Calcium is a mineral essential to all stages of life, age groups, and gender.

99% of the body’s calcium is stored in the bones and teeth. The remainder circulates in the blood for use by the muscles and nervous system. It is important to note that the body does not make its own calcium; it is obtained and absorbed from the foods in your diet. This will include supplements if you are taking them.

Calcium concentration must be kept constant, and if not enough is taken in to the body, calcium will be withdrawn from the store sites in your bones. The bones will gradually become less dense, losing some of their strength, which can then lead to osteoporosis (brittle, porous bones). Withdrawing calcium from the bones is the body’s way of keeping blood levels constant.

Men and women will naturally lose calcium from their bones as they age, but the rate of loss is much higher in women. Women who are experiencing menopause, will have a faster loss of calcium from their bones. A good store of calcium in the bones at the menopause stage of life, will assist a woman in keeping osteoporosis at bay.
A calcium rich diet for the first 30 to 40 years of your life is essential for building-up your calcium stores. This will put you in a good position for fighting off bone disease in later life.

Calcium is essential to the body for many functions including; maintaining healthy bones and teeth; muscle contraction, including heart beat regulation; maintaining a healthy nervous system; regulating blood pressure (aiding blood clotting); the fight against osteoporosis. Studies have shown that diets rich in calcium can help the body to manage fat cells by aiding the mechanisms that store fat in the body. The result can help with weight loss. Including foods rich in calcium can help create a feeling of fullness, which can help to prevent snacking in-between meals.

Factors that influence calcium absorption

Vitamin D: Obtained from the sun on our skin, and is prevalent in food items such as canned salmon, eggs, butter and margarine. Calcium can not function in the body without Vitamin D. This vitamin helps to regulate the absorption of calcium from the food we ingest.

Exercise: Weight bearing exercise is needed for optimal absorption of calcium into the bones. This can include, walking, aerobics, running, dancing, cycling, gardening, weights or even pushing a pram.

Protein: A high protein intake reduces absorption. Recent studies indicate that while dairy products are a good source of calcium, their high protein content can interfere with the body’s ability to use the calcium ingested. It is best to obtain calcium from a varied diet, which includes non-dairy sources such as soybeans, almonds and salmon.

Hormones: Menopause sees a decline in oestrogen levels, resulting in a decline in the body’s ability to absorb calcium from your diet. The adolescence (teens) stage of life sees less calcium being absorbed due to the changes in hormone levels for both males and females.

Weight: Extreme thinness, (low body fat levels) or following very restricted diets will affect calcium absorption, and see withdrawal from the bones as the body struggles to maintain a constant level of calcium in the blood. This can lead to osteoporosis in later life, as the skeleton has not been given a chance to become strong.

And: High levels of Caffeine, Salt, Alcohol or Smoking will all reduce the amount of calcium the body can absorb from the diet.

Signs of Deficiency

A mild calcium deficiency can lead to insomnia, brittle nails, muscle twitching, irritability, and palpitations. Severe deficiency affects the muscular system – cramps, pains, numbness, stiffness, and depression. A deficiency of this degree can cause rickets in children. The most at risk are the elderly, those who avoid dairy products or other sources of calcium rich foods, those on high protein/high fibre diets, or when consuming large amounts of alcohol.

How much do you need per day?

Men 800mg

Women 800mg

Pregnancy 1100-1300mg

Children 1000mg

Sources of Calcium

Milk (250ml) 290mg

Fortified Low Fat Milk (250ml) 450mg

Yoghurt, 200g 380mg

Cheese, 25g 240mg

Almonds, 50g 125mg

Tahini Sesame Paste, 20g 190mg

Sesame Bar, 40g 115mg

Salmon, 100g 185mg

Sardines, 50g 455mg

Soybeans, 1 cup 130mg

Fortified Soy Milk, (250ml) 290mg

Tofu, 100mg 130mg

Oysters, 6 145mg

Broccoli, 100g 125mg

Baked Beans, ¼ cup 50mg

Figs, 5 135mg

Brazil Nuts, ½ cup 123mg

Peanuts, ½ cup 134mg

Chinese Kale, 100g 179mg

Special K, 30g 200mg

Mixed grain bread, 1 slice 112mg

Brown bread, 1 slice 15mg

Louise Elcoat, Bachelor Science, Health Promotion, Nutrition, Psychology

Director of www.yourbodyhealth.com.au [http://www.yourbodyhealth.com.au]

Yourbodyhealth provides individually designed programs for any health issues that are concerning you. Diet, exercise, wellbeing, or specific conditions such as diabetes or cholesterol can be addressed with a Yourbodyhealth program.

