Lack of calcium in women, men and children: signs how to make up
How often, having felt an indisposition, we search for the reasons there where they are not present. We are trying to blame for our problems a polluted environment, bad weather, negligent and conflicting employees, etc., etc. The state of hair, nails, teeth is worsened - dirty air and radiation are guilty, sleep problems and irritability have appeared. Stressful situations provoked by heartless people, tormented joint pains and high blood pressure are all due to weather and heavy physical labor. And after all, we do not even think that the cause of our condition can be purely internal and consist in a deficiency of vitamins and important trace elements, for example, a lack of calcium in the body.
Why do we need calcium?
It's no secret that our body includes most of the minerals from Mendeleev's table, a detailed acquaintance with which occurs during school days. One of such minerals necessary to man is calcium (the 20th element of the table with the designation Ca).
According to its content in the body and the invaluable role that it plays in human life, the mineral takes the honorable fifth place in the list of trace elements contained in our body. A lot or a little, but 2% of the body weight of a man accounts for calcium. And this is about 1-2 kilograms in terms of the weight of an adult.
In fact, 99% of the calcium in the body is our bones. And about 1% of the total amount of microelements in the human body circulates through the circulatory system, which delivers this trace element to various organs and systems of the body. After all, the need for calcium is tested not only by bone tissue.
To begin with, cell membranes contain such universal components for transporting nutrients to the interior of the cell, like calcium channels. Thus, thanks to calcium, the cells are fed, the mechanisms of their aging and death are regulated.
First of all, calcium is needed for bone and neuromuscular tissue. It is the basis of bones and teeth, is a part of nails and hair, due to which all these components are distinguished by sufficient strength. Beautiful shiny hair, healthy strong teeth, strong smooth nails - are not these indicators of health and beauty? Not in vain because this micronutrient received the title of "mineral beauty". And the need to maintain the mineral composition of the skeleton is not even worth arguing, because it depends on our ability to stand, walk, lift weights, etc.
Calcium is involved in the regulation of the contractile function of the musculature of a person, including the heart muscle. He is the conductor of nerve impulses, in parallel feeding the tissues of the nervous system.
Calcium in the blood supports normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, regulates the secretory function of various glands producing specific hormones, and blood coagulability, controls enzymatic activity and DNA synthesis at various stages of this process. It is thanks to calcium that the internal environment of the organism remains intact (homeostasis).
It is easy to imagine how dangerous a person can be a lack of calcium in the body, if from this mineral actually affects all of his work capacity.
Causes of the lack of calcium
So, calcium deficiency is observed if a person regularly receives less than the necessary norm of this important trace element. But there are situations when people of the same age (for example, husband and wife or twin children) eat the same food, receive the same amount of calcium with it, but in their organisms completely different levels of this mineral are found. Let's figure out what can affect the calcium content in the human body.
Among the factors that cause a lack of calcium in the body is the following:
- Improper food with the predominance of genetically modified food components and synthetic substitutes for natural products that do not carry any nutritional value, but can negatively affect metabolic processes in the body.
- Strict diets for correction of the figure, which can not only limit the intake of calcium in the body, but also contribute to the washing out of the bones of the already existing mineral.
- Some medical diets with limited use of dairy products, meat, eggs, chocolate, i.e. Products with a high content of calcium.
- The lack of information about the calcium content in food and the needs of the organism in this trace element, which would give an opportunity to adjust its diet. Ignorance of this information leads to the fact that many people, even eating natural products, can not cover the daily need for calcium.
- Lack of information about the conditions under which calcium is absorbed in the body to a greater extent. This whimsical element of the periodic table is not always easily absorbed in the intestines and absorbed by the cells. And some food (for example, coffee and alcohol) and medications (popular acetylsalicylic acid, which can be found in many drugs, tranquilizers, narcotics) can even interfere with the absorption of calcium.
- Shortage in the body of vitamin D, which contributes to a more complete assimilation of Ca. Causes of calcium deficiency due to vitamin D deficiency in the body can be: an insufficient dose of sunlight with increased sensitivity to him or a constant stay in the room, starvation, the use of purely plant foods (vegetarianism).
- Excessive passion for cigarettes and strong coffee, as a result of which calcium is poorly absorbed, and its insoluble compounds accumulate in the body, forming stones in the kidneys.
- Insufficient mineralization of drinking water.
