P>For the first time since the Recommended Dietary Allowances
were published
in 1941, the requirements for calcium have been increased.

“Osteoporosis has become a major public health concern,” said
Gail
Hanula, an Extension
Service nutrition
specialist with the University of
Georgia
College of Family and Consumer
Sciences.

“Research shows that calcium intake should be increased to
keep our
bones strong,” she said. “The increase amounts to about one more
cup of
milk per day for the average adult.”

The new nutrition guidelines are no longer called RDAs. The
term now
is Dietary Reference Intakes, or DRIs.

The Institute
of Medicine recommends that most Americans consume at least
1,000 mg
of calcium per day. The DRIs, by age groups, are: 1-3 years, 500
mg; 4-8
years, 800 mg; 9-18 years, 1,300 mg; 19-50 years, 1,000 mg; and
51-plus
years, 1,200 mg.

The numbers are the same for pregnant or breast-feeding
women. “That’s
a major change in the new guidelines,” Hanula said.

Research now shows that hormonal changes cause pregnant or
breast-feeding
women to absorb more calcium from the food they eat. They appear
to regain
any calcium they lose after they stop breast-feeding.

The National
Academy of Sciences panel also set a Tolerable Upper Intake
Level (UL)
for calcium of 2,500 mg/day. “This is the highest intake that is
unlikely
to pose risks of adverse health effects in most healthy people,”
Hanula
said.

Calcium RDIs were set at levels based on peak retention of
body calcium.
Calcium-rich bones are less likely to break.

“Osteoporosis causes 1.5 million hip fractures each year in
the United
States, resulting in health care costs of $13.8 billion,” Hanula
said.

The Institute of Medicine reports that unless the typical
American diet
improves, the problem will worsen.

“The average adult consumes only 500 to 700 mg of calcium per
day,”
Hanula said. “Women, in particular, fall short. After age 11, no
age group
of females achieves even 75 percent of the calcium needed.”

To reach the RDI, eat more calcium-rich foods.

“Milk has the advantage of being fortified with Vitamin D,
which is
needed for calcium absorption,” Hanula said.

Milk products, such as yogurt and cheese, are excellent
calcium sources.
So are sardines, canned salmon with bones, leafy greens,
broccoli and calcium-fortified
foods.

Some foods, such as spinach, sweet potatoes and beans,
contain calcium,
but also have oxalic acid, which slows absorption.

“The panel also advised that calcium supplements may be
appropriate
for those at high risk of health problems because of low calcium
intake,”
Hanula said.

There’s no time like the present to start a calcium-rich diet.

“Non-alcoholic egg nog is a good source of calcium during the
holidays,”
Hanula said. “But look for lower-fat brands.”

Skim milk and 2 percent milk, she said, have just as much
calcium as
whole milk.

Start your holiday menu with a milk-based soup. Or perk up
vegetable
dishes and salads with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

“As the weather gets colder, hot cocoa is good,” Hanula
said. “Just
put some milk in a coffee mug, add chocolate syrup and
microwave. That’s
a warm, wonderful way to boost your calcium intake.”

And there’s always the Santa favorite: home-baked holiday
cookies and
a tall glass of milk.