Introduction
Calcium is the mineral present in the highest amount in the body and has several important functions.
It is necessary for muscle contraction, blood vessel function, secretion of hormones and enzymes, as well as transmission of signals through the nervous system. Normally the body maintains a constant level of calcium located in fluids and tissues.
History
Over 99% of total body calcium is in bones and teeth, which is designed to support their structure. The remaining 1% is present in blood, muscle and inter-cellular fluids.
Bones suffer continuous remodeling, which includes two processes that occur continuously, re-absorption and one process of formation of new bone tissue by the deposition of calcium. Both processes occur throughout life, but the balance between them changes alongside with the age.
During childhood, bone formation is more intense than re-absorption. For young adults, both processes are relatively equal, but for older ones, especially for women after menopause, re-absorption exceeds bone formation and increases the risk of osteoporosis.
According to Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S. RDA for calcium is: Age (women and men) RDA Calcium (mg / day) Pregnancy
0-6 months 210 -
7-12 months 270 -
1-3 years 500 -
4-8 years 800 -
9-13 years 1300 -
14-18 years 1300 1300
19-50 years 1000 1000
over 50 years 1200
U.S. statistics show, however, that most people (64% of boys and 87% of girls between 12-19 years, and 55% of men and 78% of women over 20 years) do not consume the recommended daily calcium.
Features
What foods contain calcium?
In general, dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese and cheese) are the main source of calcium in your diet, and other food contributes to increased calcium intake.
People with lactose intolerance and those who do not consume animal products sometimes are tempted to completely eliminate dairy from their diet. For these people, it is important to supplement their diet with other foods high in calcium, such as, for example, Chinese cabbage and broccoli.
Although most cereals are rich in calcium, yet they contribute to calcium intake by eating frequently. There are also products with added calcium, such as fruit juices, tofu and cereals.
Some plants, such as spinach contain substances that can reduce calcium absorption in the body.
Therefore, it may take several servings of spinach to get the same amount of calcium that comes from a cup of milk.
Vitamins calcium are essential to the body and can not be substituted by any other substance. Vitamins calcium support metabolic processes and they convert consumed nutrients into energy and they accelerate biological processes. Vitamins calcium are among the components of blood, skin and bones, they also have a role in removing harmful substances from our body from environmental toxins.
Vitamins calcium do not have calories or energy, but they are a part of the enzyme systems, without which the body's biochemical processes won’t work.
Without enzymes and vitamins, our life would not exist. So we can say without exaggeration that these substances are absolutely vital, absolutely essential to life.
Your body needs micronutrients in small amounts, but their impact is enormous. Micro-nutrients include vitamins calcium and iron such as vitamin C, D and E.
You can manage to consume the necessary daily amount of these micro-nutrients only if you eat natural or fortified processed foods.
