If you smoke, quit. If you drink alcohol, drink moderately. In fact, studies indicate we probably only get about half of what our bodies need. In addition, adults also need somewhere between 400 and 800 international units, or IU, of vitamin D each day. Vitamin D is the key that unlocks the door that allows calcium to leave the intestine and enter the bloodstream.
Exercise goes hand in hand with diet in the battle against osteoporosis.
Calcium builds bones but exercise makes bone stronger and denser. Since osteoporosis is a silent disease, the best way to diagnose it prior to a fracture is with a special test called a bone mass measurement, or bone mineral density test. There are several methods and machines that measure bone mineral density. They're all safe, painless, noninvasive and becoming more readily available. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration approved tests to measure bone density in the middle finger, heel or shinbone.