- Lactose intolerance, in connection with which a person can not use dairy and other products containing lactose. But dairy products are actually the main source of calcium from childhood.
- Disruption of estrogen production.
- The presence in the body of a large number of microelements, stimulating the excretion of Ca from the body. These trace elements include metals (lead, iron, cobalt, zinc), as well as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and sodium.
- The intake of certain medications that can bind and excrete calcium not only from bones, but also from the body as a whole. These drugs include hormonal and anticonvulsant drugs, laxatives and diuretics, tranquilizers, antacids and regulators of gastric juice secretion (reduce absorption due to alkaline content of the stomach), antibiotics (tetracycline, which in this connection is not recommended for the treatment of children).
Risk factors
Risk factors for the development of hypocalcemia can be periods of pregnancy and lactation, when a part of the calcium the mother's body is forced to give to a child who is in her womb or who is breastfeeding, as well as certain diseases with metabolic disorders.
With regard to diseases in which the level of calcium in the body decreases, here the pathology of the digestive system comes first, one of the causes of which is again an unbalanced diet. The worst case is with a violation of absorption of Ca in the intestine, associated with various pathologies. It can be a dysbacteriosis or a fungal infection (candidiasis), a food allergy or enterocolitis with a chronic course and some other diseases.
The cause of hypocalcemia sometimes are: pancreatitis, kidney and thyroid disease (eg, hypoparathyroidism), hematopoiesis.
To promote the development of hypocalcemia can also sedentary lifestyle (slows the metabolism of calcium), frequent stress, regular use of beverages like "Pepsi-Cola" (especially in childhood), transfer of infants to artificial feeding (digestibility of calcium from breast milk is twice as high as from dairy mixtures). The thermal treatment of products also changes the calcium in their composition, which makes it less digestible.
Pathogenesis
It turns out that without the participation of calcium, the functioning of any organ or system of the human body is not complete. And the need for calcium is preserved at all stages of human life: from the moment of conception and until death.
The child begins to receive calcium from the mother's body before his birth. The body of a newborn baby already contains about 30 grams of calcium. The human body is gradually growing and developing, and hence the need for calcium remains for a long time.
It is necessary to understand that once hitting the body, calcium does not remain there forever. He is constantly spent on the implementation of various processes of human life. Part of it is washed out of the body under the influence of certain factors, while more than 50% of the calcium coming from outside is not absorbed by the body at all.
All this suggests that the supply of calcium should be constantly replenished, according to the needs of the body, which undergo different changes in different age periods.
At the heart of the pathogenesis of calcium deficiency in the body, which in medicine is called hypocalcemia, is a violation of the norms of consumption of the trace element, in connection with which the body loses the building material for the bone system and teeth, and the remaining systems begin to fail. So, let's talk about the daily rate of calcium for people of different ages.
For normal growth and development of an infant, his body should receive 400 mg of Ca daily. For babies from 6 months to a year, the need for calcium increases by another 200 mg and is 600 mg.
Children under 10 years of age should receive about 800 mg of calcium daily, because during this period the skeleton of the child is actively growing. The norm for adolescents and adults varies from 800 mg to 1 g. In old age, the need for calcium is even greater and reaches 1200 mg per day.
The increased need for calcium is experienced by people of advanced age, young people engaged in heavy physical labor, athletes and those who lead an active lifestyle, women during pregnancy and lactation.
The need for calcium depends on the processes occurring in the body in this or that period of a person's life. If a person constantly receives less than a daily micronutrient norm, corresponding to his age and type of activity, a deficiency of calcium in the body is revealed, which manifests itself in the form of a definite symptom complex, indicating various abnormalities in the work of the organism.
In the first place, of course, the bone system suffers, because it contains the lion's share of calcium. Since the distribution of calcium in the body is regulated by the parathyroid glands (small round formations around the "thyroid"), they use the synthesized parathyroid hormone to redistribute the mineral, taking calcium from the bones for the needs of other organs and systems in order to preserve homeostasis. Calcium in the necessary amount is removed from the bones into the blood and distributed throughout the body.
In the absence of sufficient calcium intake, the lost part of the "building material" bone becomes more fragile and porous, its strength decreases.
For the purpose of self-preservation, the body can not take all the calcium from the bones. So this process will not last indefinitely, and at some point the lack of calcium will begin to feel not only the bone, but also many other human systems, which will negatively affect his health and capabilities.
