9m l. THE JJAli.Y.HtAL,Q, Sum. Vi. Seniop, TlsiKday, 1 9? Women now have choices on how to get their calcium CALCIUM REQUIREMENTS. . j A study funded by Beecham maker of Turns, showed that older women By LISA LIDDANE ; The Orange County Register Smith-Klin- e Looks like candy. Chews The Orange County Register like candy. But it's not candy. Move over Turns, here come How much calcium does a body need? The National Academy of Sciences in 1997 recommended the following "dietary reference intakes" for calcium: 800 milligrams for girls and boys ages 4-1,300 milligrams for ages 8 1,000 milligrams for ages 19-51,200 milligrams for ages 51 and older. But the National institutes of Health Consensus Development Panel on Optimal Calcium Intake, aiming specifically at women, recommends more for certain groups: 1,200-1,50milligrams for womengirls ages 11-21,000 milligrams for women ages 25-41,200-1,50- 0 milligrams for pregnantnursing women ages "calcium chews." Mead Johnson's Viactiv and Nature Made's CalBurst supplements that can be munched like saltwater taffy 8 0 are the latest products aimed at helping you meet your daily dietary requirement of calcium. They're convenient, that's certain. But it's not a good idea to substitute them for 0 25-4- foods that supply calcium, you may not get enough of other important nutrients." THAT'S ALSO the message from a 1994 National 9 on estrogen tnerapy milligrams ror women ages su-b- 4 not on estrogen 1,500 milligrams for women ages 50-6therapy 1,500 milligrams for women 65 years and older hip-fractu- re i,uuu natural calcium sources such as broccoli, spinach and milk, says a report from the American Dietetic Association. "Foods contain many nutrients that work with calcium to keep your bones healthy," the ADA says. "If you rely on a supplement instead of eating 4 9 might benefit from calcium supplements. The study, published earlier this year in the medical journal Clinical Therapeutics, showed that if patients ages 50 and older consumed about 1,200 milligrams of calcium supplements per day for 34 months, they might have avoided 134,764 hip fractures and related medical costs of $2.6 billion in 1995. 4 Institutes of Health Consensus Conference on Optimal Calcium Intake. Still, makers of calcium supplements say these products are a viable alternative, because in reality, people just don't get enough calcium in their diet. A continuing survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that nearly 9 90 percent of girls ages aren't getting enough calcium to promote good bone health. Bones need a lot of calcium in order to grow. One reason girls might not be getting enough calcium is 12-1- that they're drinking less milk, according to the California Milk Advisory Board. Girls in the United States drink twice as much soda as milk. A girl consumes an average of 650 cans of soda 1.78 cans a day. every year 12-1- 9 BUT GIRLS aren't the only ones missing out on calcium. About 78 percent of women are calcium-deficienthe USDA report shows. Insufficient calcium can be dangerous for females, because it puts them at risk for osteoporosis, a medical condition in which bones become more porous and brittle. Other factors that increase osteoporosis risk include smoking, lack of exercise and excessive alcohol t, See CALCIUM, 15 First get all snug and warm for a restful night's sleep (KRT) Forget warm milk and counting sheep. A good way to get some longed-fo- r sleep is to wear mittens and socks to bed, researchers say. It may not be the sexiest bedtime attire, but scientists at Switzerland's Chronobiology and Sleep Laboratory, at the Psychiatric University Clinic, said warm hands and feet induce sleep quickly. Too early to bed Speaking of shut-eye- , a sleep syndrome that can send sufferers to bed when everybody else is still going strong has been traced to a single gene. "Familial advanced syndrome" shifts the normal wake and sleep pattern forward by three to four hours. University of Utah researchers say their finding tould also lead to treatments for jet lag and other conditions. sleep-phas- Exercise prevention Women worried about ting the brittle-bon- e get- disease e r HEALTH AKD seizes crjrt?:a osteoporosis should start skipping, jogging and doing aerobics. In newly issued guidelines, British physiotherapists and osteoporosis specialists said they were the best exercises to avert the disease. People who already have the disease should do weight and strength training and step or aerobics programs and brisk walking. Those with severe forms of the disorder who have suffered fractures should try tai chi, a martial arts and exercise system, and progressive strength training and programs. high-impa- low-impa- J report that retirement can spark marital discord and depression instead of leisurely lunches and relaxing trips to the golf course. The solution for many men: go back to work. Picking up the pieces Call it a crash course in what's really important in life. A new study reported to the American Psychological Association suggests survivors of air crashes could end up in better mental health than air travelers who have never had such an experience, perhaps because the traumatic experience changes victims' perspective on life. low-impa- Retired fighters Speaking of aging, retirement may be a way to escape conflict with your boss and coworkers, but it may generate friction with someone else your spouse. Cornell University psychologists Life in the slow lane That urge you feel to change lanes while driving may be caused by an optical illusion. Cars spread out when they're going quickly and bunch up when they slow down, so when you pass slower cars in the other lane, it happens fairly quickly, University of Toronto researcher Donald Redelmeier says in the journal Nature. But if you are passed by the same cars while your lane slow s temporarily, they go by one by one. That creates the illusion the other lane is moving faster. Redelmeier's advice: "Resist small temptations to change lanes." Dinosaurs not alone Also in Nature, a report that tiny teeth from a prehistoric animal found in a jawbone in Madagascar are proof that mammals and dinosaurs roamed the Earth together more than 100 million years ago. Until now, scientists thought mammals arose after dinosaurs became extinct. But the new finding published in the science journal Nature showed that early mammals lived much earlier than previously thought. The creatures furry mouse-sizefrom a group of mammals called Tribosphenida lived in Madagascar about 165 million years ago. d Fuming over aerosols Yes, there is something in the air. Aerosols and air fresheners may cause headaches and depression in women and ear infections and diarrhea in young babies, New Scientist magazine reports. Scientists are not sure, but they suspect the aerosols and air fresheners increase susceptibility to health problems by making the skin more permeable and weakening the body's defenses. Thin obsession How sick is the mania to be thin? "At the end of last season, I was so tired I got the flu," Courtney Thome-Smit- h of "Ally McBeal" tells Self magazine. "I lost 10 pounds. It was scary for me, because I could see that I was sick. I looked gaunt. But there were some people who came up to me and said, 'How did you do it?' People thought it was good, and that was terrifying."