Calcium Summary You have more calcium in your body than any other mineral. Calcium has many important jobs. The body stores more than 99 percent of its calcium in the bones and teeth to help make and keep them strong. The rest is throughout the body in blood, muscle and the fluid between cells. Your body needs calcium to help muscles and blood vessels contract and expand, to secrete hormones and enzymes and to send messages through the nervous system. It is important to get plenty of calcium in the foods you eat. Foods rich in calcium include Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt Leafy, green vegetables Fish with soft bones that you eat, such as canned sardines and salmon Calcium-enriched foods such as breakfast cereals, fruit juices, soy and rice drinks, and tofu. Check the product labels. The exact amount of calcium you need depends on your age and other factors. Growing children and teenagers need more calcium than young adults. Older women need plenty of calcium to prevent osteoporosis. People who do not eat enough high-calcium foods should take a calcium supplement. NIH: National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements NIH Office of Dietary Supplements Teenagers Calcium Nemours Foundation For Strong Bones…For Lifelong Health…Milk Matters! National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Start Here Calcium National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements Calcium and Vitamin D National Osteoporosis Foundation Calcium Content of Common Foods International Osteoporosis Foundation Get Enough Calcium Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference – Find Nutrient Value of Common Foods by Nutrient Department of Agriculture Encyclopedia Calcium – ionized Calcium – urine Calcium blood test Hypocalcemia – infants Related Issues Calcium and Calcium Supplements: Achieving the Right Balance Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Calcium and Vitamin D: Important at Every Age National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Calcium Supplements: A Risk Factor for Heart Attack? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Dairy Dilemma: Are You Getting Enough Calcium? National Institutes of Health Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation to Prevent Fractures U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Vitamin D, Calcium, and Bone Health Hormone Health Network Children Calcium and Your Child Nemours Foundation Children’s Bone Health and Calcium National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Osteoporosis Nemours Foundation Health Check Tools Calcium Calculator International Osteoporosis Foundation Array Calcium in diet Calcium supplements Calcium, vitamin D, and your bones Hypercalcemia Hypercalcemia – discharge Men Calcium Supplements: Do Men Need Them Too? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Diagnosis and Tests Calcium Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Calcium, Dietary National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypercalcemia National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypocalcemia National Institutes of Health Find an Expert Food and Nutrition Information Center Food and Nutrition Information Center National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements Genetics Genetics Home Reference: autosomal dominant hypocalcemia National Library of Medicine Specifics High Blood Calcium (Hypercalcemia) Hormone Health Network Hypercalcemia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Statistics and Research Low-fat Milk Consumption among Children and Adolescents in the United States, 2007-2008 National Center for Health Statistics Journal Articles Calcium metabolism disorders Dietary calcium
