Importance of Calcium

Many people know that adequate calcium intake is important to health. However, national nutrition surveys show that less than 50 per cent of adults aged 20 and older are consuming the calcium they need to maintain bone health and minimise bone loss that occurs with ageing. Unfortunately, many do not know how much calcium they need and many mistakenly believe that they are consuming enough.

Calcium is an essential nutrient your body needs every day. And, it's not just important for women. Optimal intake is crucial for children, adolescents, men and the aged too. The majority of calcium in the body makes up your bones and teeth and keeps them strong. However, beyond bone health, calcium is also needed to regulate certain body functions. Without calcium, muscles would not contract normally, blood would not clot and nerves would be carry messages.

Calcium and bone health go hand-in-hand. Increasing scientific evidence indicates that adequate calcium intake reduces the risk of several major chronic diseases, most notably osteoporosis, a potentially crippling disease of thin and fragile bones. If you do not get enough calcium from your daily diet to regulate body functions, your body will leech or “rob” the calcium from your bones to make up the difference. Over time this can reduce bone strengh and lead to osteoporosis. Optimal of calcium throughout life, from early childhood and adolescence though the postmenopausal and late adult year, reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

Research suggests that calcium also helps protect against colon cancer, high blood pressure and recurring premenstrual sydrome, and possibly cardiovascular disease and kidney stones. Your calcium needs extend throughout your lifetime. It is essential during childhood to young adulthood, the year that bones are forming and growing. The calcuim that you provide to your bones when you are young is one factor in determining how well they will hold up later in life. Gender plays a significant role in the need for calcium too. Pregnancy increases calcium requirements because of the needs of the devloping baby and because alterations in calcium absorption and metabolism occur throughout pregnancy. Lactating women need calcium to meet their needs and the requirements for milk production. During menopause and post menopause, the body produces much lees estrogen the risk of osteoporosis, which in turn increases calcium needs.

Both women and men over the age of 65 years need more calcium to combat calcium deficiencies. ''A certain amount of loss is a normal consequence of ageing," stated Nancy Wellman, Ph.D., R.D., professor and director, National Policy & resource Center on Nutrition and Ageing at the Florida International University. For instance, the age-related decline in the body's ability to absorb calcium can interfere with calcium levels. Also, lactose intolerance can lead to avoidance of calcium-rich foods.

Most adults need between 1,000 and 1,500 milligrams of calcium every day. Requirements for young children and adolescents range from 800 mg to 1500 mg daily. Some good food sources with their calcium content are:

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