Bone Loss Prevention with Calcium Guidelines for Men, Women

Calcium is crucial for preventing bone loss for women and men. Don't wait for menopause to take good care of your bones; and men, don't wait till you're 70, either. Women in their 20s and 30s should begin focusing on bone health. However, both men and women over 50 years are subject to brittle bone disease, and the mineral calcium should be part of bone loss prevention.

I'm a certified personal trainer, and in addition to calcium, weight-bearing exercise is critical for preventing loss of bone. Believe it or not, men experience about 20 percent of all bone fractures, due to de-mineralization. So pay attention to some very crucial and fundamental facts on what your skeleton needs from you.

We've been told repeatedly that weight-bearing exercise is essential for maintaining good bone mass. The tug and pull of muscles, along with gravitational forces on the bones during a workout, force them to produce new bone cells. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk with rigor for 50 minutes, four times per week, can upgrade their spinal bone density.

By the mid-20s, all the bone mass that will ever be produced is already in place, though some research indicates that this maximum bone mass is achieved in the early 30s. This is your baseline and highest level of bone fitness; you can only go downhill from this point.

Since caffeine and sugar rob the bones of calcium, it is so important for young people to eat fewer refined foods, drink little or no soda at all, and avoid caffeine. Sticking to a balanced diet that supplies numerous servings of high calcium foods daily is crucial.

Here are some guidelines for how much calcium a person needs.

1) Teens and young adults up to the age of 24, and both males and females, require 1,200 to 1,500 mg of calcium every day.

2) Men and women between 25 and 50 need 1,000 mg of this mineral every day.

3) Men 51-64 need 1,000 mg of the mineral daily, while women in this same age bracket need 1,500 mg.

4) Both genders over age 64 need 1,500 mg daily of this very important mineral.

And do not forget the magnesium, another mineral. This crucial mineral is needed for efficient calcium absorption. For however much calcium you need, you need half the amount of magnesium. This is why if you buy calcium supplements, make sure it is a calcium-magnesium combo. It will say this on the bottle.

People need 400 to 800 IUs daily of vitamin D, also important for bone loss prevention, though some medical experts believe that the dose should be higher. Check with your doctor about this, as well as a vitamin D test to see how much is in your body.

Other minerals are also important in preventing bone loss: boron, manganese, silica, copper and zinc, but in small amounts. Sources of calcium include: all dairy products, fortified cereals, and broccoli. Meal replacement bars and drinks also contain calcium, and often magnesium.