Around the Mediterranean, calcium has traditionally come from cheese and yoghurt made from goat's milk. There is a widespread misconception that calcium is only important for growing children. It is vital for children to get enough calcium from their diet for proper bone growth, but bones are not static. At all ages, we need calcium in the blood for nerves and muscles to function properly. The body maintains this calcium level by drawing on calcium from the bones.
Calcium goes into and out of the bones throughout life.
Constantly drawing on the bones as a calcium bank, without making new calcium deposits, means bones can become porous and lose strength, eventually breaking under the impact of a slight fall. During pregnancy and lactation, an infant also takes a lot of calcium from the mother. Bone strength also depends on weight-bearing exercise and adequate hormone levels. The drop in women's hormone levels at menopause causes a loss of calcium from bones. Although calcium is important throughout life, childhood and the teenage years are prime times to increase density of bones.