Calcium is a mineral your body needs to build and maintain strong bones.* Your body can store calcium, but it can’t produce it. That’s why you must get the calcium you need from foods, beverages, and dietary supplements.

If your body lacks sufficient calcium over many years, you could face health problems related to weaker bones:
• Children may not reach their full potential adult height.
• Adults may have more bone fractures.
• The risk of osteoporosis increases.

Calcium absorption is highest during periods of intense growth, such as childhood and pregnancy, when rapidly growing bones have the highest demand for the mineral. With the exception of pregnancy, calcium absorption starts decreasing during adulthood and continues to decrease after menopause, when estrogen production declines. A lack of estrogen leads to more bone breakdown and less calcium absorption from foods and dietary supplements. This is why RDA for calcium consumption increases for women at age 51, the time menopause typically starts.