What is calcium? - Calcium facts

The element calcium is the third most abundant alkaline earth metal in the earth's crust. However, despite this, it cannot be found as an element in nature since it easily binds a chemical reaction with air and water to combine with other elements and form compounds. Calcium facts show that the most abundant calcium sources that occur naturally are chalk, gypsum, and lime. Lime is made up of calcium carbonate, which is basically a compound of calcium and carbon.

The Romans were the first people to use calcium in the first century but it was Sir Humphrey Davy of England who discovered the element in 1808 by extracting the metal using electrolysis of calcium carbonate and hot mercury in order to extract the metal calcium. Since then, calcium has been in use in industries for many applications.

Other calcium facts are: calcium supplements sold commercially are actually compounds of calcium citrate or calcium carbonate. The body merely breaks these compounds down during digestion and separate calcium for the body to absorb. Calcium facts are 99% of our calcium intake goes to the bones and teeth. The remaining 1% mixes in the blood and used by the body, which is integral for other vital processes such as blood coagulation, muscle contraction, and proper functioning of the central nervous system.

More calcium facts
The body needs calcium to maintain bone density. Otherwise, long-term calcium deficiency can lead to the crippling disease known as osteoporosis especially in the elderly. Osteoporosis happens when the bones become loses its density and becomes brittle – which is prone to fractures even in minor accidents. In the U.S., more than $13 billion is spent for health insurance services in treating osteoporosis-related incidents such as fractured bones.

Calcium pantothenate, popularly known as vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid, is a compound essential in cell metabolism and synthesis of enzymes like carbohydrates, fatty acids, and even protein in order for the release of energy.

Calcium facts – daily requirements
We need calcium all throughout our lives. Infants age 0-6months and 7-12months are required a daily intake of 210mg and 270mg, respectively. Toddlers need 500mg of calcium per day while preschool children aged 4-8 years old need 800mg. Calcium is vital between the ages 9-18, especially during the growth spurt years of puberty in which adolescent tend to be most active. Calcium needs to be maintained at 1000mg each day from 19-50 years of age to prevent osteoporosis later in life. Older people aged 50 and above need 1200mg of calcium while pregnant and lactating women need 1300mg of calcium to support the infants as well as themselves.

Calcium and Osteoporosis

If you grow old to be a hunched person, blame your parents for it. Experts say that osteoporosis is actually a pediatric issue.

Calcium and osteoporosis is linked together like bread and butter. The calcium intake during the early years of life will determine if the child will grow and reach his full potential. Moreover, it is also the basis for the strength of the child’s bones. Those from 1-3 years old are required a daily calcium intake of at least 500 mg. Children with ages ranging from 4-8 need about 800 mg, while those from 9-18 years old should have a daily intake of 1300 mg calcium to be able to achieve maximum growth potential.

Unfortunately, the relationship between calcium and osteoporosis is one of the most misunderstood issues of science. The Institute of Medicine has found out that a good number of our children are taking in calcium below the amount that is required of them. Painful as it is, we are depriving them of a healthier future.

Calcium and osteoporosis are closely associated with each other because about 99% of the body’s calcium is found in the bones. But this does not mean that this amount is intended for the bones’ use only. Should the body require calcium for its other processes, the calcium found in the bones can be expelled into the bloodstream. However, the calcium in the bones is the one that gives them strength. This means that the lesser the calcium in the bones, the weaker the bones are.

The issue of calcium and osteoporosis varies according to one’s sex, menopausal status, and age. There are studies conducted which revealed that the majority of females above 11 years old shows a decline in their calcium intake. This is because they opt for soda in their diet instead of milk, but males do not seem to have the same problem.

Medical practitioners insist that women should be more informed about calcium and osteoporosis matters because they are more susceptible to the problems associated with these. Furthermore, studies confirmed that a lot of women fail to get the required calcium in their diets. Hence, it is necessary for them to get their calcium needs from supplements.

Since we cannot all go back to our childhood years and hoard on milk and other dairies, it is never too late to act right now. Consult your doctor regarding the right amount of calcium for your body. Regrets over what should have been done will not do anything to improve your health.

Calcium Deficiency

Regardless how ads and media make a fuss over calcium and its sources, a good percentage of the population is still not getting enough of it. Does that mean ads are not what they claim to be? Possibly. Are people indifferent to it because they don’t know the effects of calcium deficiency? Most likely.

Like an eyesight problem, calcium deficiency is more pronounced as age increases. Calcium may be the most abundant among all the minerals in the body, but, a growing concern for lack of it is one of the major issues among Americans. From the time a person is born, 99% of the calcium in his body can be found stored in his teeth and bones. However, by the time a person reaches his thirties, his body no longer stores calcium in the same places. Thus, if there is a need to “fix” bones, the body’s sole source is the ingested calcium.

A person who does not eat as much calcium as necessary will suffer from calcium deficiency. This disorder prevents the body from remodeling bones which can eventually lead to decrease in bone density.

To better understand calcium deficiency, think of your body as a bank, and calcium as your savings account. If you have a lot of it stored early in life, your bone will have plenty to look forward to by the time retirement comes. Those who saved up little are more likely to be faced with calcium deficiency later on in their lives.

