Calcium Deficiency
March 8th, 2007Every seven years your entire skeleton breaks down and is regenerated again so in real terms your skeletal system is no older than seven years no matter how old you are age wise. Almost all of the calcium in your body is in your skeleton. There is only about 1 percent extra calcium outside of your skeletal system and most of this one percent is in your blood. As a child it is important to always get enough calcium in your diet on a daily basis or your bones will simply not fully form properly. Calcium deficiency can be a serious problem as you get older since your body needs an adequate supply of calcium to keep you bones, blood and surrounding cells healthy. A calcium deficiency in your later years can lead to osteoporosis which can make your bones like eggshells.
By not consuming enough daily calcium over a prolonged period of time your bones will become spongy and brittle as you get older, this is directly related to a long term calcium deficiency. When this happens your bones can break under the slightest of stress, even while walking. Women are especially prone to a calcium deficiency more than men due to the monthly menstruation cycle where the woman’s body loses calcium through the loss of blood. Osteoporosis is not the type of condition that happens overnight, it is a gradual process where the body loses vital amounts of calcium over a period of years. It is almost impossible to detect osteoporosis since X-rays can’t detect it until your bones are in an advanced state of decay and at this point it is too late. This is why it is essential to keep a constant eye on taking in an adequate supply of calcium daily.
Babies need about 500mg of calcium per day, from the ages of 1-10 the body needs around 800mg per day. From ages 11-25 we need the highest intake of daily calcium at a level of 1200mg. After age 25 we should regularly consume about 800mg per day for the rest of our lives to prevent a calcium deficiency. Pregnant women need more calcium than the average person but it would be best to consult your doctor in relation to how much would be ideal for you during that period.
Since osteoporosis is so difficult to detect you may get some early warning signs that may indicate you seriously need to increase you calcium intake. If you suffer from an aching back or have regular muscle spasms this may indicate some of those early warning signs. Also if your body feels uncomfortable to move, twist or if bending down causes you pain it might be due to a calcium deficiency. The reason why you may begin to feel pain in your back and other bones is because your diet is not supplying the necessary calcium it needs to keep you healthy and flexible so your body draws calcium from your bones. The longer this goes on for the more brittle your bones will become. Over an extended period of years this leads to osteoporosis due to a calcium deficiency.
Eating an excess of sugar or foods with a high rating on the glycemic index like white flour and potatoes can have an adverse reaction on the delicate acid level in your stomach which may have the effect of minimizing the amount of calcium your body can actually utilize for healthy bones. So eating foods high in refined sugar will not only make you fat, they may increase your long term risk of osteoporosis.
Although calcium doesn’t often come directly from all protein foods you eat it is essential to eat enough complete proteins in your diet so your body will be able to absorb the calcium you ingest properly and help towards avoiding a calcium deficiency. The protein you need to have in your body acts as a transport for calcium into your system in a similar way to how glucose acts as a transport for carbohydrates and protein into your muscles. Your body is basically one giant chemical chain reaction and if one chemical, mineral or vitamin is deficient your whole system can suffer as a result.
There are a number of other ways the body can lose calcium from normal everyday activities like sweating during exercise. Even drinking an excess of water can deplete your calcium supplies and over time this can lead to a calcium deficiency. Although it’s common knowledge alcohol is not good for you for numerous reasons, it also has the effect of acting as a strong diuretic drawing out calcium from your body through excess urination. Stress can be another factor related to the loss of calcium since when you are under stress your body needs to produce more stress reducing hormones. Since this calcium is used for hormone production it means there is less calcium for your bones.
Exercising is not only healthy for your muscles and heart, it is also one of the ways your bones get stronger. It’s the pressure put on your bones that actually makes them stronger. So along with a diet high in protein and necessary calcium intake, a regular program of low intensity exercise like walking and medium to high intensity training like resistance training with weights or your own bodyweight is ideal to keep your bones healthy and strong into your later years and minimizes many of the long term problems associated with a calcium deficiency. Calcium is also used for glycogen storage. Glycogen is what food is turned into for energy and stored in the muscles. If you have ever worked out with weights and you feel a burn or obvious pump in the muscle you are training, this is due to the burning of glycogen in the muscle. Glycogen is necessary for muscle contraction, without it you may suffer from spasms and cramping in your muscles.
The biggest problem with calcium deficiency is you may not know you are suffering from it until it’s too late and a huge percentage of your bone mass has wasted away. It is for this reason you need to be conscious of taking in the necessary 800mg of calcium per day throughout your life. You can get by for years on a lower dose but eventually this will catch up with you and the result can be debilitating due to numerous years of calcium deficiency within your body. The easiest way to take in enough calcium each day is through calcium rich dairy foods. If you don’t eat dairy you can take in calcium through vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and spinach. Nuts like almonds and brazil nuts as well as sesame seeds also contain calcium. Salmon is very high in calcium. You can also ingest adequate calcium through fortified juices, breads and breakfast cereals.
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