Micronutrient Monday: What’s the Deal with Calcium?

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By: Amanda Schroeder

How many times have you heard someone talking about calcium? I’m sure you’ve lost count by now! For years, commercials, magazine advertisements, and the internet have all emphasized the importance of consuming this mineral, highlighting its vital role in the maintenance of healthy bones. I would even venture to say that it might be one of the most widely known minerals! But, your bones are not the only parts of you that benefit from calcium. In fact, it is so important that there is more calcium in your body than any other mineral! It helps your muscles move properly, supports the release of key hormones and enzymes, and allows your nerves to transmit signals from your brain throughout your entire body. What a multi-tasker! These processes are absolutely essential, but the widely viewed advertisements are correct; calcium’s primary function is to provide structure to your bones. Only about 1% of your total body calcium resides in your blood and various tissues to support the previously mentioned activities, but a whopping 99% is found in your bones and teeth. Just like any cell in your body, the cells in your bones undergo a constant renewal process whereby bone tissue is broken down and then reformed, or remodeled. Since nearly all of our calcium can be found in our bones as a structural component, it is required for this process to occur properly.

From birth through adolescence, the process of forming new bone cells happens at a much faster rate than that of breaking them down. This is why we grow! Bone mass reaches its peak some time in young adulthood and, from there, the rate of bone formation declines gradually, while the rate of deterioration remains the same. This happens to everyone, regardless of healthy lifestyle habits. The goal is to have the largest possible bone mass at your peak, so that you will have more to work with as this continues. Therefore, adequate calcium consumption is especially important early in life, during growing years. As levels decline during adulthood, bone formation and deterioration eventually begin to occur at similar rates, so bone mass can be easily maintained through healthy calcium levels. In older adults, however, bone cells start to break down more quickly than they are renewed, resulting in an inevitable loss of bone mass. This loss is intensified if you aren’t consuming enough calcium in your diet (your body can’t produce it on its own), as calcium slows deterioration and promotes the regrowth phase.

Even though only 1% of your total calcium is found in your blood, the actions it performs for your soft tissues, nerves and muscles are crucial to your body. If you don’t have enough calcium to maintain these functions, it will steal calcium from your bones in order to do so. Due to this process, there are no clear symptoms associated with short-term deficiency as calcium remains available in your blood. However, people who take certain medications, those who suffer from renal failure, or those who have had their stomach surgically removed are at risk for hypocalcemia, or excessively low levels of calcium in the blood. Symptoms of this condition can include lethargy, poor appetite, numbness or tingling in the fingers, muscle cramps, convulsions and, if left untreated, even death. Though calcium levels in the blood remain relatively constant for most people, bones suffer great losses during periods of deficiency. These losses can lead to osteopenia, or low bone mass. Over time, low bone mass causes abnormalities in the structure of the bone and increases the risk of fracture. This condition is referred to as osteoporosis and it unfortunately affects more than 10 million adults in this country, 80% of whom are female. Given the gradual nature of losing bone mass, those with the highest risk of developing osteoporosis are generally older individuals. In addition, women are much more likely to have low bone mass, which increases their risk dramatically, particularly in post-menopausal women.

So, how can you avoid these issues? Consume more calcium! This multi-tasking mineral is found in several foods, including dairy products, fortified breakfast cereals, various fortified beverages like orange juice or soymilk, dark green leafy vegetables, certain nuts, and broccoli. It is also available in the form of dietary supplements, though, as you might expect, food sources are much healthier and safer for your body. In extreme cases of elevated calcium levels in the blood, renal insufficiency and/or calcification of blood vessels and soft tissue can result, though such high levels are rare and are usually associated with primary hyperparathyroidism or malignancy. In healthy people, consuming large amounts of calcium can result in constipation and might interrupt the body’s absorption of iron and zinc. Excessive consumption through supplementation (but not food) can increase excretion of calcium through the urine, often resulting in kidney stones. Ouch! Keep in mind that many antacids, like Tums or Rolaids, contain a form of calcium that is absorbed by the body. So, consumption of these medications counts as supplementation! If you have tracked your calcium intake for a month or more (click here to get started on Supertracker) and you consistently struggle to reach the recommended amounts for your age and gender, make an appointment with a medical professional to discuss supplementation. Generally, low-dose supplementation is safe for most people. And, interestingly enough, your body can only absorb an average of 500 mg at any given time, so larger doses are not only not recommended, but a waste of your money!

Check out this table to find how much calcium you should be consuming every day!

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Calcium
Age Male Female Pregnant Lactating
0–6 months 200 mg 200 mg
7–12 months 260 mg 260 mg
1–3 years 700 mg 700 mg
4–8 years 1,000 mg 1,000 mg
9–13 years 1,300 mg 1,300 mg
14–18 years 1,300 mg 1,300 mg 1,300 mg 1,300 mg
19–50 years 1,000 mg 1,000 mg 1,000 mg 1,000 mg
51–70 years 1,000 mg 1,200 mg
71+ years 1,200 mg 1,200 mg

(https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/#h2)

Struggling to meet the recommendations? Take a look at these links for some calcium-rich recipe ideas!

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