Women lose about 3% of their bone mass each year during menopause<\/a> and for roughly five years after their last period, as estrogen levels drop.\u00a0<\/p>\n After that, bone loss continues at about 1% per year. Men also lose bone steadily, starting around age 50, at about 1% per year.<\/p>\n Weaker bones are more likely to break during a fall. And without enough vitamin D, muscle strength and balance can suffer, raising fall risk even more.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s one reason hip fractures rise sharply in people in their 70s and 80s, Dawson-Hughes explained.<\/p>\n Still, taking more supplements isn\u2019t always better, especially later in life.<\/p>\n If calcium intake gets too high, you\u2019re setting yourself up for kidney stones, Dawson-Hughes explained in a news release.<\/p>\n Vitamin D also has limits. Studies show that people with low vitamin D levels can benefit from supplements, with fewer falls.\u00a0<\/p>\n But as doses increase, those benefits plateau and may even decline, Dawson-Hughes said. Older adults with very high blood levels of vitamin D had higher risks of falls and fractures, she added.<\/p>\n Vitamin D may affect other systems in the body, including immunity and diabetes risk, “but additional research is needed to translate these findings into clinical practice,” Dawson-Hughes said.<\/p>\n The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine notes that:<\/p>\n Women 51 and older and men 71 and older need 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day.<\/p>\n Men 51 to 70 need 1,000 milligrams of calcium.<\/p>\n Adults 51 to 70 need 15 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D daily.<\/p>\n Adults over 70 need 20 mcg of vitamin D.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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