Issue date:
March 27-29, 1998
Calcium: Not for women only
 major but unrecognized health problem for men is the crippling bone disease osteoporosis, says Eric S. Orwoll, M.D., of Oregon Health Sciences Center in Portland. At age 60, a man has a 25 percent chance of breaking a hip or vertebra during his life, he says, and "more men die after a hip fracture than women." With age, estrogen and testosterone levels drop, making men and women vulnerable to loss of bone mass. One solution: vitamin D and calcium pills. Tufts University research recently found that taking 500 milligrams of calcium citrate malate and 700 IU of vitamin D daily increased bone mass and cut fracture rates in men by half -- the same as in women. (Vitamin D helps calcium absorption.)
News flash:
During puberty, boys and girls need more calcium. At peak growth (about 11 for girls, 13 for boys) boys need 1,355mg a day; girls, 1,005mg.Contrary to common opinion, calcium supplements (300-1,000mg daily) tend to prevent, not promote, kidney stones, say University of Wyoming researchers.A luscious chicken recipe
Fruity Chicken Curry Salad 2 cups cooked chicken in bite-size pieces
1 20-ounce can chunk pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tsps. good-quality curry powder
Salt and pepper, to taste Combine all. Serves 4. Per serving: 224 calories, 22g protein, 22g carbohydrates, 5.4g fat (1.4g saturated), 87mg sodium, 57mg calcium.
SCIENTIFIC SOURCES FOR THIS COLUMN (3/29/98)
-- Puberty/calcium
Martin A. Bailey. Am J Clin N 66(3): 611-615, 1997
-- Kidney stones/calcium
Liebman M. Am J Clin Nutr 65:1453-9, May 1997
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