| We were raised on television commercials reiterating | | | | Healthy calcium levels range depending on age and |
| that calcium was vital for strong bones and healthy | | | | needs. Babies six months and under need just 210mg |
| bodies. "Milk does a body good," stars and athletes | | | | or 270mg of calcium for six to twelve months. From |
| would say with a smile. "Got milk?" was another | | | | one to three years old, the child will then take in |
| popular slogan. As we learn more about nutrition, we | | | | 500mg; from four to eight, 800 mg; from nine to |
| find that this chemical element is, in fact, the most | | | | eighteen 1300mg; from nineteen to fifty 1,000mg and |
| plentiful mineral in the human body, residing primarily in | | | | from 51+ 1,200. |
| teeth and bones, but also in nerve cells, body tissues, | | | | Our bones naturally undergo a process of bone |
| blood and other body fluids. | | | | breakdown and bone formation. During our childhood, |
| So where can you find calcium? Most people | | | | there is more formation so we need less. These |
| instinctively think of milk, cheese and yogurt, as dairy | | | | processes even-out in our middle years. As we age, |
| products are the most significant source for this | | | | there is more bone loss, which is why we need to be |
| essential mineral. The good thing about deriving your | | | | more conscientious about our calcium intake in |
| calcium intake from milk is that milk also contains | | | | post-menopausal and retirement years. |
| phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin D, which help the | | | | Hypocalcemia, which is a calcium deficiency, may |
| body absorb and use the mineral more effectively. | | | | result from renal failure, stomach surgery or the use |
| What you may not realize is that you can also get | | | | of certain diuretics. As a result, patients who cannot |
| this essential chemical element from leafy greens, | | | | absorb sufficient calcium may experience numbness in |
| such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard greens, bok | | | | their fingers, muscle cramps, convulsions, lethargy, |
| choy and turnip greens. | | | | mental confusion or poor appetite, and in the worst |
| Salmon, sardines, shellfish, almonds, Brazil nuts, | | | | cases, abnormal heart rhythms. |
| fortified soy milk and baked beans are other sources, | | | | People with this affliction should be under strict |
| although you may need to eat a lot to get the kind | | | | doctor supervision and may need to take a special |
| of levels dairy products contain. A calcium supplement | | | | type of calcium supplement to ensure intake and |
| may be taken daily or a few Tums may do the trick. | | | | absorption. Another concern is osteoporosis, or a loss |
| Sometimes, orange juice or bread may have certain | | | | of bone density, which affects more than 10 million |
| calcium levels to help those who are lactose intolerant | | | | Americans, 80% of whom are women, and leads to |
| achieve their daily recommended value. | | | | broken bones, trouble with mobility and pain. |