Pritikin Video turns into Calcium Research

I came across this 1982 video about Nathan Pritikin. He is the man that Dr. Michael Greger credits for saving his grandmother’s life who had end stage heart disease at the time. I wanted to understand how this man thought. However, at minute thirty-eight, he began to talk about calcium requirements in United States were double that of the World Health Organization. He blamed the National Dairy Association for the high calcium daily amount.

When I hear claims like these, I like to investigate. Currently, the recommended daily intake of calcium is 1000 mg for adults between the ages of 19-50 years old. Over 50, the calcium requirement is 1200 mg. I found this article from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Walter Willett stated that the World Health Organization recommends 500 mg of elemental calcium, which is the daily dose that he recommends. This level of calcium is easily obtainable from diet. Please remember that physical activity is also a part of having healthy bones. Also, reduce alcohol consumption to ≤ 2 drinks/day and caffeine intake ≤ 4 cups of coffee or equivalent per day.