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How to increase calcium in the blood?
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
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The question of how to increase calcium in the blood is becoming increasingly relevant, since calcium is one of the most important elements in the human diet.
Calcium is a structural component of bones, teeth, and soft tissues. It is very important in many metabolic processes of the body. Calcium accounts for 1 to 2% of an adult's body weight, 99% of which is stored in bones and teeth. At the cellular level, calcium is used to regulate the permeability and electrical conductivity of biological membranes (e.g., cell walls) that control muscle and nerve functions, glandular secretions, and blood vessel elasticity. Calcium is also necessary for blood clotting.
The average calcium level in the blood for an adult is 2.15 - 2.50 mol/liter. A decrease in this indicator is quite undesirable and can be a consequence of a number of dangerous diseases. In this case, you will have to think about how to increase calcium in the blood.
With a sharp decrease in the level of calcium in the body, first of all, it is necessary to exclude such diseases as osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, enlargement of the thyroid gland, as well as the presence of malignant neoplasms. Unfortunately, the growth of these diseases among the population has become critical these days.
[ Causes of decreased calcium in the blood
The list of reasons for the decrease in calcium in the body is quite extensive. First of all, it should be noted that calcium enters the body through food and water. Therefore, these days, the question of how to increase calcium in the blood is especially worrying for people who abuse unbalanced diets and fasting. Women during pregnancy and breastfeeding, in the postmenopausal period, as well as children during the period of active growth are also at risk. Excessive coffee consumption, smoking and frequent stress are also the reasons for the strong consumption of calcium. That is why it is so important to know how to increase calcium in the blood.
The causes of calcium reduction may be digestive tract problems, such as intestinal dysbacteriosis, food allergies; thyroid and parathyroid gland diseases, kidney diseases. With an unbalanced diet, calcium may be replaced in the body by other chemical elements that prevent normal calcium absorption. These include iron, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, as well as lead and zinc. The presence of sufficient vitamin D in the body plays a major role in calcium absorption.
Symptoms of Low Blood Calcium
Symptoms of low calcium in the blood usually do not take long to appear. First of all, the bones and muscles will react to the lack of this microelement, and their condition will significantly worsen. Bones become porous and brittle, caries appears, the heart rate increases, and muscle spasms are observed. Calcium deficiency also affects the health of other organs. In this case, the question arises: how to increase calcium in the blood?
People suffering from calcium deficiency look pale and lethargic, get tired quickly, and become lazy. They are more sensitive to cold weather. The most obvious symptom is sweating around the head even in cold weather. Nervousness and mental disorders can also be eloquent symptoms of low calcium in the blood.
Children born to mothers whose blood calcium levels were below the minimum norm usually also suffer from a deficiency of this micronutrient. Calcium deficiency in such children becomes more noticeable if there is not enough calcium, protein, minerals and vitamins supplied by whole milk, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Children who do not receive enough calcium stop growing, and muscle tissue development slows down. They have a poor appetite, and if they are force-fed, they may develop gag reflexes. They also have frequent stomach upsets and diarrhea. Calcium deficiency reduces the body's resistance. Such children become easy prey for respiratory and intestinal infections. Parents of such children must be aware of how to increase calcium in the blood.
Calcium deficiency in young girls causes late puberty, frequent menstrual irregularities, excessive bleeding, anemia. The body's resistance to infections is reduced.
In case of insufficient calcium during pregnancy, the development of the fetus continues, relying on the reserve calcium from the mother's bones, which can later cause serious illnesses. Bleeding, lack of breast milk, poor mental concentration, a long postpartum period - all these are common symptoms of low calcium in the blood after childbirth. In this case, a successful solution to the problem of how to increase calcium in the blood becomes especially relevant.
In elderly people, a lack of calcium in the blood can cause an exacerbation of chronic diseases and problems with the cardiovascular system, since the work of the heart, the elasticity of blood vessels and nerve fibers are directly related to the balance of calcium in the blood.
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Treatment of low calcium in the blood
Treatment of low calcium in the blood should begin with balancing the diet. How to increase calcium in the blood? First of all, you should pay attention to providing the body with a number of vitamins that promote optimal absorption of calcium.
