Calcium is needed at Every Stage of Life

Calcium

(There are more calcium found in the human body than any other mineral)

Calcium along with other minerals is a basic necessity for good health. In fact, it is the most plentiful mineral found in the human body. About 99% of the calcium in our body found in our bones and teeth, where it supports their structure and hardness. Nerve cells, body tissues, blood and other body fluids contain the rest of the calcium. Our body cannot produce calcium whereas we lose calcium through our skin, nails, hair, sweat, urine and feces everyday. So, it is important to get enough calcium from the food we eat. When we don’t get enough calcium for our body’s requirements, it is taken from our bones that leads to bone loss, low bone density and even broken bones.

Why do we need calcium supplements?

• Calcium Content of  Vegetarian Dishes are very low. 
• Present day foods don’t contain adequate amount of nutrients.
• Inadequate exposure to sunlight reduces production of Vitamin D3 in our body.
• The human body is incapable of absorbing complete Calcium from our food.
• Hectic work schedules and long indoor lifestyles force us to eat fast food and not expose ourselves to sunlight, leading to both Calcium and Vitamin D3 deficiency.

What role calcium plays in our body?

Functions of Calcium

Our body needs calcium to maintain strong bones as bones are always breaking down and rebuilding. 

• Our body also needs calcium for nerves to carry messages between the brain and every part of the body.
• Calcium is used to help blood vessels move blood throughout the body and to help release hormones that affect almost every function and enzymes for healthy digestion in the human body.
• It helps in Keeping a normal heartbeat and in Squeezing and relaxing muscles to move.
• A proper level of calcium in the body over a lifetime can help prevent osteoporosis (a disease of the bones in older adults especially women in which the bones become porous, fragile, and more prone to fracture). 

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

The average daily level of intake is enough to meet the nutrient needs of nearly all healthy people. In general, up to 2,500 to 3,000 mg a day of calcium from dietary sources and supplements appears to be safe for children and adolescents, and 2,000 to 2,500 mg a day appears to be safe for adults.

Infants (AI)

0 to 6 months: 200 milligrams per day (mg/day)

7 to 12 months: 260 mg/day

Children and Adolescents 

Age 1 to 3: 700 mg/day

Age 4 to 8: 1,000 mg/day

Age 9 to 18: 1,300 mg/day

Adults 

Age 19 to 50: 1,000 mg/day

Age 50 to 70: Men - 1,000 mg/day; Women - 1,200 mg/day

Over age 71: 1,200 mg/day

Pregnancy and breast-feeding 

Age 14 to 18: 1,300 mg/day

Age 19 to 50: 1,000 mg/day

From which sources we can get calcium?

Calcium is found in many foods. We can get required amounts of calcium by eating a variety of foods. 

• Milk, yogurt, and cheese are the main food sources of calcium.

  

  Calcium Rich Foods

• Kale, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage are fine vegetable sources of calcium.
• Fish with soft bones are fine animal sources of calcium for example Salmon.
• Calcium is also found in cereals, fruit juices, soy and rice beverages, and tofu.
• Almonds, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds and dried beans are also other sources of calcium.
• We can add foods such as orange juice, soy milk, tofu, ready-to-eat cereals, and breads to our normal food to get calcium.
• Certain green vegetables and other foods contain calcium in smaller amounts. 
• Note : Leafy greens are not considered an adequate source of calcium by themselves, because our body is unable to utilize much of the calcium they contain.

The way we can preserve/add calcium in our food 

• We must cook foods in a little amount of water for the shortest possible time to retain more calcium in the foods we prepare i.e. steaming to cook instead of boiling foods.
• Certain fibers for example wheat bran and foods with oxalic acid for example spinach and rhubarb can bind with calcium and prevent it from being absorbed. So we must eat them separately.
• We must add most grains like breads, pastas, and unfortified cereals. Though they are not rich in calcium, but they add significant amounts of calcium to the diet because we eat them in sizable amount.
• A simple way to add calcium to many foods is to add a single tablespoon of nonfat powdered milk, which contains about 50 mg of calcium. About two-to-four tablespoons can be added to most recipes.

What if one is deficient in calcium?

We can feel the shortage of calcium in our body only in the long run because, the body maintains calcium levels in the blood by taking it from bone. Insufficient intakes of calcium do not produce obvious symptoms in the short term.

Calcium Deficiency

• Over the long term, intakes of calcium below recommended levels resulted in low bone mass (osteopenia) and increasing the risks of osteoporosis and bone fractures.
• Women who get less than about 900 mg of calcium per day, a serious medical condition named Preeclampsia developed, where she develops high blood pressure and kidney problems that cause protein to spill into the urine. It is a leading cause of sickness and death in pregnant women and their newborn babies. 
• Serious calcium deficiency resulted in numbness and tingling in the fingers, convulsions, and abnormal heart rhythms that can lead to death if not corrected. 
• Normally, people who are deficient in calcium, they feel lower back pain, body aches, muscle spasms, tingling in hands and feet, morning stiffness, joint pain, numbness, memory loss and depression. 

What condition develops with more intake of calcium?

• Getting too much calcium can cause constipation.
• It might also interfere with the body's ability to absorb iron and zinc.

What studies revealed?

• A 2010 study carried out in North Carolina State University found that adequate calcium early in life may protect against obesity later on.
• Researchers from McGill University in Canada reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism that women whose diets are rich in calcium live longer than their counterparts whose diets are low in calcium.
• Some studies have found that getting recommended intakes of calcium can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension). 
• Several studies have shown that getting more calcium helps in lowering body weight or reduce weight gain over time.
• Some studies have found that higher intakes of calcium from dietary supplements are linked to a greater risk of kidney stones, especially among older adults.
• Some studies show that people who consume high amounts of calcium might have increased risks of prostate cancer and heart disease.

Note : Though we may take sufficient calcium, our body can not absorb them without Vitamin D which plays an important role in protecting our bones. Please refer my other article on vitamin D to know how it aids in calcium absorption in our body.