Calcium Deficiency
Recommended Daily Allowance of Calcium
The recommended daily allowance was established by the food and nutrition board, and is used for the general term of reference for a healthy diet. These guidelines include the average daily intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%-98%) healthy individuals. The adequate intake established when evidence is insufficient to develop and recommended daily allowance, but is still set to allow for a person to get nutritional adequacy.
The recommended adequate intake of calcium according to the Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies is as follows: age birth to six months male 210 mg per day, age birth to six months female 210 mg per day, age seven months to 12 months male 270 mg per day, age seven months to twelve months female 270 mg per day, age one year to three years male 500 mg per day, age one year to three years female 500 mg per day, age four years to eight years male 800 mg per day, age four years to eight years female 800 mg per day, age nine years to thirteen years male 1,300 mg per day, age nine years to thirteen years female 1,300 mg per day, age fourteen years to eighteen years male 1,300 mg per day, age fourteen years to eighteen years female 1,300 mg per day, age fourteen years to eighteen years female pregnant 1,300 mg per day, age fourteen years to eighteen years female lactating 1,300 mg per day, age nineteen years to fifty years males 1,000 mg per day, age nineteen years to fifty years female 1,000 mg per day, age nineteen years to fifty years female pregnant 1,000 mg per day, age nineteen years to fifty years female lactating 1,000 mg per day, fifty years of age or older male 1,200 mg per day, and fifty years of age or older female 1,200 mg per day.
Problems Which Occur Due to Calcium Deficiency
An actual deficiency of calcium is very rare. There seems to be very little short term symptoms of a lack of calcium in a diet. Yet, there are some long term effects which occur over a longer period of time. A very common one is hypoglycemia. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include numbness and tingling of the fingers, convulsions, lethargy, poor appetite, muscle cramps, and abnormal heart rhythms.
What is more common an occurrence is a person simply doesn’t get sufficient amounts of calcium in their daily diet. This lack of nutrition can lead to many health problems. All of which calcium would have given a better chance of preventing.
Groups at Risk of Calcium Deficiency
Postmenopausal women are at a higher risk of calcium inadequacy. Menopause decreases the estrogen production in body, which both increases bone reabsoprtion and decrease calcium absorption. This will lead to major bone loss in women. A loss in bone mass at a rate of 3-5% a years is very frequent in the first year of menopause, and a 1% loss in each subsequent year after menopause is also very common. While increasing the amount of calcium which is taken will not totally prevent the loss of bone mass in postmenopausal women, it will help to lower the chances of losing less total bone mass.
Vegetarians also run a higher risk of not getting enough calcium in their daily diet. In comparison to omnivores and their diets, vegetarians come many more plant products which contain oxalic and phytic acids. Both of these acids interfere with the use of calcium in the body. A vegetarian diet is also lower in protein in comparison to an omnivore diet. This lack of protein can cause a decrease in the execration of calcium. A vegan who avoids any dairy product has been shown to be well below the adequate amounts of calcium which the body needs to function.
Dairy products provide the calcium for the majority of Americans. Those people who are lactose intolerant find it hard to get enough calcium from non-dairy sources. Supplementation is recommended for those who are lactose intolerant; however, it is important to find vitamins which do not obtain their calcium from a lactose source.
Calcium Toxicity
While hyperglycemia is associated with excessive calcium in the body, it doesn’t normally occur from too much calcium in a diet or from supplementation. Hyperglycemia is normally associated with hyperparathyroidism, or other advanced cases of cancer. Too much calcium will affect the body’s absorption of iron, zinc, magnesium and phosphorus. A person with too much calcium also has to monitor their levels of Vitamin D—which can actually mask calcium toxicity.
How to Get Enough Calcium in a Healthy Diet
The best way to get any nutrient or mineral into a diet is through a health low fat diet of lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and healthy grains. A rich diet will not only help a person to get the nutrients they need, but it will also help a person to maintain a healthier weight and other health benefits. The problem is that there simply are very few people able to maintain a constant diet rich in all essential vitamins and minerals.
That is the reason why supplementation is a very good idea. The amount of calcium which a person consumes before the age of thirty will have a huge impact on their health as they age. For a person to have proper bone density it is important for them to consume the proper amounts of calcium. The best way to ensure a person is getting enough calcium, especially during important formative years, is to find a quality calcium supplement.
There have been little to no reported negative side effects from calcium supplementation. Finding a good calcium supplement like Ionic Calcium can provide a person with the calcium their body needs. Plus, it will be supplemented with other vitamins and minerals which are designed to help the absorption of calcium into the body. Calcium in the most abundant mineral found in the human body, and it is important to keep the body supplied. Taking a good calcium supplement like Ionic Calcium fulfills the body’s calcium requirements.
