Calcium benefits for body are many. Calcium is a major structural component of teeth and bones, helping to maintain tissue rigidity, strength, and flexibility.
Almost all of the calcium in your body is kept in your bones and teeth. The bones serve as a calcium storage facility for the body, allowing it to regulate calcium levels in the blood. Bones and teeth contain the vast majority of the body’s calcium supply, which is an inorganic compound of calcium and phosphate.
Your bones are constantly changing as you go about your day, losing calcium and then gaining it back in the form of new bone. Bone remodeling is essential for adjusting bone size throughout development, fixing fractures, keeping blood calcium levels steady, and replenishing depleted mineral stores.
Calcium Benefits for Your Body
Cardiovascular tension is regulated by calcium ions, which are dispersed throughout the blood, extracellular fluid, and other tissues. In addition to contraction and dilatation, muscle function, blood coagulation, nerve 
transmission, and hormone production are also regulated by the vagus nerve.
Because of its many beneficial effects on human health, calcium has been called “the richest mineral in our body.” Some of its essential benefits for body functionings are:
- It helps strengthen teeth
- Bone formation
- Maintaining the strength of the skeleton
- Assisting in muscles movement
- Nerves transmitter
- Blood flow
- Releasing hormones and enzymes
Rich-Calcium Food Source
Dairy products and foods made with dairy ingredients like yogurt, milk, and cheese are excellent sources of calcium. Food source other than dairy products that are rich in calcium include,
- Canned fish, such sardines and salmon
- Greens and cabbages, including kale, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage
- Grains are a good source of calcium unless they are fortified.
Although calcium in grains don’t contain much of the mineral, but many people eat them regularly to ensure their diet includes sufficient amounts of the substance.
Some fortified juices use calcium citrate malate. A type of calcium that is easily absorbed by the body, calcium-fortified foods include:
- Juices and other beverages
- Tofu
- Cereal
Different foods have different levels of calcium absorption. There might be as much as a 30% increase in absorption from foods like dairy and fortified foods. However, it is only 5% or less calcium in plants such as collard greens, sweet potatoes, rhubarb, spinach, and beans since these foods contain other minerals. Studies have shown that consuming some plants can reduce calcium absorption by causing the formation of indigestible salts with the minerals.
Broccoli, kale, and cabbage which do not contain these minerals, have calcium bioavailability comparable to milk’s, while having far less calcium per serving.
The Importance of Calcium for Women
Calcium is of significant benefit to women, especially when calcium levels increase throughout the first 30 years of life and then fall gradually with age. Since calcium is essential for the formation of new bone and the maintenance of bone strength, women are more susceptible to bone loss as they age than men. Some of the key-points of the importance of the calcium for women are:
- If a woman has poor dietary habits before, during, or after pregnancy, she may experience bone loss as a result of motherhood. When there’s a food deficit, the fetus turns first to the mother’s bones for sustenance.
- Researchers have shown that calcium plays a crucial function in lowering blood pressure.
- Calcium is used to regulate magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus levels in the blood.
- A calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, a condition characterized by brittle, easily fractured bones.
- After menopause, a woman’s body begins to break down bone at a faster rate than it can be replaced, increasing the likelihood that she may develop osteoporosis.
In order to reach peak bone mass and slow the rate of bone loss in old age, a diet rich in calcium is essential. In addition to having healthy vitamin D level, which has been linked to a reduction in PMS symptoms and a decreased risk of breast cancer in women.
The Proper Amount of calcium intake
Calcium consumption, like that of other nutrients, may differ among humans based on factors such as sex, age, and health. The National Academy of Sciences has established guidelines for nutrient planning and assessment known as the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs).
According to (DRIs), the following are the minimum daily intakes required for various individuals to meet their nutrient needs:
Calcium requirements vary by age and sex.
Ages 19-50, 2,000 mg
Ages 51-70, 1,000 mg
Ages 71+ 1,200 mg
19-50 year old women are prescribed 1,000mg
Men and women over the age of 51 should take 1,200 mg
Calcium intakes beyond 2,500 mg daily are not encouraged for healthy persons aged 19-50. Adults aged 51 and up are given no more than 2,000 mg per day.