If one is suffering from calcium deficiency, or if there is an inadequate supply of calcium, the bones in the body are in a weak state and are susceptible to develop small holes. This condition will then lead to osteoporosis.

Today, there are about 10 million people suffering from this bone disease in the United States alone. Furthermore, over 30 million of the population are said to be suffering from osteopenia, or the premature stage of osteoporosis. Those with calcium deficiency are at a greater risk of fracturing the ribs, hips, spine, pelvis, and wrist.

A high percentage of those with osteoporosis are women. This is because women who are in the menopausal stage have poor amounts of estrogen in their body. Strict vegetarians and people who are lactose intolerant can be vulnerable candidates for osteoporosis because they are more likely suffering from calcium deficiency.

What used to be an old woman’s worry is now becoming a child’s issue as well. Just because we are far from the midlife phase does not mean that we can’t have calcium deficiency before then. It is never too late to act.

Calcium and Magnesium

The most common human and most rich body mineral is Calcium, with about ninety-nine percent of body calcium entirety in the teeth and bones, in addition to one percent in soft tissues and blood. It is one of the most essential minerals implicated in the healing and avoidance of osteoporosis.

Magnesium on the other hand, is a mineral that take part in preserving healthy bones, and is the body’s fourth most copious cation, with sixty percent found in bones and forty percent spread equally among non-muscular tissue and muscle. Together calcium and magnesium work hand in hand to give the body’s bone, teeth, and muscles what it needs to be strong.

Calcium and magnesium deficiency can cause health problems such as muscle cramps, insomnia, tension, aches and pains, diabetes, high blood pressure, PMS, and osteoporosis. Magnesium is vital for the absorption of calcium and has an important role in muscle, nerve, and heart function. Together with Vitamin C and D, they are become great aids for Calcium absorption, with studies suggesting that calcium with Vitamin D aid in preventing, slowing down, and even reversing the painful results of bone loss.

A lot of people think that the most important reason to obtain calcium and magnesium supplement is to create strong bones. However, the requirement for calcium and magnesium is much more complex than that. Sufficient intake of everyday dietary calcium is necessary for the control of heart rate, muscle contraction, blood clotting, and many more. Magnesium is a vital co-factor in more than three-hundred of the body’s enzymatic reactions, which contributes to the production of the cardiovascular purposes and energy construction and synthesis.

Calcium and magnesium work together, where magnesium augments calcium absorption and efforts with calcium to contract and relax muscles, as well as soothing and comforting the nerves. Jointly, they build a complicatedly connected relationship that supports the nervous system.

The roles of these two very essential minerals of the body should not be underestimated. Although only a little quantity of blood calcium is required in the soft tissues and in the blood, lacking it would cause the heart to beat unsteadily, the muscles not contracting correctly, the blood would not clot, and the nerves would not carry messages.

The body sees the bone as an emergency source of calcium for the daily life-giving processes it undergoes, it automatically takes the calcium it needs from the bones if the supply it requires is not met by the body. That is why adequate provision of calcium and magnesium in the body through ones diet is imperative to protect the bones from this destructive process.

Calcium

If splurging on milk, cheese, and other dairy products means that we will be totally spared from osteoporosis and other bone-related diseases, cows would need to produce milk than usual. For those who are not as fond of the cow’s produce but are as scared of osteoporosis as everybody is, calcium supplements save their day.

But are all forms of calcium the same? Will each of them be as effective as the other in preventing bone density loss? Unfortunately, not everything you see in commercials is true. Otherwise, if they all stick to the whole truths, no one is going to make money.

So now, the million-dollar-question is “what is the best source of calcium for our bones?” Dr. Hans Nieper, M.D. of Germany made extensive studies found out interesting things. The study stated that calcium is most useful in the prevention of bone-related issues when it is in the calcium orotate form. To someone who does not study this field, Dr. Nieper’s discovery is very hard to understand indeed.

The body just doesn’t absorb all forms of calcium as they are taken in and convert them to bone-building stuff. If that was the case, osteoporosis and the like, would all be unheard of. However, the body goes through a lot of chemical changes in order to make use of those bone-density-boosters that we are taking in. Chemical catalysts or enzymes work hand in hand with other vitamins and minerals to work the process. Thus, these other elements are also as important as calcium is. This means that one should exist along with the others.

Magnesium is one of the elements required for the chemical process. Along with calcium, magnesium serves as the fuel that controls the heart. That is why it is not that difficult to understand why both of these minerals need to be present abundantly.

Admittedly, people who indulge on dairy products (ice cream included) do not seem to have any calcium issue. But generally, while calcium deficiency in people is rare, it remains to be a possibility. Sometimes, individuals may just be suffering from magnesium deficiency, but have been pointing their fingers at the wrong thing.

Calcium does not prevent any bone disease all by itself. If we lack Vitamin C, our calcium intake may lead us to suffer from kidney stones. Bottomline, there has to be a balance of everything. People have the misconception that if they take on too much of something all at once, the more effective it is. Nothing can be farther from the truth.