Calcium
Calcium is a mineral available in many foods. The body needs many different functions. The body contains more calcium than any other mineral. The body stores more than 99% of calcium in the bones and teeth to maintain and help make them strong. Of calcium, which is 1% found in blood and muscle, and fluid between cells. The human body needs calcium to help the muscles and blood vessels to contract and spread healthy and healthy, and send messages through the nervous system to different parts of the body.
Calcium may be the most important nutrient when it comes to bone health. Building strong bones depends on the healthy balance of calcium stores in the body. Because bone is a living tissue. Calcium is deposited in the bones or pulled daily. The bones will not stay strong throughout the life. Continuous maintenance, because it can weaken and be broken, if the diet is low in calcium, the body will take calcium from the bones to maintain the normal level of calcium in the blood.
The bone mass multiplies from birth to adulthood sevenfold, after which the bone mass triples during adolescence, so the bone mass remains constant until the age of fifty. After five to ten years, women lose 2-3% of the bone mass every year Almost more than men, and then lose men and women (0.5-1%) of bone mass each year. Calcium with vitamin D has many health benefits that go beyond bone health, including protection against cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Calcium Sources
Calcium is available in many foods, and the recommended amounts can be obtained by eating a variety of foods, some of which are:
- Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt, are the main sources of calcium.
- Green leafy vegetables.
- Fish with soft bones, such as canned sardines, salmon.
- Calcium-fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and fruit juices. Here, you must check the food label on most products to see how much calcium is supported in the product.
Calcium absorption is better if rich foods are distributed over multiple meals during the day, and although diet is the best way to get calcium, calcium supplements may be an appropriate option if calcium sources are difficult to incorporate into the diet. .
The body needs calcium
The precise amount of calcium the body needs depends on several factors, including age. Children and adolescents need more calcium than adults, and women need to increase calcium intake more early than men, from mid-age to reduce risk. Osteoporosis, and lack of calcium later; because the reduction of estrogen during menopause leads to thinning of women’s bones faster than men.
The following table shows the average recommended amounts per milligram (mg) per day, depending on age groups:
| Age group | Reference food quantity (mg) |
|---|---|
| Children 1-3 years | 700 |
| Children 4-8 years | 1000 |
| Children 9-18 | 1300 |
| Men 19-70 years old | 1000 |
| Women aged 19-50 years | 1000 |
| Men over 70 years old | 1200 |
| Women over the age of 50 | 1200 |
lack of calcium
Children who do not get enough calcium may not grow their bodies to the normal height expected for them at puberty. The lack of calcium in adults leads to a decrease in bone mass, which is a risk factor for osteoporosis. The concentration of calcium in the body tends to decrease with age, because the body excretes it through sweat, skin cells, and excretions. As women age, calcium absorption tends to decline more than men due to low levels of estrogen.
Reasons for lack of calcium in the blood
There are many people at risk of calcium deficiency, due to a variety of factors including:
- Age, with age decreases the efficiency of calcium absorption.
- Malnutrition, and non-intake of foods containing calcium over a long period of time, especially in childhood.
- A vegetarian diet does not contain dairy products rich in calcium.
- Limit milk consumption because of lactose intolerance. In this case, the body can not digest the lactose sugar in the milk. The person suffers from gas, diarrhea and bloating when drinking low amounts of milk, but in this case the person can eat calcium sources Which contain low amounts of lactose such as milk, cheese, or lactose-free milk.
- Consumption of large amounts of protein or sodium, which can cause the release of large amounts of calcium from the body.
- Some diseases of the digestive system that reduce the ability of the body to absorb calcium.
- Some medications may reduce calcium absorption.
- Hormonal changes, especially in women.
- Some genetic factors.
- Low vitamin D level, making it difficult for the body to absorb calcium.
- Hypoparathyroidism causes hypocalcemia. People with this condition do not produce enough parathyroid hormone, which controls the levels of calcium in the blood.
Symptoms of calcium deficiency
Calcium deficiency does not lead to short-term symptoms of deficiency. The body maintains calcium levels by withdrawing directly from the bone, but in the long run low levels of calcium have serious effects. These severe symptoms include:
- Confusion and memory loss.
- Muscle spasm.
- Numbness and tingling in hands, feet and face.
- Depression.
- hallucination.
- The nails are weak and brittle.
- Ease of bone fractures.
- Abnormal heart rhythms.
- Osteoporosis, a disease that occurs in the elderly (especially women), where bones become porous, fragile, weak, and more prone to fracture due to low bone density. The complications of osteoporosis include:
- The inability to carry out various activities and movement.
- Fractures in the spine or fractures in other bones.
- Difficult to walk.
Calcium deficiency and vitamin D may expose children to rickets, which in turn leads to osteomalacia.
Avoid calcium deficiency
The bones need plenty of calcium and vitamin D throughout childhood and adolescence to build strong bones until the age of 30 years, after which the bones lose calcium slowly, but the person can reduce those losses by following the following tips:
- Calcium is included in the diet every day, where one-quarter to one-third of the body’s calcium needs can be obtained by eating one serving, equivalent to one cup of milk or yogurt.
- Follow a healthy and active lifestyle, such as walking or running regularly.
- Exposure to sunlight Because sunlight stimulates the body to manufacture vitamin D which increases the efficiency of calcium absorption, there are some foods that naturally contain a small amount of vitamin D, such as salmon, egg yolk, also can get vitamin ( D) fortified foods, such as milk and orange juice, where the human body needs 600 IU, equivalent to 15 micrograms a day of vitamin D for most adults.