Review of the dietary reference intake for calcium: where do we go from here?

In this article the science relied on to establish the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) specifically for calcium was examined. The latest dietary recommendations for the essential nutrients significant with respect to their roles in bone metabolism and health were reported in the Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride (1997) (NIM, 1997). For calcium an adequate intake was recommended because insufficient data were available at the time to determine specific Recommended Dietary Allowances. Dietary intake data and the controversies regarding the role calcium may play in other chronic diseases have also been discussed. Advances and continued dilemmas regarding these topics reported since the publication of the DRI were also addressed in this review. A recent Dietary Reference Intake Research Synthesis Workshop report identified an extensive range of suggested future research directions needed to improve our understanding of calcium and bone and health.