What Is Calcium And What Does It Do?

It takes calcium from the bone to perform other functions in place of these lost calcium. Therefore, you need to get enough calcium from your diet or supplements. 99% of the body's absorbed calcium is stored in bones and teeth. How much calcium you take in your diet will not be absorbed if you do not have enough vitamin D levels in your body. Both calcium and vitamin D are important for you. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium in the body. It helps reduce the risk of fractures in older patients. Adequate calcium intake of vitamin D3 as part of a balanced diet can reduce bone health risk. People with digestive disorders that make it difficult to damage and use calcium are also at high risk for calcium deficiency.

That's why it's important to try to get calcium from the foods we eat. When we don't get enough calcium for our body's needs, it's taken from our bones.

What is Vitamin D and What Is It?

Vitamin D plays an important role in protecting your bones and your body needs it to absorb calcium. Children need vitamin D to build strong bones, and adults need it to keep their bones strong and healthy. If you don't get enough vitamin D, you may lose bone, have lower bone density, and you are more likely to break bones as you age.

How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?

WOMAN AND MEN

Under 50 - 400-800 international units (IU) daily **

Ages 50 and above-800-1,000 IU daily **

Some people need more vitamin D. Vitamin D and calcium can be best friends if you want to keep your bones healthy. Get the right amount and you may be less likely to break one or have a debilitating bone disease called osteoporosis.

To find out how much vitamin D is right for you, you need to know something called the "international unit," or IU for the short term. That's how vitamin D is measured. For calcium, the amount you need depends on your age and gender

All adults 19-50: 1,000 milligrams

Adult men 51-70: 1,000 milligrams

Adult women 51-70: 1,200 milligrams

All adults 71 and older: 1,200 milligrams

Pregnant / breastfeeding women: 1,000 milligrams

Pregnant teenagers: 1,300 milligrams

How Do You Get Vitamin D and Calcium?

Vitamin D has many functions in the body, not all of which are well understood. You can get calcium from a variety of foods. For example, add some dairy to your diet, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. Or try vegetables like broccoli, kale, and Chinese cabbage.

Want an easy plan to get the recommended 1,000 milligrams a day? You can do this if you eat one packet of oats, one cup of orange juice, one cup of yogurt, and half a cup of cooked spinach.

Another source of nutrients is the sun. Your body is made of sunlight. But you need to wear sunscreen to protect your skin, and prevent your body from making vitamin D. Also, it can be difficult to make enough from the winter sun, depending on where you live.

If you don't get all the vitamin D and calcium you need from your diet, you can get it from supplements.

What are some of the signs of calcium deficiency?

Symptoms of calcium deficiency (also known as hypocalcemia) include pain or small fingers, muscle cramps, problems with proper blood clotting, fatigue and poor appetite - including mental disorders, skeletal defects, dermatitis, and infants, development of children's development and development. Diseases such as osteoporosis (fragile, thin, fragile bone) and rickets are also associated with deficiency.

Who should consider calcium supplementation?

Even if you eat a healthy, balanced diet, you may find it difficult to get enough calcium if you:

Follow the vegan diet

Has lactose intolerance and limits dairy products

Take a large amount of protein or sodium, which can cause your body to release more calcium

Has osteoporosis

Is receiving long-term treatment with corticosteroids

There are intestinal or digestive diseases that diminish your ability to absorb calcium, such as inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease

In this case, calcium supplements can help you meet your calcium needs. Talk to your doctor or dietitian to determine if calcium supplements are right for you.

Reading Labeling - How Much Calcium Do I Get?

To determine how much calcium is in a particular diet, check the nutrition labels panel for daily value of calcium (DV). Label foods list calcium as a percentage of DV. This amount is based on 1,000 mg of calcium a day. For example:

30% of DV calcium equals 300 mg.

20% of DV calcium equals 200 mg of calcium.

15% of DV calcium equals 150 mg of calcium.

In general, you do not need to take supplements that you do not need. Calcium supplements are available without prescriptions in a variety of preparations (including chewable and liquid) and in varying amounts. The best addition is to meet your needs based on convenience, cost and availability. When choosing the best supplement to meet your needs, keep in mind the following:

Carefully read the product labels to determine the amount of calcium element, the actual amount of calcium in the supplement, as well as how many doses or pills it takes. When reading labels, pay attention to "amount per serving" and "serving size."

Take calcium supplements with foods. Eating foods produces stomach acids that help your body absorb most of the extra calcium. An exception to the rule is calcium citrate, which can be absorbed well when taken with or without food. Calcium citrate works well on empty stomachs as well as on foods and can be taken at any time. This is also seen as a better option for parents, who have less stomach acid to absorb the product.

Daily dose. Calcium is absorbed most efficiently when taken in 500 milligrams (mg) or less at a time. Therefore, if you take 1,000 mg of calcium a day, split it into two or more doses throughout the day.

When starting a new calcium supplement, start with a smaller amount to better tolerate it. When changing supplements, try starting with 200-300 mg daily for a week, and drinking 6-8 ounces of water with it. Then gradually add calcium every week.

Vitamin k requirements with calcium. If you are taking vitamin D orally, you should also take vitamin K2.Vitamin K2 helps move calcium to the appropriate area where it is needed and removes it from unnecessary sites such as arteries and soft tissues. When you take vitamin D, your body creates more protein that depends on vitamin K2, a protein that moves the calcium around. They have many potential health benefits. But until K2 comes in to activate the protein, the benefits are unknown. So, really, if you are taking vitamin D, you are increasing the demand for K2 deficiency. Vitamin K2 is one of the reasons why people experience vitamin D toxicity symptoms which include incorrect calcification that causes arterial stiffness. And vitamins D and K2 cooperate to strengthen your bones and improve your heart health.

Choosing the Right Calcium - What About Supplements?

Science is clear: the type of calcium you drink is very important to your bone health.

Taking as much calcium as possible from a diet is optimal, but it is understood that maintaining a high daily dose of food alone is almost impossible. So switch to a sensible supplement.

However, it's important that the supplements you choose are bioavailable and easy to absorb. It should also be a relatively low dose, so you should not take more calcium than you can absorb. After all, a high dose is not necessary if the maximum amount of calcium is taken by your system. Before taking calcium supplements, make sure you have the right balance between calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K2 and magnesium. Lack of this balance of nutrients can lead to calcium-related health risks such as heart attacks and stroke. Therefore, taking the right calcium supplement at the right time can help us stay healthy and fit.

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