People, especially the elderly, may reach for calcium supplements in hopes of protecting themselves against bone fractures in case of a fall. But a recent analysis of several studies found no reduction in risk of hip fracture with calcium supplementation. The information was published in the (begin ital) Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The research agrees with another study suggesting that today's current recommended amount of dietary calcium for American adults may be greater than actually needed.

Bess Dawson-Hughes and her team at the Agricultural Research Service researched calcium intake studies that had been published between January 1960 and December 2006. Dawson-Hughes is director of the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at the Tufts University.

Among the studies that met the researchers' screening criteria, seven included a total of 170,991 women with nearly 3,000 hip fractures. Five of the studies included a total of 68,606 men with 214 hip fractures. Pooled results from those studies suggest that calcium intake is not appreciably associated with hip fracture risk in women or men. That means the researchers did not find that a higher calcium intake reduced the incidence of hip fractures.

Increased calcium intake is still commonly recommended as a single fracture prevention strategy, although considerable uncertainty exists regarding optimal intakes of calcium, the authors wrote. For example, for adults over age 50, the recommended calcium intake is 700 milligrams daily in the United Kingdom, but 1,200 milligrams daily in the United States.

Future studies of fracture prevention should focus on the best combination of calcium plus vitamin D, rather than on calcium supplementation alone, according to authors.

WINNING LIFESTYLE

Fall is a great time to make some healthy lifestyle changes. If you need some motivation, here are some tips to help you succeed from Intelihealth, a Web site from Harvard Medical School.

1. Write down the reasons you want to lose weight. The stronger your desire to change, the more likely you are to succeed.

2. Find a friend to give you support. It will help you become more committed. 3. Make gradual changes. Switch from whole milk to 2 percent to 1 percent and finally skim milk to reduce the fat content in your diet.

4. Schedule regular activity. Exercise burns calories and can make you feel better. It may also help curb your appetite.

5. Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Smaller meals help stave off feelings of starvation, which can lead to binge eating. And try to include fruits and vegetables in your small meals of 100 to 150 calories.

— www.intelihealth.com.

WINNING QUESTIONS

Q: I'm trying to be mindful of the sodium listed on food labels. How much is too much?

A: One quick tip is to look at the "% DV" — percent of Daily Value — listed for sodium. Total daily sodium consumption should be less than the DV of 2,400 mg. If a food supplies 20 percent of sodium's DV (480 mg), it is considered high in sodium. If the product is a whole meal or a prepared main dish, more than 600 mg per serving is considered high.

If you eat out a lot or tend to eat high-sodium snack foods or processed foods, you should practice extra caution with your other food choices. Aim to fill the majority of your diet with naturally low-sodium vegetables, fruits and unprocessed grains.

Also note that the nutrient content percentages on food labels apply to the designated serving size. If you eat a larger portion than what is listed, you can quickly increase your sodium intake.-American Institute for Cancer Research.

WINNING RECIPE

The editors of (begin ital) Eating Well magazine have a new book out, "Comfort Foods Made Healthy." This recipe for Pineapple Coffee Cake is one of the recipes. Sour cream is replaced with nonfat yogurt. You can also use rhubarb, blueberries or peaches instead of the pineapple.

PINEAPPLE COFFEE CAKE

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (divided use)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups fresh or canned pineapple chunks, blotted dry and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Yields 9 servings.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk egg, yogurt, oil and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just blended. Do not over-mix. Fold in pineapple. Scrape batter in to prepared pan.

In a small bowl, combine pecans and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Sprinkle over batter.

Bake cake until top is golden, about 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack about 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 253 calories, 5 g protein, 38 g carbohydrate, 9 g fat, 24 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 476 mg sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian in Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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