For women, ten to twenty years before menopause, a slow decrease in bone density begins, and during menopause, a great loss of bone mass occurs. After age 65, there's also a large decline in calcium absorption for women and men. Although milk is one of the most efficient ways of getting calcium, it's not the only way. 32 One thing to consider when taking in calcium is its absorbency rate. Calcium requires an acid environment to be absorbed efficiently.
Young people tend to absorb calcium better than older people.
Other factors that limit calcium absorption include large amounts of dietary fiber from grains in your diet, excess amounts of magnesium or phosphorus in the diet, tannins in tea, and diarrhea. Also avoid or minimize certain foods and activities that rob the body of calcium, such as high protein diets, salt, caffeine, nicotine, and aluminum containing antacids. Many factors influence the rate at which bone density loss occurs, including heredity, hormones, diet, exercise, smoking, and kidney performance. You have no control over your heredity, but you can strengthen yourself by maintaining discipline over all the other risk factors of osteoporosis. Exercising builds and maintains strength, and enhances greater mobility, reflexes, and muscle pad.