Importance and requirement of calcium for maintaining healthy bones

All living organisms including human beings need calcium as a vital nutrient. It is the most abundant mineral in the body and is crucial for healthy bones. Interestingly, nearly ninety-nine percent of the body’s calcium content is present in the bones.

This essential mineral is available in several natural foods and is also fortified in certain products. Besides, calcium health supplements are also available. Along with calcium, humans need Vitamin D for its absorption. Vitamin D is naturally synthesized in the body on exposure to sunlight and is also available in foods like fish oil. 

The deficiency of calcium causes degeneration of the bones and joints leading to injuries, fractures and bone diseases. Weak bones also hamper mobility thereby preventing a healthy lifestyle. Hence, sufficient calcium intake and exercise is important for having good bone density. 

FIMS Hospital, a leading multi-specialityhospital in Coimbatore, is known for its end to end ortho-care services thanks to an in-house team of best bone specialists in Coimbatore. The hospital provides affordable treatment for various orthopaedic problems like arthritis, osteoporosis and frozen shoulder. It has also shown high success rates in knee joint replacement surgery and spine surgery in Coimbatore.

Importance of Calcium in Bone Health

Calcium is one of the most important nutrients for bone health. That is because bones are living tissues that are also undergoing biological changes. Throughout their lifespan, bones are constantly broken down and rebuilt in a process called remodelling. The cells that build the bones are called osteoblasts and those that break them down when calcium is needed are termed osteoclasts.

Normal healthy individuals who have sufficient calcium intake and physical activity have more bone production than degeneration till the age of thirty years. Subsequently, bone destruction exceeds production causing bone loss. It is seen that women tend to experience more loss in bone density than their male counterparts due to menopause.  This stage lowers the hormones that are essential to preserve and build bones.

 Calcium is also known to lower the rates of hip fractures which occur frequently in elders and postmenopausal women. Therefore, getting sufficient calcium along with Vitamin D through diet and supplements compensates for bone loss and slows down its progression. But, with ageing, the absorption of calcium into the body diminishes and makes the bones weak. Hence, exercises and physical activity is also needed for retaining bone health and mobility.

Calcium Deficiency and Toxicity

In the initial stages, calcium deficiency leads to loss of bone mass. As the condition progresses, it causes hypocalcemia. This is due to kidney failure, gastric bypass surgeries or diuretic medications that hinder the absorption of calcium. Common symptoms of hypocalcemia include muscle cramps, numbness in the fingers, poor appetite and unusual heart rate.

On the contrary, too much consumption of calcium causes a condition called hypercalcemia because of toxicity. Hypercalcemia increases the probability of kidney stones, constipation and prostate cancer. Excessive accumulation of calcium can also result in heart blocks or hinder the absorption of other vital minerals like iron and zinc.

Signs of hypercalcemia On the contrary, too much consumption of calcium causes a condition called hypercalcemia because of toxicity. Hypercalcemia increases the probability of kidney stones, constipation and prostate cancer. 

Excessive accumulation of calcium can also result in heart blocks or hinder the absorption of other vital minerals like iron and zinc. Signs of hypercalcemia include fatigue, exhaustion, irregular heartbeats, palpitations, nausea, and shortness of breath and chest pain.

Requirement and Sources of Calcium

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of calcium is about one thousand milligrams daily for people up to the age of fifty years. Beyond that age, adults and seniors need a calcium intake of one thousand two hundred milligrams per day.

 

Apart from milk and dairy products including cheese and yoghurt, calcium is present in several foods like fruits, leafy greens including collard, kale, spinach and turnip, beans, nuts like almonds, orange juice fortified with calcium, soya products, canned sardines and salmon with bones.

 Interestingly certain nutrients like sodium and medications like corticosteroids increase the need for calcium as they reduce the absorption of calcium in the gut or cause more calcium to be excreted from the body through urine.

Let’s recall quickly-

·       Calcium plays a vital role in having healthy bones and teeth.

·       An optimal intake of this mineral along with Vitamin D coupled with a consistent exercise routine is recommended for preventing bone disorders.

·       The daily intake of calcium for adults should not cross two thousand five hundred milligrams.      

For more information and all bone-related problems, please approach this renowned ortho hospital in Coimbatore - FIMS Hospital.