ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes why older women need calcium and vitamin D, how much they should have in their diet each day, and shows how to assist them in the selection of foods to meet those recommendations. A habitually low calcium intake has been implicated in the development of osteoporosis, a thinning of the bones that greatly increases the chance of fracture. Dairy foods are the most common dietary sources of calcium. The primary functions of Vitamin D are to aid the absorption of calcium from the intestinal tract, regulate urinary calcium excretion from the kidney, and control the rate at which calcium moves between the bloodstream and the bones. A deficiency of vitamin D will result in abnormal calcification of the bones. Attainment of peak bone mass requires adequate intake of calcium and intake or endogenous production of vitamin D in childhood and early adulthood.
