Calcium deficiency is increasingly common among younger women, say doctors at The Mayo Clinic.

If you aren't getting enough calcium from your diet, then you need to have a calcium supplement, whatever your age. Often, it's at menopause that women first start to lack calcium, say experts at The Mayo Clinic. But calcium deficiency is now seen, increasingly, among younger women.

Calcium requirements vary with age, so check with your doctor how much you need and whether a supplement might be necessary. Food can supply all the calcium you need if you eat the right diet. For instance, a bowl of calcium supplemented cereal with milk may provide up to 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day. Other good sources are dairy products of all kinds, vegetables like broccoli and spinach, brussels sprouts and kale, tofu, calcium-enriched juices, cereals, breads and canned fish, such as salmon.

Source

Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource June 2003