Calcium Intake of College-Aged Females

An abstract of a study by Austin and Steiber determining whether college females are achieving the adequate intake (AI) for calcium using a modified RAM is presented. For this population, the AI is 1,000mg Ca/day, and previous studies have shown that this recommendation is seldom met. Results show that 76.9% of participants consume adequate calcium through food alone, and 8.8% of participants achieve the AI for calcium through supplements and food. Overall, 85.7% of subjects met Ca recommendations. These results suggest that supplements and fortified foods contribute to a female's calcium intake.