A good food for good health is calcium and is great for bones and staying slim after 50. As you all probably know I am closer to fifty now than forty, even though I still feel as I did in my twenty’s, (some friends may add I still act like it sometimes).

Recently it has dawned on me that if I still want to feel this good for the next twenty years that I really should take steps now, so that I can maintain the good health that I am enjoying at the moment.

I have been looking in general at women’s health of my age and how to keep up good health through the next twenty years.

Middle-aged women, like myself I guess, have been told for years that they should take calcium and vitamin D tablets to protect their bones against osteoporosis that is why recently I have increased my intake of calcium.

I always eat a good balanced diet and as you know my theory is ‘good food good health’, so when I checked on the amount of dairy products Ted and I consume to calculate our daily intake, I was a little surprised that it was myself not Ted that was not always getting the required amount.

Our two daughters easily reach their required amount from their normal diet, as one of the cereals they eat is fortified with vitamins and they also drink a couple of milk shakes a day.

Osteoporosis is a disease due to loss of bone density with a break down of bone structure. Diseased bones become brittle, porous and thin, resulting in bones becoming easier to break especially those in the legs, hips and arms.

Women are far more prone to osteoporosis, in fact 80 per cent of all sufferers are women. So making sure we maintain a healthy balanced diet rich in dairy products is essential, and to check that our levels of calcium and vitamin D intake is correct.

Although 99 per cent of calcium in the body is found in the teeth and bones, the other 1 per cent plays a major role in our health and is found in muscles, blood, soft tissue, organs and nerves.

Meeting your calcium need is quite easy if you like milk and dairy products. Generally 8 ounces of milk provides about 300mg of calcium and general daily requirements are: -

Children 1 – 8 years 500 – 800mg

9 – 18 years 1300 mg

19 – 50 years 1000mg

Women 51+ with HRT and men 51+ 1200mg

Women 51+ without HRT 1500mg

Breastfeeding and pregnant women 1200mg

The best sources of calcium and vitamin D are Milk, cheese and yoghurt, and also foods made with milk, such as custard, rice pudding, ice cream etc.

Fish and shellfish are an excellent source of Vitamin D – salmon, tuna, herring, halibut, shrimps and oysters as well as eggs, milk and cod liver oil.

Low fat foods also contain good amounts of calcium including low fat yoghurt, skimmed and low fat fluid milk and buttermilk. Cheese contains varying amounts of calcium and in general, the more firm the cheese the more calcium in contains. Soft cheese has a low amount present and cream cheese is not a good source at all.

Keeping good bone health is essential for all of us at any age, and therefore our intake of calcium is beneficial. Calcium moves in and out of the bones throughout our lives.

The need for good supplies of calcium throughout childhood and teen years is crucial, as bones grow in size and density through this period.

Calcium combines with phosphorous to form teeth and bones, making them hard and resistant to decay and breaks, it also: -

Is vital in blood to help it clot normally.

Helps muscles to contract normally. A deficiency can cause spasms and cramp.

Is essential in the nervous system for messages to be passed from the brain to other parts if the body and back again.

Helps to regulate blood pressure. A deficiency or low intake of calcium has been associated with high blood pressure.

Calcium may help with the prevention of colon cancer. This is thought to work in tow ways, one if that it binds with fat and bile acids in the large intestine to keep them from causing harm, the other that it prevents the excessive growth of cells in the intestines that could otherwise lead to cancer.

Also new research has found that another incentive for taking calcium is that
It can help you stay slim, and this interested me greatly. The study found that women who were over 50 and took regular calcium and Vitamin D supplements are less likely to gain weight than those who do not, and what was surprising the women who had previously been deficient in Vitamin D and calcium had the greatest benefits.

