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Dairy Council Digest Archives
Calcium-fortified Foods: Is There a Reason for Concern?
Summary
Concerns related to the plethora of calcium-fortified foods and beverages in the marketplace include the following:
- Use of calcium-fortified foods does not correct the poor dietary patterns of food selection, which are largely responsible for Americans' low calcium intake. Many calcium-fortified foods and beverages such as juices, spreads/margarines, snack foods, and water are not nutritionally equivalent to milk and other dairy foods, which are naturally rich in calcium. Also, some people may mistakenly believe that intake of calcium-fortified foods ensures a nutritionally adequate diet.
- The increased availability of calcium-fortified foods, many of which contain high levels of calcium, makes it relatively easy to exceed the safety limit or the National Academy of Sciences' "Tolerable Upper Intake Level" of 2,500mg calcium/day. This is particularly true for groups not at risk for calcium deficiency, such as adolescent and young adult males who already meet or are close to meeting their calcium recommendations.
- Other concerns associated with some calcium-fortified foods and beverages relate to unknown calcium bioavailability and potential negative effects of excessively high calcium diets on other nutrients such as iron, zinc, and magnesium.
The health professional community overwhelmingly agrees that food, especially food naturally containing calcium, is the first priority in meeting calcium needs. Foods naturally containing calcium provide many other essential nutrients, as well as possibly other health-promoting components, in addition to calcium. Milk and other dairy foods are recognizedas among the best sources of naturally occurring calcium due to their high calcium content, high calcium bioavailability, and low cost relative to their nutritional value.
For individuals who avoid or limit foods naturally rich in calcium, such as milk and other dairy foods, calcium-fortified foods and/or calcium supplements can be consumed to achieve adequate calcium intake. Calcium-fortified foods and calcium supplements are a supplement to, not a substitute for, foods naturally containing calcium.
Educating the public about how to best meet calcium needs is of high importance. The public needs to understand how to evaluate the nutritional adequacy of their diets using food labels, how to improve their intake of foods naturally containing calcium, and, if necessary, how to use calcium-fortified foods (and/or calcium supplements) to help close the calcium gap without risk of calcium toxicity or other adverse health effects.
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