What is Calcium?
Calcium is a chemical element of the periodic table of earth elements, and is characterized by light gray, and occupies fifth place in terms of abundance on the surface of the earth, which is important for living organisms in the role of diverse cells, and the element of calcium is one of the important elements that make up the human body, The percentage of calcium in the human body from 1 to 1.5 kg, where 98% of this amount is concentrated in the bones and teeth, as well as in the blood, which is 9-11 mg / l.
Calcium is a metal used by the human body to maintain stable blood pressure and to build bones and teeth, especially in children who go through various stages of growth, which need a quantity of calcium, where it is recommended for everyone to eat foods that contain enough calcium, and if necessary must Calcium supplementation.
Foods containing calcium
The human body gets calcium by eating many calcium-containing foods, including milk and milk products, eggs, seafood, orange juice, some breakfast cereals, nuts, dried beans, meat, leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, sesame, almonds and walnuts, Dried, Dried apricots, Apricot, Casserole, Fish, Ice-cream, Sardines, Canned salmon, Low-fat yoghurts, Cheddar cheese.
lack of calcium
It is an inadequate level of calcium in the body and occurs from the lack of adequate levels of calcium in the nutrients eaten by humans over a period of time, such as vitamin D deficiency, phosphorus and magnesium that help absorb calcium for the body. There are two types of calcium deficiency in the body:
Lack of calcium in food
It occurs because there is insufficient calcium in the food, which leads to the body getting enough calcium stores in the bones, leading to osteoporosis and osteoporosis.
Lack of calcium level in the blood
It occurs as a side effect of medications such as diuretics and certain medical treatments for certain diseases such as renal failure, but this type is not caused by a lack of calcium in the diet. If the body takes enough calcium to maintain calcium levels in the blood To perform vital body functions such as nerves, muscles, brain and heart.
Methods of treatment of calcium deficiency
The solution of the problems of calcium deficiency in humans is necessary to avoid health problems, and to maintain the health and integrity of bones, which can be treated in one of the following ways:
- Changing the pattern of food, as the initial stages of calcium deficiency can be treated by eating larger amounts of foods containing calcium, such as milk and dairy products, meat and fish, and eat foods that contain vitamin D to strengthen the absorption of calcium.
- If you can not get enough calcium during the day, you can take supplements that are complementary to calcium, and are often recommended by your doctor.
- Calcium deficiency can be treated by taking calcium injections, and is often taken if there is no change in the ratio of calcium to the amount of calcium-rich food consumed by humans during the day.
It is not recommended to treat calcium deficiency by taking supplements or calcium tablets without consulting a doctor, because this method may lead to an overdose of calcium, which may be deadly often.
Causes of calcium deficiency
Causes of calcium deficiency in humans include:
- Some human diseases may lead to calcium deficiency in the body. These diseases include cancer, pancreatitis, which leads to low thyroid levels, which work on calcium deficiency.
- Some surgeries lead to the lack of calcium in humans, such as the process of gastric easing, and taking medications such as diuretics and chemical treatments may affect the absorption of calcium in the human body.
- Aging and old age, as the age of the body consumes the calcium stock, so the risk of osteoporosis or lack of calcium is large.
People who are likely to have calcium deficiency
- Pregnant women: They are increasingly in need of calcium, and are more likely to develop osteoporosis or calcium deficiency.
Pregnant women need calcium to grow fetal bones, and doctors often recommend pregnant women to take supplemental calcium tablets to prevent maternal and fetal deficiency.
- Children and adolescents: They are in a rapid growth phase and need calcium to build bones and teeth. Children and adolescents are advised to eat eggs and drink milk daily at breakfast, helping them to grow properly.
- Vegetarians: They are the people who eat the foods that contain the plant, and do not eat any type of meat, as they contain a high proportion of calcium, which also contain some of the iron, which limits the absorption of calcium to the human body, and therefore the proportion of vulnerability Bone or calcium deficiency is large and potential.
Symptoms of calcium deficiency
- Spasm in the palm of the hands and feet.
- Muscle cramps of the feet and especially the leg during sleep.
- Muscle pain
- Feeling numbness of the feet or the palm of the hand or lips
- Changes in mental capacity (often in advanced cases of calcium deficiency)
- Temporary outages (often in preterm infants or neonates)
- Nail browning and dry skin, as the nails are directly affected by the lack of calcium in the body, as the skin and skin dry especially the face
- Weak teeth or decay: As the proportion of calcium in the human body affect the teeth, if few, the likelihood of the occurrence of teeth or decay of the possibility of the possibility, while if the proportion of calcium in the human body is high, the teeth are strong and white, Teeth also have a calcium ratio, as white indicates a good calcium in the human body.
- Exposure to fractures: As the lack of calcium in the human body leads to weak bones, and likely to break in the members of the accident, even if it is simple.
- People who do not eat enough calcium during the day suffer from insomnia, lack of sleep hours, and lack of adequate sleep.
There are some complications that may occur to a person if he does not eat enough calcium during the day, such as osteoporosis, eye damage, arrhythmia and can lead to death.
Osteoporosis
It is a disease of a person suffering from calcium deficiency, and symptoms of difficulty walking or movement, a broken spine, disability.
It is often caused to women because they lose a lot of calcium during pregnancy and lactation. It is treated by eating calcium supplements, or it can increase the intake of eggs and milk, and also increase the intake of high-calcium foods that have been Mentioned previously.