Symptoms of the lack of calcium
Symptomatic calcium deficiency in the body can be very diverse and resemble the manifestations of various pathologies and conditions of man. Not all symptoms can be immediately associated with this pathology, but there are some that, when they occur, you should immediately think about the normalization of nutrition and the intake of additional doses of calcium in the form of medications. However, before this, it is still necessary to visit a doctor who will confirm the diagnosis, give recommendations on nutrition and will dose medications.
So, the first obvious signs and alarming symptoms of a lack of calcium in the body can be considered:
- Deterioration of hair condition and premature fallout. The hair becomes dull and brittle, it has a tendency to delamination and fatness (or drying out) due to metabolic disorders, which cause disruptions in the work of sebaceous and sweat glands.
- Problems with the teeth. This is a violation of the sensitivity of tooth enamel, premature deterioration of the teeth, frequent recurrences of caries, inflammatory processes in the gum area.
- Increased brittleness and delamination of the nail plate.
- Painful look.
- Convulsive syndrome.
- The development of osteoporosis in adolescence and young age.
- Increased incidents of injury with a fracture of bones.
But there are other manifestations of this condition that can hardly be called specific, which is why they are often attributed to fatigue or diseases such as arthritis, avitaminosis, hypertension, etc., but not hypocalcemia. Nevertheless, for the lack of calcium in the human body can indicate such symptoms as:
- Decreased performance due to rapid fatigue and constant weakness.
- Sleep disorders, manifested in difficulties with falling asleep and awakening, even against the background of general calm.
- Manifestations of emotional lability (mood swings, flashes of irritability and anger, acute inadequate reaction to criticism).
- High susceptibility to stress, which was not previously observed.
- The emerging difficulties with concentration and memory.
- Problems with muscles and joints. Incompatible pains in the joints of the hands and feet, muscle pains (myalgia), more frequent cases of cramps in the gastrocnemius muscle, the muscles of the hand and foot (especially under the influence of cold).
- Propensity to bleeding due to decreased blood clotting due to lack of calcium. It can manifest itself in the form of frequent nasal bleeding, bleeding gums, profuse and prolonged menstruation. Sometimes on the body there are bruises that are not associated with a trauma to the body.
- The appearance of reactions of intolerance to antigens, previously did not cause such an immune response. In adults, it manifests itself in the form of normal allergies, in children - in the form of diathesis.
- A general decrease in the body's defenses. Reduced immunity entails frequent cases of colds and infectious diseases that occur with complications or become chronic. There are also frequent exacerbations of chronic infections.
The deficiency of Ca in the body may indicate symptoms such as early gray hair and increased sweating.
Sometimes the body tells us what it lacks. Children are more sensitive to such signals and less constrained by convention, so they gladly lick the walls and gnaw the chalk at any convenient opportunity. This behavior, as well as insufficient growth of the child (relative to the norm for a certain age and taking into account the heredity), becomes a clear sign that the baby does not have enough calcium in the body.
Symptoms of lack of calcium in the body in women
Household problems, caring for her husband and children take a lot of time for a woman, and she does not even think about that irritability, fatigue, deterioration of health and appearance are the cause of the pathological condition of the body, expressed in a lack of calcium.
And in vain, because frequent mood swings, constant weakness and fatigue, deterioration of hair and nails, dry and pale skin tone with a decrease in its elasticity, recurring caries, decreased immunity may well be symptoms of developing hypokalemia. And if they add bony feet to the weather, muscular pains and cramps, increased blood flow during menstruation (due to a decrease in its coagulability), bleeding gums, bone fractures, the appearance of allergies, the development of cardiac pathologies (arrhythmia, hypertension, etc.). .), kidney and thyroid gland, then a serious lack of calcium in the body is evident.
The causes of hypocalcemia may be different, we have already mentioned them. But here is a purely female cause of lack in the body of Ca is considered unbalanced nutrition during pregnancy and lactation. As during the time in the womb, and during the period of breastfeeding, the baby receives calcium for its growth and development from the mother's body.
After the birth of the child, the mother organism continues to take care of its offspring, producing milk, which is the main and only source of calcium for the baby with natural feeding. It turns out that the mother, both before and after birth, should receive the amount of calcium in order to meet the need for him and his body, and the baby's body. If this does not happen, both the mother and the child suffer. It is not for nothing that the daily calcium intake for a pregnant woman and nursing mothers is elevated and is in the range of 1200-1500 mg.
