Calcium is the raw material your body uses to build bone mass. Without enough calcium, the body cuts corners during construction, and you’re left with weaker bones.
Let’s take a closer look at why calcium is crucial and how to make sure you’re getting enough.
99% of calcium is found in your bones, and here’s why
Children with a calcium deficiency may not grow to their full height. So, your grandmother was right to insist you finish your milk before leaving the dinner table.
Adults with a calcium deficiency are at risk for developing osteoporosis. Bone strength peaks around age 30-35 and then slowly starts to decline. Getting the right amount of calcium will slow this process and keep your bones strong and healthy for as long as possible.
Sufficient calcium is especially important for postmenopausal women because they experience greater bone loss and may not absorb calcium as well. (1) In a study of more than 36,000 postmenopausal women, investigators tracked the bone density of women who took 1,000 mg of calcium daily. Those women experienced a 1.06% increase in bone density in the hip. It may not seem like a lot, but the scientists said the improvement was significant. (2)
Other essential body processes using calcium
Calcium is needed for muscle contraction and healthy blood flow. It supports the release of hormones and helps maintain healthy communication between your brain and other areas of your body. (3)
What’s more, researchers have found that supplementing with calcium can reduce the severity of PMS symptoms. (4) One study contrasted PMS symptoms of two groups of women, one that received 500 mg of calcium twice a day, and one that was given a placebo. After 12 weeks, the calcium group reported decreased PMS symptoms of appetite change, fatigue, and depression. (5)
How to get the calcium you need
Dairy products are the classic, well-known source of calcium. But did you know you get a lot of calcium from dark green veggies such as broccoli, kale, and spinach? You’ll also find it in white beans and sardines.
Here’s a general guide to the amount of calcium you need each day: (6)
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8 years old and under 700-1000 mg
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9-18 1300mg
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Adults under 70 1000mg
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Adults over 70 1200mg
For those who might struggle to get enough calcium in their diet alone, a supplement is a good option. Excessive amounts of calcium can build up in your body and cause health problems, so consider what you’re getting from your diet and supplement accordingly.
The science is in: Getting back to basics is a successful strategy when improving your health from the inside out. Do yourself a favor with a calcium inventory. You may find it’s an area you can start improving today that will benefit you for years to come.
Let’s get healthier, together,
Your friends at Santo Remedio
References
[1] Reid, I. R., Mason, B., Horne, A., Ames, R., Reid, H. E., Bava, U., Bolland, M. J., & Gamble, G. D. (2006). Randomized controlled trial of calcium in healthy older women. The American journal of medicine, 119(9), 777–785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2006.02.038
[2] Jackson, R. D., LaCroix, A. Z., Gass, M., Wallace, R. B., Robbins, J., Lewis, C. E., Bassford, T., Beresford, S. A., Black, H. R., Blanchette, P., Bonds, D. E., Brunner, R. L., Brzyski, R. G., Caan, B., Cauley, J. A., Chlebowski, R. T., Cummings, S. R., Granek, I., Hays, J., Heiss, G., … Women's Health Initiative Investigators (2006). Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and the risk of fractures. The New England journal of medicine, 354(7), 669–683. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa055218
[3] Institute of Medicine (US) Committee to Review Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D and Calcium; Ross AC, Taylor CL, Yaktine AL, et al., editors. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011. 2, Overview of Calcium. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56060 /
[4] Zafari M, Aghamohammady A. Comparison of the effect of Vit E, VitB6, calcium and omega-3 on the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: a clinical randomized trial. Ann Res Rev Biol. 2014;4:1141–1149. http://doi.org/10.9734/arrb/2014/7503
[5] Ghanbari, Z., Haghollahi, F., Shariat, M., Foroshani, A. R., & Ashrafi, M. (2009). Effects of calcium supplement therapy in women with premenstrual syndrome. Taiwanese journal of obstetrics & gynecology, 48(2), 124–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1028-4559(09)60271-0
[6] Ross, A. C., Manson, J. E., Abrams, S. A., Aloia, J. F., Brannon, P. M., Clinton, S. K., Durazo-Arvizu, R. A., Gallagher, J. C., Gallo, R. L., Jones, G., Kovacs, C. S., Mayne, S. T., Rosen, C. J., & Shapses, S. A. (2011). The 2011 report on dietary reference intakes for calcium and vitamin D from the Institute of Medicine: what clinicians need to know. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 96(1), 53–58. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2010-2704