Vitamin D, allowing the body to absorb calcium from the intestines, due to its interaction with proteins necessary for the transport of calcium through the intestinal membrane into the bloodstream. Vitamin D also helps maintain an optimal balance of calcium and phosphorus in the process of bone mineralization.
Vitamin C also actively promotes the absorption of additional calcium and helps strengthen the body's resistance to harmful fungi and bacteria (such as Candida fungi), which also interfere with the effective absorption of calcium.
Magnesium interacts with calcium in regulating the cardiovascular system, muscle activity, circulatory and nervous systems. The optimal ratio of calcium and magnesium is 2:1, and it is very important that the magnesium indicator does not exceed the upper permissible limits.
Lactose, found in dairy products, helps the intestines absorb calcium in infants, although there is no evidence that this applies to adults.
As noted earlier, diet plays a major role in deciding how to increase calcium in the blood. The key is to maintain the right balance. For example, fats and proteins in our diet help with calcium absorption, but only if they are not consumed in excess. High-protein diets popular since the late 90s actually help reduce overall calcium absorption by increasing the rate at which calcium leaves the body and enters the intestines.
Foods that increase calcium in the blood
Much has already been said about the need for proper nutrition. But it is worth dwelling in more detail on the list of products that will help increase calcium in the blood. Nutritionists recommend that people suffering from calcium deficiency include dairy products in their diet. These are various cheeses, yoghurts, milk (preferably low-fat or skim), etc.
Non-dairy foods can also be a source of calcium. These include the following: salmon, sardines, kale, tofu, rhubarb, spinach, turnips, caviar, white beans, broccoli, peas, Brussels sprouts.
Frequent consumption of products with high levels of oxalic and phytic acids, as well as caffeine, is not recommended. The harm of these microelements to the body is due to their ability to block calcium.
Oxalic acid is found in large quantities in foods such as spinach, rhubarb, chocolate, cocoa, parsley, poppy seeds, beets, Swiss chard, star fruit, nuts, berries, and beans. Tea leaves also contain a fair amount of oxalic acid, although fortunately for tea lovers, the amount of oxalic acid in the drink itself is very limited, since not many leaves are used in brewing.
Phytic acid is another chemical that inhibits calcium absorption. It is found in cereals, grains, seeds, and nuts.
Phytic acid levels can be reduced by cooking foods, soaking them in an acidic environment, fermenting them, or sprouting grains.
As an example, bread made from cereals does not actually interfere with calcium absorption, since when yeast is added to the dough starter, phytic acid breaks down. It is important to note that phytin is not actually a microelement harmful to humans, it simply inhibits calcium absorption. So eating foods high in phytic acid is entirely possible, but in limited quantities.
The situation with caffeine is about the same. If you drink coffee in moderate doses, caffeine has a very minor effect on calcium absorption. You can reduce and compensate for the loss of calcium by adding one or two tablespoons of milk to your coffee.
Tablets that increase calcium in the blood
How to increase calcium in the blood with pills? You should take pills that increase calcium in the blood very carefully. It is important to follow the instructions and advice of doctors, since an excess of calcium in the blood is no less dangerous than its deficiency.
There are established norms for calcium consumption per day (including the calcium that enters the body with food). Children aged 1 to 3 years need 500 mg, 4 to 8 years - 800 mg; adolescents up to 18 years need 1300 mg; adults aged 19 to 50 - 1000 mg; people over 51 need 1200 mg of calcium per day.
Tablets that increase calcium in the blood are recommended to be combined with taking vitamins D, C, and magnesium (for example, MAGNE-B6). Various multivitamins are also suitable.
It is also worth noting the positive role of protein in calcium absorption, in particular the amino acids lysine and glycine. Therefore, calcium supplements are often made in chelated form (not necessarily with these two amino acids). Chelated supplements are linked to amino acids, which help calcium to be better absorbed.
It is also worth remembering that all medications can cause side effects and should not be taken without a doctor's recommendation.
How to increase calcium in the blood with the help of drugs? Among the most famous drugs that help to increase calcium, the following should be noted: CALCIUM + ASCORBIC ACID (Calcium + ascorbic acid), CALCIUM GLUCONATE (Calcii gluconas), CALCIUM LACTATE (Calcii lactas), CALCIUM CHLORIDE (Calcii chloridum), etc.