By the way, calcium intake will also increase for women, who lead an active lifestyle, i.е. Regularly performing sets of physical exercises that accelerate the metabolism of calcium.
Another delicate reason is the desire to remain slim and attractive for men by any means. Hence the fashion for strict diets, allowing you to quickly remove from the body of excess kilograms. But ladies often do not think that along with these kilograms can go and far from excess calcium.
The decrease in the level of calcium is observed in women in both the premenstrual period and during menstruation. Such changes are associated with hormonal imbalance during this period, because the female hormone estrogen is actively involved in the metabolism of calcium and contributes to its removal from the body. For the same reason, the development of osteoporosis during the menopause is so often observed. The disease is accompanied by increased fragility of bones and withering of the skin. But if menstrual deficiency Ca is a temporary phenomenon, then with menopause a woman can experience it constantly.
By the way, many symptoms of menopause are associated with a lack of calcium in the body of a woman. These are the tides with pressure jumps, heat and heartbeat, and hyperhidrosis (especially at night), and disturbed psychoemotional balance, and weakness of the muscles of the bladder, and even a decrease in libido.
Symptoms and causes of calcium deficiency in the body in men
Despite the fact that men are not disturbed by such moments as pregnancy, lactation, menstruation and a decrease in the level of estrogen in menopause, the causes of hypokalemia are not much lower for them than for women. In many ways, they are associated with harmful habits, such as smoking and drinking alcohol abuse, interfering with calcium absorption in the intestine. In addition, adolescent boys are more prone to risky "games" with drugs.
A common cause of development of hypocalcemia and osteoporosis in men is also heavy physical labor against the background of insufficient intake of calcium into the body.
Do not think that osteoporosis is a disease of menopausal women. Although men and suffer from this pathology is somewhat less common than women, but they tend to earlier development of the disease. This is especially true for men who professionally engage in sports. Active sports and heavy physical activities contribute to the accelerated elimination of Ca from the body, and hence the need for it increases and is equal to the norm for pregnant women (1100-1200 mg per day). By the way, this amount of calcium is contained in 1 liter of milk, but you need to consider that its digestibility in this case is only about 30%.
The lack of potassium and calcium in the body becomes the frequent reason that a young and generally healthy woman can not become pregnant at all. And the risk of cervical erosion in these women is much higher.
Symptoms of a lack of calcium in the body in men were listed above. This deterioration in working capacity, short temper, deterioration of the skin, teeth and nails, early baldness, the development of pathologies of the cardiovascular and nervous system, etc.
Lack of calcium in the baby's body
Lack of calcium in children can show up at any age. If the expectant mother during pregnancy has not received enough of this important trace element, which is the building material for the developing in the womb of life, the deficit of Ca will necessarily affect the condition and development of the child. The same can be said about the lactation period, until the child receives complementary foods.
Such babies, suffering from a lack of Ca, have a reduced immunity, because of what they often can see red rashes on the cheeks, indicating a tendency to allergies (diathesis). Children later begin to walk because of the weakness of the legs, they have a little weakened grasping reflex.
If the child's body does not continue to receive the necessary amount of calcium, you can see a lag in growth. Violation of the formation of the skeleton at an early age leads to the development of pathologies such as rickets, scoliosis, etc.
Lack of calcium in the body in the child has other manifestations. As adults, and children or adolescents with this problem are characterized by increased excitability, they are more likely to develop emotional lability associated with disruption of the CNS.
Such children may not get enough sleep, complain about pain in the legs, and later experience certain learning difficulties due to lack of concentration and weak memory.
In adolescence, there may be complaints about the crunch of bones and joints with the movement of arms and legs, pain in the spine. There is a violation of posture.
The washing away of calcium from bones in the older children and adolescents is greatly facilitated by the fascination with fast food and sweet carbonated drinks like "Pepsi-Cola". And the refusal to eat healthy foods containing calcium, such as milk, cottage cheese, cheese, parsley, sesame, etc., only aggravates the problem.
Complications and consequences
Calcium is not only a building material for teeth and bones, but also a functional component of many processes occurring in the human body. So, the lack of such an important trace element can hit hard on many human organs and systems.
Lack of calcium in the body of a child can adversely affect his future, since there is a high probability that the spine, incorrectly formed in childhood, will remind of itself even in adulthood. And here already with the reception of preparations of calcium hardly something you will correct, in fact all it is necessary to do or make in time.
