What foods increase the percentage of calcium in the body?

Calcium is a mineral the body needs so bones stay strong, muscles squeeze, nerves send signals, blood pressure stays steady and cells talk to one another. Roughly 99 of every 100 calcium units sit in bones and teeth - the leftover 1 unit floats in blood plus soft tissues. Pills supply calcium - yet new work shows food gives the mineral in a form the gut takes up better.

Bones renew themselves for life. Until about age thirty the body adds more bone than it removes - after that point it removes more than it adds - bones thin and the chance of osteoporosis rises. Enough calcium slows the loss - the mineral helps both guard against and treat osteoporosis but also its milder form, osteopenia. Calcium also keeps the heartbeat steady, helps vessels tighten and loosen to control pressure and cuts kidney stone risk by binding oxalate in food so less oxalate enters the blood.

Vitamin D lets the gut pull calcium into the blood as well as keeps the blood level steady. Eggs and dairy with added vitamin D give both nutrients in one package.

The richest food sources are plain milk, cheese and yogurt, all of which the body absorbs with ease. Additional sources include grains with added calcium, canned salmon (which also carries vitamin D), beans, dried figs, dark greens such as cooked cabbage or spinach and whey protein, one of the densest sources of all.

Some people need pills - those who avoid dairy, react to lactose, eat large amounts of protein or salt, carry an osteoporosis diagnosis, take steroid drugs for months or have bowel trouble that blocks mineral uptake. Even so, advisers urge people to take at least half of the day's calcium from food to gain the fullest benefit.