Everything you need to know about bone health

How to choose a supplement
Not all calcium supplements are created equal. They vary according to the kind of calcium they contain, the amount of elemental (absorbable) calcium provided, and whether or not they have added minerals or vitamins (such as vitamin D). The two most common calcium supplements are:

Calcium carbonate
Pros: It's less expensive, and you don't need to take as many pills to achieve your daily calcium requirement.
Cons: Some people have a hard time absorbing this supplement if they have low acid levels in their stomachs. It can also cause constipation.

Calcium citrate
Pros: This calcium is easily absorbed and can be taken by anybody.
Cons: It's more expensive, and you will have to take more pills in order to absorb your daily calcium requirement.

Cautions:
• Be careful not to take too much of any calcium supplement.
• Don't take supplements that provide more than 500 milligrams of elemental calcium at once.
• Don't exceed 2,500 mg per day, as this could interfere with other vitamins and minerals, impair kidney function or interfere with other medication.

When choosing a supplement, be sure to also consider the following:
• Medications you're taking that might interfere with absorption
• Your age
• Your vitamin D level
• Your pregnancy status

Before you start taking calcium supplements, it’s a good idea to speak with your doctor about which one is best for you.

- by Lyndsie Bourgon

Running for my life: Julie Beun-Chown's story
"I want you to have a bone density scan."

I cocked an eyebrow and stared at my doctor, Joginder Saini. She couldn't be talking to me. “It's nothing to worry about," she murmured. "It's routine – at your age."

Ouch. I expected to hear those words, but not for another 20 or so years. Not at just 40 years old.

Sure, the array of medical tests I'm supposed to get during my annual checkup has grown steadily over the years and now reads like a medical grocery list. But such things as mammograms and bone scans still seemed too distant.

Saini had cause to order this new test, though. Turns out, there are disadvantages to being petite, only moderately active and having a family history checkered with hunched backs.

I'm about five foot four and weigh 115 pounds, making my body mass index 19.5 – at the low end of normal. One of the key ways to ward off osteoporosis is to do weight-bearing exercises, and despite having loads of energy, I had never been a fixture at the gym. What’s worse, I smoked during high school. It didn't last long, but apparently it was long enough to cause collateral damage.

With all these risk factors, my doctor decided to get me checked out. The scan itself was painless; the results were shocking. According to Saini, my bone density is in the lower 25 per cent of women my age. If I stayed on my current trajectory, my bones would resemble King Tut’s by the time I hit 65.

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