Best Calcium Supplements for Women
In today’s competitive supplement market, you can choose from among several excellent brands that provide you with the nutrients your body lacks.
For your own health and safety, you should see a doctor before purchasing any kind of supplement. Take a supplement only if your doctor recommends it and after a blood test to determine your current vitamin levels.
Calcium carbonate and calcium citrate are the most popular types of calcium supplements prescribed by doctors.
- Calcium carbonate – Those with low stomach acid may not absorb as much calcium from calcium carbonate supplements unless they are taken with food.
- Calcium citrate – Unlike calcium carbonate, calcium citrate does not require stomach acid for absorption.
Nonetheless, regardless of gastric acid levels, calcium supplements are more effectively absorbed when consumed alongside food. Supplements can also provide calcium in the forms of sulfate, ascorbate, microcrystalline hydroxyapatite, gluconate, lactate, and phosphate.
The Effects of Calcium Deficiency on Your Body
Vitamin D insufficiency, which is necessary for the regulation of the calcium, is a more common cause of rickets and other bone problems in children and adults.
- Children suffering from rickets, abnormal mineralization of growth cartilage can cause permanent skeletal deformities.
- Osteomalacia, or faulty bone formation and bone fragility, can occur in adults and children with severe calcium insufficiency.
- Hypoparathyroidism, poor bone calcium reabsorption, critical illness, and the use of certain drugs are associated with diminished parathyroid hormone (PTH) production.
A lack of symptoms is common when hypocalcemia is moderate or long-lasting. Because low serum calcium levels can affect so many different organs and diseases, their symptoms can be rather different when they do occur. One of the most prevalent signs is increased neuronal reactivity, which can develop as muscle pain, twitching, or numbness in the hands and feet.
Take-Home Points
Calcium plays an important role in the structure of teeth and bones, ensuring that these components remain strong and flexible as we age. The bones act as a calcium store, helping the body to control blood calcium levels.
- These are just a few of the many benefits calcium offers for healthy body functions:
- It helps strengthen teeth
- Development of Bones
- Preserving the health of the skeleton
- Facilitating muscle movement
Calcium is easily absorbed by the body through foods that contain dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese. Calcium-rich foods that are not dairy products include,
- Canned fich, including sardines and salmon
- With the exception of fortified varieties, greens and cabbages (such as kale, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage) are a rich source of calcium.
Women, in particular, are more likely to experience bone loss as they age than men do, because calcium is required for both the production of new bone and the preservation of bone strength.
Absence of other vitamins, such magnesium and vitamin D, can make calcium absorption difficult. These two nutrients are crucial for a number of bodily processes. Recent studies have shown that magnesium plays a role in activating vitamin D, which in turn helps regulate calcium and phosphate balance, which in turn influences bone formation and maintenance.
Egg yolks, canned salmon, fortified meals, and sun exposure are among the few food sources of vitamin D.
According to (DRIs), different people need different minimum daily intakes of nutrients. It can be difficult for some people to consume enough calcium to meet their body’s needs such as vegans, lactose-intolerant people, and those with gastrointestinal disorders. In such cases, calcium supplements can help you satisfy your calcium requirements.
Consult your family doctor before using any supplements, as we always recommend, to prevent future health problems.
References
Healing With Vitamins, By the Editors of, Prevention Health Books
According to National Institute of Health (NIH) Bethesda, MD.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2008.00146.x
https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/133/6/1987S/4688107?searchresult=1
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130924135144.htm
https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-attack/calcium-supplements-and-risk-of-heart-attack
______________________________________________
If you decide to purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. It will help us continue our research and maintain our website. Read our full DISCLOSURE Policy
You may leave comments if you like in the comment section provided at the end of each article, and I will be more than happy to answer your questions and concerns.
THIS POST IS INTENDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY AND DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY MEDICAL ADVICE. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Ignoring professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the site is NOT recommended. Contact your doctor or dial 911 in case of emergency.