Learn About the Importance of Calcium for Your Health

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Calcium is an essential mineral that the body needs for good health. It is often mistaken  that the main function of calcium is only to maintain strong bones and teeth.  The fact is, calcium plays an important role in a lot of bodily functions.

Calcium is needed to help carry substances between the cell wall, it helps transmit nerve signals from one neuron to another, it is needed in the contractions of all muscles, and calcium is also needed for balancing blood pH levels.

The body strictly regulates the levels of calcium to maintain the pH of the body which is about 7.35 to 7.45. Anything below 7.35 will trigger the release of calcium from bone. On the other hand, above 7.45 encourages calcium to be absorbed back to the bone. 

If there is less calcium intake from food, the body will be forced to use up all available calcium from the bones and this can lead to osteoporosis. For this reason, calcium supplements are very important to prevent and treat any calcium deficiency. A 20 year old adult typically needs about 1000 mg of calcium a day and a teenager who is at a growth spurt needs about 1200 mg a day. The advice of medical experts is that supplements are taken in with food and. It is also best to spread the dosage, taking half the dose in the morning and the other half in the evening for better calcium absorption.

Vitamin D is typically added to calcium supplements. Vitamin D is important since this vitamin is converted into a hormone that synthesizes the production of intestinal proteins. These intestinal proteins, on the other hand, help in the absorption of calcium in the gut.

There are a lot of foods rich is calcium. Milk is rich in this mineral and is easily absorbed. Unfortunately, a lot of people are lactose intolerant. Soya Milk is vegetable derived milk that is rich in protein. Calcium is added to meet the required calcium levels.

Coral calcium is another excellent source of calcium. This calcium supplement is usually in tablet or powder form and this product really comes from fossilized corals. Coral calcium is made of calcium carbonate and trace minerals.