"Ann B." <annREMOVE@pipeline.com> wrote in message

Calcium metabolism is way to complex for a short answer.
Yes, some women (and men) benefit from supplementing extra calcium
at any age, regardless of menopause or andropause, while others invite
all kinds of medical conditions doing the same thing.
One reason is that some people store too much calcium in soft tissue
outside of bone (including arteries) as a result of lacking co-factors
to help with utilizing calcium properly, and others have difficulty with
assimilating calcium because of unfavorable stomach acid or intestinal
conditions - or again - lack of co-factors (such as Vitamin D), to help
sufficient uptake.
To get a better idea of why it takes an individual analysis to determine
whether someone would benefit from supplementing extra calcium or
not, you could do a Google search on 'cellular interactions of calcium'
which will likely bring up a more detailed account of what you are
looking for.