Low calcium despite supplements? Why absorption matters

What is Calcium?

Calcium is one of the most vital elements that the human body need, and it is also one that is abundant in our bodies. Calcium is required for the creation of healthy bones. It is incredibly important for people at all ages, from the foetal to the elderly. It is especially important to take it at the prescribed dose throughout the teen age period (10-19 years), because rapid growth occurs during this time and their height is dependent on it. Calcium fulfils both the roles of bone creation and resorption in bone, which is why bone is the body's calcium store (which transfer mineral from blood to bone). Because foetal growth begins at 10 weeks of gestation and continues until the baby reaches full size, calcium must be consumed at an optimal amount during pregnancy. The foetus’s bone development is influenced by the mother's dietary calcium intake; similarly, during nursing, women require extra calcium to maintain their own and their baby's bone growth. As a result, calcium-rich foods such as milk and milk derivatives, millets like ragi, animal food, and green leafy vegetables must be included in one's diet.

Did you know?

It is a colony of intestinal flora. It is a huge colony of various strains of bacteria which thrive inside the gut. They are located along the gastrointestinal tract, skin, ears, nose, mouth. Food has a great influence on microbial composition and its functioning. If you are allergic to soy/dairy/gluten and continue eating it, it can disturb your intestinal lining of the gut. On the other hand, the probiotics present in fermented foods can support and strengthen the tight junctions of the epithelial linings of the gut.

• A high-protein diet combined with excessive meat and salt consumption causes the body to lose calcium, resulting in osteoporosis.
• Because oestrogen protects the bones in younger women but not in postmenopausal women, they are at risk of calcium insufficiency.
• Colonic Ca2+ absorption is vitamin D-dependent, therefore it's probable that it'll play a role in disorders like short bowel syndrome.
• Intestinal Ca2+ absorption is stimulated by growth, pregnancy, and breastfeeding, but ageing is followed with a reduction in the cation's absorption.
• The efficiency of Ca2+ absorption improves when the needs grow and/or the intake is low.
• Lactosucrose has recently become highly significant in people and animals in order to boost intestinal Ca2+ absorption because it induces a reduction in intestinal pH, which increases the solubility of Ca2+ ions.
• Boys have greater Ca2+ retention than females at varied Ca2+ intakes, according to studies, and this difference is due to increased intestinal Ca2+ absorption and lower urine excretion in boys compared to females. (Pérez et al,2008)
• In comparison to probiotics and synbiotics, prebiotics are the most promising and well-studied compounds in terms of bone health-promoting potential.
• Phytates, oxalates, and tannins can form insoluble complexes with Ca2+, reducing cation absorption. This impact is most noticeable in imbalanced diets, such as those that are low in dairy and high in fibre.
• The urine loss of calcium diminishes with age, perhaps due to a drop in filtered calcium load and an age-related drop in intestinal calcium absorption efficiency.
• Milk and other dairy products, as well as green, leafy vegetables, shellfish, nuts, and dry beans, are naturally high in calcium. Orange juice, morning cereals, breads, and other fortified foods also contain calcium.
• In order to support bone growth and development, new-borns, children, and teenagers require a high dietary calcium consumption. Calcium is also essential for the proper development of foetal bones; hence pregnant women have increased calcium requirements. Women who have achieved menopause should also ensure that they get enough calcium to lower their risk of osteoporosis.

Some lesser known but Calcium rich foods

References

1. 1. Pérez, A. V., Picotto, G., Carpentieri, A. R., Rivoira, M. A., López, M. E. P., & De Talamoni, N. G. T. (2008). Minireview on regulation of intestinal calcium absorption.Digestion,77(1), 22-34.
2. 2. Calcium." Institute of Medicine. 1997. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5776
3. 3. Scholz-Ahrens, K. E., Ade, P., Marten, B., Weber, P., Timm, W., Aςil, Y., ... & Schrezenmeir, J. (2007). Prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics affect mineral absorption, bone mineral content, and bone structure.The Journal of nutrition,137(3), 838S-846S.
4. 4. https://www.nin.res.in/ebooks/Calcium.pdf