The NIH Consensus Conference recommended calcium intakes are:.

• 800 mg per day for children 3 to 8
• 1,300 mg per day for children 9 to 17
• 1,000 to 1,500 mg per day for adults

Currently, only 25 percent of boys and 10 percent of girls ages 9 to 17 meet the NIH recommendation. Only 50 to 60 percent of older adults consume the amount of calcium recommended by NIH. The upper end of the NIH recommendation for adults is somewhat higher than the most recent calcium recommendations of the Food and Nutrition Board, published in 1997.

Panelist William Russell, M.D., Vanderbilt University Medical Center, pointed out during the discussion that "dietary supplements can be taken to achieve adequate intake of nutrients if dietary intake is lacking."

Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue. These events lead to bone fragility and increased risk of fracture, especially of the hip, spine and wrist. More than 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and 18 million have low bone mass.

The task of the consensus panel, made up of members outside of NIH, was to identify factors involved in building and maintaining skeletal health throughout life, comment on the optimal evaluation and treatment of osteoporosis, determine whether risk factors vary among different segments of the population, and identify directions for future research.

The report of the consensus panel recognized that clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of calcium supplements in increasing spine bone mineral density, and that both calcium and vitamin D supplements reduce fractures in the elderly. The reports also points out that the effect of various drug therapies for the treatment of osteoporosis was achieved in the presence of calcium and vitamin D supplements.

The full consensus statement on osteoporosis will be available on Thursday, March 30 on the NIH Consensus Development Program website: http://consensus.nih.gov or by calling 1-888-644-2667.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) is a science-based, trade association founded in 1973 and represents more than 100 companies in the dietary supplement industry, including ingredient suppliers and manufacturers. CRN members adhere to a strong code of ethics, comply with dosage limits and manufacture dietary supplements to high quality standards under good manufacturing practices.