But it's not clear how those findings apply to a woman sitting in her doctor's office, says Heidi Nelson, an assistant professor of medicine and medical informatics at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. So opinions are varied as to who should have densitometry, Nelson says. You'll probably get different answers from everybody you ask. But Bess Dawson-Hughes, coordinator of the National Research Center on Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases at Tufts University, says she doubts that the average American diet contains even half the recommended amount. In reality, many people will need supplementary sources.
Calcium supplements come in more forms than ever.
Orange juice, frozen yogurt, breakfast cereal, candy and even milk now contain added calcium. Sadly, Dawson-Hughes notes, calcium intake is declining most dramatically in girls 9 to 11 years old . They're abandoning milk for soft drinks. She says it's never too late to benefit from more calcium . In 1997, her lab reported that men and women 65 and older who took calcium supplements were less likely to suffer fractures than those on a placebo.