The slimming effect is thought to be down to the fact that there is an improved breakdown of fat cells and also an increase in the production of leptin, a chemical that curbs your appetite.
Also experts said that stimulation of the metabolism is likely to be increased with a better balance of nutrients in our diet, and so I cannot stress to much the importance of the ‘good food good health’ benefits, and equally if you can get the required amount of calcium from a balanced diet can only be a plus, helping your body fight many diseases and the ever ageing process.

I have mentioned vitamin D several times and this is very important as calcium is not readily absorbed and used without this fat-soluble vitamin.

Vitamin D is often referred to as the ’sunshine vitamin’, as the action of the suns ultra violet rays forms vitamin D in the skin.

Specialists say that we need 15 minutes of sunlight to produce enough vitamin D in fair skinned people which should last for a couple of days, darker skinned people however need up to 3 hours.

The use of sunscreen 8 SPF of higher will form a barrier and prevent the formulation of vitamin D, so just wait 15 minutes before applying, but so not do this through the hottest hours. Clouds and window glass also prevent penetration of ultra violet rays.

So for good bone health – which means having the most dense and strong bones possible at reaching adulthood, a regular good intake of calcium is needed and continuously required after this age to help eliminate the chance of osteoporosis in latter years.

If to little calcium has been stored before the age of thirty in the bones or calcium is drawn out to fast in later life, then osteoporosis is at a greater risk.

All our bodies after the age of forty lose calcium quicker in the bones than going back in, and because of this we all need to be made aware just how important calcium in the diet is.

Many people have been put off from consuming dairy products over the past twenty or so years, and because of this health specialists are concerned about the future female population and the risk of osteoporosis. Also the specialists are watching the worrying trend of teenagers and fad diets that will cause complications to well being in future generations.

So for all of us the message is do not skimp on your dairy product intake, skimmed milk is just as rich in calcium, check you are consuming the correct amount in your diet. If you cannot get the required amounts in your daily diet then think about supplements. Always check with your doctor or medical practice before taking supplements as a sensible precaution, as it is with any medication.

Remember good food is good health

99% of the body’s calcium is stored in the bones and teeth. The remainder circulates in the blood for use by the muscles and nervous system. It is important to note that the body does not make its own calcium; it is obtained and absorbed from the foods in your diet. This will include supplements if you are taking them.

Calcium concentration must be kept constant, and if not enough is taken in to the body, calcium will be withdrawn from the store sites in your bones. The bones will gradually become less dense, losing some of their strength, which can then lead to osteoporosis (brittle, porous bones). Withdrawing calcium from the bones is the body’s way of keeping blood levels constant.

Men and women will naturally lose calcium from their bones as they age, but the rate of loss is much higher in women. Women who are experiencing menopause, will have a faster loss of calcium from their bones. A good store of calcium in the bones at the menopause stage of life, will assist a woman in keeping osteoporosis at bay.
A calcium rich diet for the first 30 to 40 years of your life is essential for building-up your calcium stores. This will put you in a good position for fighting off bone disease in later life.

Calcium is essential to the body for many functions including; maintaining healthy bones and teeth; muscle contraction, including heart beat regulation; maintaining a healthy nervous system; regulating blood pressure (aiding blood clotting); the fight against osteoporosis. Studies have shown that diets rich in calcium can help the body to manage fat cells by aiding the mechanisms that store fat in the body. The result can help with weight loss. Including foods rich in calcium can help create a feeling of fullness, which can help to prevent snacking in-between meals.

Factors that influence calcium absorption

Vitamin D: Obtained from the sun on our skin, and is prevalent in food items such as canned salmon, eggs, butter and margarine. Calcium can not function in the body without Vitamin D. This vitamin helps to regulate the absorption of calcium from the food we ingest.

Exercise: Weight bearing exercise is needed for optimal absorption of calcium into the bones. This can include, walking, aerobics, running, dancing, cycling, gardening, weights or even pushing a pram.

Protein: A high protein intake reduces absorption. Recent studies indicate that while dairy products are a good source of calcium, their high protein content can interfere with the body’s ability to use the calcium ingested. It is best to obtain calcium from a varied diet, which includes non-dairy sources such as soybeans, almonds and salmon.

Hormones: Menopause sees a decline in oestrogen levels, resulting in a decline in the body’s ability to absorb calcium from your diet. The adolescence (teens) stage of life sees less calcium being absorbed due to the changes in hormone levels for both males and females.

