Despite Supplement Use, Americans Still Not Getting Enough Calcium

by | Aug 11, 2011 | 2011, Calcium, Minerals, Nutritional Deficiencies

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In a very large survey, it was found that supplementation of calcium increased average intake by 3 to 15% in men by age group and 7-30% in women. Also found that all age groups averaged below the RDA without supplementation. 

Calcium still has its most important role in the body, helping maintain healthy bones. Fractures are the 12th leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting 969,000 non-institutionalized adults older than age 18 years in 2005 (4). The CDC estimates that the economic cost of fractures for people 65 and older will rise to $54.9 billion per year by 2020, up from $19 billion in 2000 (5). The Institute of Medicine’s calcium intake recommendations currently are1,000 mg/day for those 19-50 years and 1,200 mg per day for those 51 years or older (6).

Now a new study (7) has found that, despite the knowledge of calcium’s role in helping maintain healthy bones, many Americans are still not getting enough calcium. In the study, researchers analyzed data from the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (5), which compiled data from 2003- 2006 (8). The in-person interviews done during the NHANES recalled all types of foods eaten and amounts consumed in a 24-hour period.

The researchers analyzed 9,475 sets of data from the 2003-2006 NHANES and divided them by decades as shown below. The researchers noted that the total intake of calcium for men decreased by 23% progressing from the 19-30 group (942 mg per day dietary calcium) to the 81 and older group (728 mg /day). For women, there was a 14.1% decrease from the 19-30 group (686 mg per day) to the 81 or older group (589 mg per day).

When they divided the patients into those using calcium supplements and those not using supplements, they found calcium supplements to increase calcium intake by:

– 5% for men 19-30 (973 mg vs. 928 mg per day)
– 11% for men 31-40 (1030 mg vs. 923 mg per ay)
– 12% for men 41-50 (908 mg vs. 806 mg per day)
– 15% for men 51-60 (843 mg vs. 716 mg per day)
– 12% for men 61-70 (801 mg vs. 712 mg per day)
– 7% for men 71-80 (760 mg vs. 704 mg per day)
– 3% for men 81 and older (739 mg vs. 715 mg per day)

For women, there were even more striking differences, with the supplement group producing increasing calcium intake by:

– 30% for women 19-30 (840 mg vs. 592 mg per day)
– 18% for women 31-40 (806 mg vs. 659 mg per day)
– 12% for women 41-50 (700 mg vs. 619 mg per day)
– 14% for women 51-60 (700 mg vs. 601 mg per day)
– 15% for women 61-70 (671 mg vs. 572 mg per day)
– 16% for women 71-80 (673 mg vs. 569 mg per day)
– 7% for women 81 and older (603 mg vs. 565 mg per day)

For the researchers, “Although supplemental calcium use [produced higher total calcium intakes across all groups]…they were not sufficient in meeting recommended levels” and that “New approaches to increasing the frequency and level of calcium supplement use to enhance calcium [intake] may be necessary to reduce osteoporosis risk among older Americans.”

Source: Mangano, Kelsey M., et al. “Calcium intake in the United States from dietary and supplemental sources across adult age groups: new estimates from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2006.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 111.5 (2011): 687-695.

Copyright © 2011 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

References:

    1. Geneviève C. Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and fat mass loss in female very low-calcium consumers: potential link with a calcium-specific appetite control British Journal of Nutrition 2009; 101 (5):5659-663.
    2. Fedirko V. Effects of Vitamin D and Calcium on Proliferation and Differentiation In Normal Colon Mucosa: a Randomized Clinical Trial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(11):2933–41.
    3. Ettinger AS, Effect of Calcium Supplementation on Blood Lead Levels in Pregnancy: A Randomized Control Trial Environ Health Perspect 2008: doi:10.1289/ehp.11868. [Online 2 September 2008].
    4. Main cause of disability among civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. adults aged _18 years with self-reported disabilities, estimated affected population and percentages, by sex—United States, 2005. US Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation Web site.
    5. “Costs of falls in older adults” – posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
    6. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 1997.
    7. Mangano KM.  Calcium Intake in the United States from Dietary and Supplemental Sources across Adult Age Groups: New Estimates from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2006.  J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111:687-695.
    8.  USDA Automated Multiple-Pass Method for dietary recalls. US Department of Agriculture Web site.  Last revised March 24, 2010. Accessed May 10, 2009.