Calcium - Benefits, Deficiency Symptoms and Food Sources

What is Calcium?

Calcium is an essential mineral with a wide range of biological roles. It’s important at every stage of Life. Most of the calcium up to 99 percent in our bodies is found in our bones and teeth and remaining 1 percent is found throughout the body in blood, muscle, and the fluid between cells.

Uses and Benefits of Calcium

Calcium enables to stop the contraction of muscles, including the function of the body's most important muscle, the heart. It is also useful for normal blood clotting, proper nerve impulse transmission, and the appropriate support of connective tissue.

In the bones the two very important minerals i.e. calcium and phosphorus, are combined to give strength and firmness to the skeleton structure of our body. Many chemical reactions of the body require calcium. Hence there is a constant interchange of this mineral between the bones and the blood stream.

Pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, and adolescents may need more calcium than they normally get from eating calcium-rich foods. Adult women may take calcium supplements to help prevent a bone disease called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, which causes thin, porous, easily broken bones, may occur in women after menopause, but may sometimes occur in elderly men also.

Recommended Dosage of Calcium

The National Institutes of Health Consensus panel recommends 1000 milligrams of calcium for adult women. If taking hormone replacement therapy or other preventative medications, the usual recommended dose is 1000 to 1200 milligrams per day. If not taking preventative medications in menopause, the recommendation is 1500 milligrams per day.

Deficiency Symptoms of Calcium

When your dietary calcium intake is too low, your body will withdraw the calcium it needs from your bones to support your vital body functions.

Common deficiency symptoms of calcium are :-

• Chin joints
• Brittle nails
• Eczema
• Elevated blood cholesterol
• Heart palpitations
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Insomnia
• Muscle cramps
• Nervousness
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Rickets and
• Tooth decay.

Rich Food Sources of Calcium

A variety of non-fat and reduced fat dairy products that contain the same amount of calcium as regular dairy products are available in the U.S. today for individuals concerned about saturated fat content from regular dairy products. Food sources of calcium include dairy foods, some leafy green vegetables such as broccoli and collards, canned salmon, clams, oysters, calcium-fortified foods, and tofu.Milk and milk products such as yoghurt and cheese are rich in calcium. Sesame seeds, Tahini. Whole grains and unrefined cereals, green vegetables, bone meal with Vitamin D, sardines, salmon, soybeans, peanuts.

Some more information on Calcium

Calcium supplements are a very useful way of helping individuals who are unable to consume sufficient calcium from dietary sources. Long-term glucocorticoid treatment also causes calcium malabsorption. There is a strong case in favour of calcium supplementation when an adequate dietary calcium intake cannot be achieved.