This condition is called Osteoporosis. Approximately twenty million American women have some degree of osteoporosis and the disease affects one third to one half of postmenopausal women. W e all need calcium throughout our lives. What changes is the amount of calcium we need throughout our lives. We need the most calcium when our bodies are growing.
Recent research indicates that the best time to build bone mass is during adolescents.
Teens that consume adequate amounts of calcium have the best chance to avoid or delay getting osteoporosis later in life. Many teenager girls are more concerned with their weight and how they look. Coming down with osteoporosis 50 years from now is not a concern for this age group. M enopause is also a turning point for calcium. Bone loss increases rapidly after menopause and can contribute to osteoporosis.