Are You Taking Too Much Calcium?

Supplements may raise heart attack risk, but calcium from food doesn't

by: Michael Haederle, from: AARP Bulletin, July 11, 2012

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Reid says the case for preventing osteoporosis with calcium supplements is overblown — it only decreases fracture risk by about 10 percent. He counsels his own patients to boost their calcium intake from dietary sources. "There are a number of food sources that are acceptable to the majority of people," he says. In addition to dairy products, foods like broccoli, spinach, nuts and tofu are rich in calcium.

"A decade ago the enthusiasts were saying people should have 1,500 milligrams of calcium a day," Reid says. A "more sensible target" is probably 600 to 800 milligrams per day, he says. "The majority of elderly people can probably achieve that."

Michael Haederle is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in People, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

Also of interest: When supplements become dangerous.

Foods High in Calcium

Dairy foods

Plain low-fat yogurt, 8 ounces (415 mg)
Cheddar cheese, 1.5 ounces (306 mg)
Nonfat milk, 8 ounces (302 mg)
Mozzarella, part skim, 1.5 ounces (275 mg)
Fruit low-fat yogurt, 8 ounces (245-384 mg)
Cottage cheese, 1 percent fat, 1 cup (138 mg)
Chocolate instant pudding, low-fat, 1/2 cup (153 mg)

Nondairy foods

Sardines, canned in oil, 3 ounces (325 mg)
Tofu, firm, made with calcium sulfate, 1/2 cup (253 mg)
Salmon, pink, canned, with bones, 3 ounces (181 mg)
Collards, cooked, 1/2 cup (178 mg)
Spinach, cooked, 1/2 cup (146 mg)
Soybeans, green, cooked, 1/2 cup (130 mg)
Turnip greens, cooked, 1/2 cup (124 mg)

Additional sources of calcium:

Molasses, blackstrap, 1 tablespoon (172 mg)
Trail mix, chocolate chips, salted nuts and seeds, 1 cup (159 mg)
Trout, farmed, cooked, 3 ounces (73 mg)
Almonds, 1 ounce, about 23 nuts (70 mg)
Egg, one large, scrambled (43 mg)
Blackberries, 1 cup (46 mg)
Potato, one baked, with skin (30 mg)
Peanuts, 1 ounce, roasted (25 mg)

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