Weight: Extreme thinness, (low body fat levels) or following very restricted diets will affect calcium absorption, and see withdrawal from the bones as the body struggles to maintain a constant level of calcium in the blood. This can lead to osteoporosis in later life, as the skeleton has not been given a chance to become strong.

And: High levels of Caffeine, Salt, Alcohol or Smoking will all reduce the amount of calcium the body can absorb from the diet.

Signs of Deficiency

A mild calcium deficiency can lead to insomnia, brittle nails, muscle twitching, irritability, and palpitations. Severe deficiency affects the muscular system – cramps, pains, numbness, stiffness, and depression. A deficiency of this degree can cause rickets in children. The most at risk are the elderly, those who avoid dairy products or other sources of calcium rich foods, those on high protein/high fibre diets, or when consuming large amounts of alcohol.

How much do you need per day?

Men 800mg

Women 800mg

Pregnancy 1100-1300mg

Children 1000mg

Sources of Calcium

Milk (250ml) 290mg

Fortified Low Fat Milk (250ml) 450mg

Yoghurt, 200g 380mg

Cheese, 25g 240mg

Almonds, 50g 125mg

Tahini Sesame Paste, 20g 190mg

Sesame Bar, 40g 115mg

Salmon, 100g 185mg

Sardines, 50g 455mg

Soybeans, 1 cup 130mg

Fortified Soy Milk, (250ml) 290mg

Tofu, 100mg 130mg

Oysters, 6 145mg

Broccoli, 100g 125mg

Baked Beans, ¼ cup 50mg

Figs, 5 135mg

Brazil Nuts, ½ cup 123mg

Peanuts, ½ cup 134mg

Chinese Kale, 100g 179mg

Special K, 30g 200mg

Mixed grain bread, 1 slice 112mg

Brown bread, 1 slice 15mg

Calcium should be a very important part of your daily diet. If you do not absorb a sufficient amount of calcium into your body, then in the long run it can cause problems with bone and tooth growth and formation.

At one point in time, it was thought that too much calcium intake would contribute to the formation of kidney stones. Now studies have shown that high calcium intake can actually decrease the formation of kidney stones. However, this does not mean you should go overboard and add a large amount of products with calcium to your diet – this can actually hurt your body. It can cause hypocalcaemia, reduce the absorption of other minerals and compromise your kidney function.

You should also be sure that along with ensuring that you have a sufficient amount of calcium in your diet, that you also include Vitamin D, which helps the body absorb the calcium.

How should you get the calcium that you require? Dairy products are known for the amount of calcium they have. Milk also has vitamin D to help absorb the calcium.

Unfortunately, much of the population is allergic to dairy products, particularly those who are not of Indo-European descent. There are also people (like vegans) that do not consume dairy products because of ethical reasons. Therefore they must find other ways to get the calcium they need to stay healthy. There are many other food products that have calcium in them such as oranges, broccoli, seaweeds, almonds, sesame seeds, and many more including crushed eggshells.

There is also an abundance of health supplements on the market that can substitute for food products. However, it is suggested be medical authorities that if you use a supplement, you only take 500 mgs at a time. This is because the more calcium that you put into your body, the less your body absorbs. You should also spread your doses throughout the day. Recommended intake of calcium ranges from 1000 to 1200 mgs a day depending on your age.

You can find the calcium content amount in most foods in the USDA National Nutrient Database. Calcium amounts required for a healthy body must be met throughout life or the deficiency can have harm effects. Long-term deficiency of calcium can cause osteoporosis. It has also been shown that calcium increases lymphatic fluids.

As mentioned, the calcium required to have a healthy body varies by age. Babies 0-6 months need 210 mgs per day; babies 7-12 months require 270 mgs per day. Toddlers 1-3 years of age should intake 500 mgs per day. Children 4-8 years of age need 800 mgs a day and children 9-18 years require 1300 mgs a day. As for adults, those 19-50 years of age need 1000 mgs a day and older adults should take 1200 mgs of calcium per day.

In conclusion, everyone should have the recommended mgs of calcium a day to stay healthy. Without calcium, our bones and teeth can become very brittle and we can have problems such as osteoporosis in our later years. So for those of you who can tolerate dairy products, eat/drink them daily. For those who cannot, take a multivitamin or calcium supplement daily.

