Calcium

Basic Information about Calcium

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body, and it is also the most prevalent mineral in many foods. The body needs calcium in order to contract muscles, contract and expand blood vessels, secret hormones and enzymes, and for healthy transmission of nervous system impulses throughout the body. While all of these functions are important in the body, and all of them require calcium to function, these functions make up less than one percent of the total calcium usage in the body.

The major use of calcium in the body is for the storage of calcium in bones and teeth. While in storage calcium will help to strengthen bones. This is done through the body continually remodeling the bone structure with calcium—reabsorption and deposition of calcium into new bone.

How the body uses calcium depends on the age of the person. The body will always try to keep the levels of calcium in balance throughout the body. Yet, the amounts of reabsorption and deposition change drastically with age. When a person is younger the body will have much higher levels of reabsorption and deposition. This is because a younger person is growing, and the bones structure needs plenty of calcium in creating new bone. With a person stops growing in their late teens and throughout their middle adulthood the calcium in the bones will stay at a relevantly even level to maintain bone structure and strength. When adults begin to grow old, and especially in postmenopausal women, the levels of reabsorption and deposition will slow. This will cause bones to become brittle, bone mass to shrink, and a very increased risk of osteoporosis.

Sources of Calcium

Many dairy items are very rich in calcium. Items such as milk, yogurt, and cheese are all very rich in calcium and are the ways in which the majority of Americans get their daily supply of calcium. There are very good nondairy sources of calcium. Chinese cabbage, kale and broccoli are a few of the many vegetables which provide a more than adequate amount of Calcium in a diet. Grains are lacking in their calcium supply; however, many of the grains sold today are fortified with additional calcium. This fortification of calcium is also used for fruit drinks, soft drinks, tofu, and breakfast cereals.

Here is a list of many foods which are very high in their quantity of calcium: yogurt, sardines, cheddar cheese, nonfat milk, reduced fat milk, lactose reduced milk, whole milk, buttermilk, orange juice, tofu, salmon, pudding, cottage cheese, soft tofu, spinach, fortified ready to eat cereals, instant breakfast cereals, instant breakfast drinks made from powder and fortified, frozen yogurt, turnip, kale, ice cream, soy beverages, Chinese cabbage, corn tortilla, flour tortilla, bread, sour cream, and cream cheese.

Health Benefits of Calcium

Bone health is the principle reason why the human body needs calcium; however, it is not the only reason. Yet, it is the primary reason. Studies have shown a person who will take adequate amounts of calcium, and Vitamin D (one of the essential vitamins and minerals which help the body to absorb calcium into the bone for a healthy bone structure) before they are 30 years old will have a much greater chance of not losing excessive amount of bone density later in life. This means that getting a good supply of calcium in a diet during the body’s formative years will allow a person to have greater health later in life.

There have been studies which indicate a reduction in blood pressure and hypertension with the addition of calcium into a healthy diet. The findings of many of these studies are being questioned due to their methodology. Yet, the findings of these studies have not been disproven. The study looked at the difference in blood pressure and hypertension based on differences in diet. The first diet looked at the typical American diet, the second was a diet high in fruit and vegetables, and the third was a diet high in fruits vegetables and low fat dairy products. There was a significant improvement in blood pressure and hypertension in the third diet which was tested.

Studies have also shown a connection between weight management and calcium. The findings of the study are that people with higher amounts of calcium in their system are better able to loss and maintain desired weights. These findings haven’t been explained, nor have many in the scientific community accepted them.

There also seems to be a connection between the prevention of certain kinds of cancer and the amounts of calcium in the body. Prostate and colon cancer seem to be linked to the amounts of calcium a person consumes. The supplementation of calcium seems to have led in the reduction of adenoma, a disorder which has been seen as a precursor to the signs of colon cancer. In many studies a person using supplementation of calcium will be at a lower risk of adenoma even up to as long as five years after stopping supplementation.

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 supplement a diet with calcium is by taking a good daily multivitamin.

A good daily multivitamin will try to fill in the gaps of a diet. It is important for a person to buy a daily multivitamin from a reputable source. This will ensure a person is getting sufficient amounts, and not too much, of the essential vitamins and minerals their bodies need to function. One of the easiest ways to tell if a vitamin company is legit is by looking for a male and female oriented vitamin. Men and woman need different amounts of vitamins and minerals, and a company that is trying to sell a one size fits all vitamin obviously don’t know what they are doing.