in density in women who took supplements.
