Abstract:
1. Introduction The question of what calcium intake is optimal for bone health has been a vexed one since the 1960s (reviewed in Reid et al. [1]). At that time, intakes of 400–500 mg/day were regarded as being adequate in older adults. Subsequently, this was further explored using calcium balance studies. Those of Heaney, in particular, indicated that a daily calcium intake of 1.5 g in postmenopausal women could achieve calcium balance, suggesting a complete prevention of postmenopausal bone loss was possible with this intervention alone [2]. Since most postmenopausal women had difficulty achieving this intake from an unmodified diet, the use of calcium supplements became widespread. More recently, the safety of these supplements has been questioned.