Calcium has been known to strengthen teeth and bones, but a study featured on ScienceDaily.com reports that it may also help women live longer.

Researchers analyzed data from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos) which monitored 9,033 volunteers from 1995 to 2007. They found that women who took calcium supplements or who received their daily dose of calcium from natural sources had a lower mortality risk as compared with those who took none. Interestingly, increased calcium intake did not have the same effect in men.

Study lead author David Goltzman of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, notes, "The benefit was seen for women who took doses of up to 1,000 mg per day... Higher amounts of calcium were potentially linked to longer lifespans in women, regardless of the source of the calcium."

To maximize theis benefit, experts recommend consuming more milk products, broccoli, fish, grains, soy, or supplements.

(Photo by Jan Willem Geertsma via sxc.hu)