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Calcium Supplements Do Not Replace Bone Mineral Lost Through Breastfeeding

A recent study conducted by the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati suggests that calcium supplements do not prevent bone loss in nursing women and are only slightly effective in replacing lost bone after women have finished breastfeeding. In the study, women who took calcium supplements regained bone density at approximately the same rate as women who took placebos. Dr. Heidi Kalkwarf, lead author of the study, reports that “these findings challenge the long held belief that calcium requirements are increased in breastfeeding women.” The recommended dietary allowance for breastfeeding women has been reduced to the recommended dietary allowance for all women: 1,000 mg a day for women between 19 and 30.

Sources:

Reuters - August 22, 1997

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