For adults ages 25 to 50, the daily amount of calcium was increased from 800 to 1,000 milligrams, and for seniors ages 51 plus, the recommended amount of calcium was increase by 50 percent from 800 to 1,200 milligrams per day. Simply by adding one more glass of milk and a cup of yogurt each day, men and women would get the calcium they need, and with 30 minutes of exercise, we could drastically reduce the number of broken bones due to osteoporosis in this country. One in two women and one in eight men will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime, most of which could be prevented. Average calcium consumption for Americans has declined from 840 milligrams per day in 1977 to only 634 milligrams per day in 1992, according to Yoplait and Colombo calcium consumption studies. Young women ages 15 to 18 need more calcium than any other group, yet their consumption is 602 milligrams a day.
Osteoporosis is the most devastating disease relating to poor calcium intake.
Yet, the risk of developing the disease can be drastically reduced. Nearly 28 million Americans currently have osteoporosis or low bone mass, but within 20 years more than 41 million Americans will be affected if trends are not reversed, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. One in two women and one in eight men have a lifetime risk of suffering a fracture due to osteoporosis. About 40,000 women die each year from complications attributable to osteoporotic fractures, according to the foundation. A woman's risk of hip fracture is equal to the combined risk of developing breast, uterine and ovarian cancer.