In 1994, at the NIH-sponsored Consensus Conference of Calcium, experts recommend the following daily calcium intakes:

Unfortunately, little improvement has been made in the 10 years since the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published its Consensus Development Conference Statement on Optimal Calcium Intake. The consensus panel concluded that a large percentage of Americans failed to meet recommended guidelines for calcium intake.

This trend has continued, as demonstrated in the NHANES data on dietary intake of selected minerals 1999-2000. The data indicate that for women aged 40-59, the average dietary intake of calcium is 744 mg, which falls short of the Dietary Reference Intake for women, aged 31-50 (1,000 mg). For women aged 60 years and older the average intake is 660 mg … only about half of the Dietary Reference Intake for women aged 50 years and older (1,200 mg).

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that fewer than 25 percent of adult Americans are meeting their current calcium recommendations. It is estimated that over $12 million could be saved every year in osteoporosis-related health costs for every additional 1% of the population that begins taking a calcium supplement.