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Educate your patients on the importance of 3-A-Day of Dairy: Here's
a great
tool (PDF: 618k) to show families how to get their 3-A-Day of Dairy
every day for stronger bones.
Developed in conjunction with The American Academy of Family
Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Dietetic
Association, and The National Medical Association.
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Dairy Council Digest Archives
Calcium-fortified Foods: Is There a Reason for Concern?
Introduction
Americans' low calcium intake has reached a crisis level (1-4). The wide gap between calcium recommendations (5) and low calcium consumption (6,7) among several segments of the population is particularly troublesome given calcium's importance to health. Accumulating scientific evidence supports calcium's beneficial role in reducing the risk for a variety of chronic diseases of considerable morbidity, and economic burden (8,9).
Food is the first priority in meeting calcium needs, according to many health professional organizations and medical experts.
(1-4,9-14). The American Dietetic Association, in a recent position, states that "the best nutritional strategy for promoting optimal health and reducing the risk of chronic disease is to wisely choose a wide variety of foods"(13). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Panel on Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy states that "the preferred source of calcium is calcium-rich foods, such as dairy foods" (3). Likewise, the NIH Expert Panel on Optimal Calcium Intake (10) and the American Medical Association (12) recommend that calcium be obtained primarily from natural foods, particularly dairy products. Milk and other dairy foods are the major source of calcium, providing 72% of the calcium available in the U.S. food supply (15). Low consumption of milk and other dairy foods is largely responsible for Americans' low calcium intakes (16).
For individuals who have difficulty meeting their calcium needs from foods naturally containing calcium, such as dairy foods, calcium-fortified foods and calcium supplements are options to help optimize calcium intake (3,10). In response to the nation's critical shortfall in calcium consumption, a plethora of calcium-fortified food products and beverages have appeared on supermarket shelves (17-22). Although calcium-fortified foods and beverages can help individuals meet their calcium needs, their indiscriminate use, especially at the expense of foods and beverages naturally containing calcium, is of concern (17-22). Many food manufacturers are fortifying their products with high levels of calcium to gain a market advantage without
Health professional organizations and medical experts recognize food, such asmilk and other dairy products, as the first priority in meeting calciumneeds.
considering the consequences for the population as a whole. With so many calcium-fortified foods and beverages now available, some individuals may exceed the safety limit or the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)' "Tolerable Upper Intake Level" (UL) of 2,500mg calcium/day(5).
This Digest reviews concerns related tothe increased availability and indiscriminate use of calcium-fortified foods, as well as the benefits of meeting calcium recommendations from foods naturally containing this mineral.
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