Children 1 – 8 years 500 – 800mg

9 – 18 years 1300 mg

19 – 50 years 1000mg

Women 51+ with HRT and men 51+ 1200mg

Women 51+ without HRT 1500mg

Breastfeeding and pregnant women 1200mg

The best sources of calcium and vitamin D are Milk, cheese and yoghurt, and also foods made with milk, such as custard, rice pudding, ice cream etc.

Fish and shellfish are an excellent source of Vitamin D – salmon, tuna, herring, halibut, shrimps and oysters as well as eggs, milk and cod liver oil.

Low fat foods also contain good amounts of calcium including low fat yoghurt, skimmed and low fat fluid milk and buttermilk. Cheese contains varying amounts of calcium and in general, the more firm the cheese the more calcium in contains. Soft cheese has a low amount present and cream cheese is not a good source at all.

Keeping good bone health is essential for all of us at any age, and therefore our intake of calcium is beneficial. Calcium moves in and out of the bones throughout our lives.

The need for good supplies of calcium throughout childhood and teen years is crucial, as bones grow in size and density through this period.

Calcium combines with phosphorous to form teeth and bones, making them hard and resistant to decay and breaks, it also: -

Is vital in blood to help it clot normally.

Helps muscles to contract normally. A deficiency can cause spasms and cramp.

Is essential in the nervous system for messages to be passed from the brain to other parts if the body and back again.

Helps to regulate blood pressure. A deficiency or low intake of calcium has been associated with high blood pressure.

Calcium may help with the prevention of colon cancer. This is thought to work in tow ways, one if that it binds with fat and bile acids in the large intestine to keep them from causing harm, the other that it prevents the excessive growth of cells in the intestines that could otherwise lead to cancer.

Also new research has found that another incentive for taking calcium is that
It can help you stay slim, and this interested me greatly. The study found that women who were over 50 and took regular calcium and Vitamin D supplements are less likely to gain weight than those who do not, and what was surprising the women who had previously been deficient in Vitamin D and calcium had the greatest benefits.

The slimming effect is thought to be down to the fact that there is an improved breakdown of fat cells and also an increase in the production of leptin, a chemical that curbs your appetite.
Also experts said that stimulation of the metabolism is likely to be increased with a better balance of nutrients in our diet, and so I cannot stress to much the importance of the ‘good food good health’ benefits, and equally if you can get the required amount of calcium from a balanced diet can only be a plus, helping your body fight many diseases and the ever ageing process.

I have mentioned vitamin D several times and this is very important as calcium is not readily absorbed and used without this fat-soluble vitamin.

Vitamin D is often referred to as the ’sunshine vitamin’, as the action of the suns ultra violet rays forms vitamin D in the skin.

Specialists say that we need 15 minutes of sunlight to produce enough vitamin D in fair skinned people which should last for a couple of days, darker skinned people however need up to 3 hours.

The use of sunscreen 8 SPF of higher will form a barrier and prevent the formulation of vitamin D, so just wait 15 minutes before applying, but so not do this through the hottest hours. Clouds and window glass also prevent penetration of ultra violet rays.

So for good bone health – which means having the most dense and strong bones possible at reaching adulthood, a regular good intake of calcium is needed and continuously required after this age to help eliminate the chance of osteoporosis in latter years.

If to little calcium has been stored before the age of thirty in the bones or calcium is drawn out to fast in later life, then osteoporosis is at a greater risk.

All our bodies after the age of forty lose calcium quicker in the bones than going back in, and because of this we all need to be made aware just how important calcium in the diet is.

Many people have been put off from consuming dairy products over the past twenty or so years, and because of this health specialists are concerned about the future female population and the risk of osteoporosis. Also the specialists are watching the worrying trend of teenagers and fad diets that will cause complications to well being in future generations.

So for all of us the message is do not skimp on your dairy product intake, skimmed milk is just as rich in calcium, check you are consuming the correct amount in your diet. If you cannot get the required amounts in your daily diet then think about supplements. Always check with your doctor or medical practice before taking supplements as a sensible precaution, as it is with any medication.

Remember good food is good health

Ted and Sandra

By: Ted Wosko