Chronic calcium deficiency in both childhood and adolescence is fraught with the development of nervous diseases, and emotional lability is the easiest manifestation of them. Consequences of hypocalcemia can become, astheno-neurotic syndrome, the development of encephalopathy, cerebellar insufficiency, psychosis, polyneuropathy, senile dementia, etc.
Constant fluctuations in blood pressure will adversely affect the work of the cardiovascular system, which has to work above the norm. In the end, the pressure will become consistently high, and you will already have to talk about hypertension.
A prolonged lack of Ca in a child is fraught with negative changes in the lens of the eye, which subsequently will result in the development of subcapsular cataracts. In addition, these children have an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis in adulthood.
Blood clotting disorders due to Ca deficiency can cause large blood loss in trauma, which in some cases can lead to death.
On such consequences as a decrease in immunity and the development of allergic and chronic infectious processes on this soil, premature loss of hair and teeth, increased fragility of bones, loss of former attractiveness, one should not even say much. This does not want a woman or a man.
Diagnostics of the lack of calcium
Despite such a vivid clinical picture, only the specialist doctor can determine the cause of the appearance of the symptoms and their relationship with the lack of calcium in the body. Since the symptomatology of the condition is nonspecific, it may be necessary to conduct a series of examinations before the cause of the indisposition is established.
Emphasis is placed on the study of the patient's anamnesis and complaints. Any suspicious symptoms are taken into account, as calcium deficiency in itself can cause the development of various pathologies with symptoms characteristic of them.
Determine the actual level of calcium in the body can be done with the help of laboratory research. Analyzes appoint a doctor in accordance with the clinical picture. A blood test is mandatory. The norm of the content of Ca in the blood plasma is in the range of 2.15-2.5 mmol per liter.
To test the work of the kidneys, a general urine test is prescribed.
Instrumental diagnostics is carried out concerning possible pathologies (heart disease, nervous system, kidney, GIT). Blood pressure and heart rate are measured. If there are significant abnormalities indicating a malfunction in the cardiovascular system, the doctor may prescribe an ECG.
Among other things, such examinations as X-ray and ultrasound of the abdominal and pelvic organs, EEG (conduction of nerve impulses), etc. Can be prescribed.
Treatment of the lack of calcium
Treatment of this condition depends on the degree of neglect of the process. While the symptoms are expressed implicitly, it makes sense to adjust the diet, because calcium is not such a rare trace element and is found in many foods. In addition, there are many vitamin-mineral complexes that contain calcium in sufficient quantities, and will help to fill the deficit of not only calcium, but also other important substances.
On the drugstore shelves now you can find many specialized calcium preparations containing vitamin D 3, which helps this capricious mineral to be better absorbed.
Let us consider several such preparations.
We will not focus on the budget single-component preparations in the form of gluconate or calcium carbonate, because their digestibility leaves much to be desired. They are more suitable as a preventive measure against the lack of calcium in the body.
But the popular drug "Calcium D3 Nycomed" is already a drug of a different plan, which besides calcium carbonate also contains vitamin D 3 (cholecalciferol) to improve its absorption. Take this drug is much nicer than pure calcium, because the tablet "Calcium D3 Nycomed" have a delicious orange (lemon) or refreshing mint flavor.
Take the drug can be 1 or 2 times a day. The daily dosage for adults is 2 tablets. For children aged 5-12 years, a doctor may prescribe a medicine in the amount of 1 or 2 tablets. Babies 3-5 years give ½ or 1 tablet a day.
Tablets are for chewing. You can take them both before meals and during it. The course of treatment for calcium deficiency is usually 4-6 weeks.
Analogues of the above described drug are "Compluvite calcium D3" and "Vitrum calcium with vitamin D3. "
Of particular interest are combined drugs, because a lack of calcium in the body is often accompanied by a deficit of other useful substances (magnesium, potassium, zinc, etc.). Preparations of this kind are considered to be "Calcemin" and "Calcium Advance".
Preparations "Calcemin" and "Calcemin advance" are prescribed in accordance with the patient's needs for calcium. The second is an enhanced version of the drug, which is prescribed if problems with bones begin, while the first drug is considered a preventive agent for demineralization of the body.
"Calcium Advance" is interesting because it contains not only calcium (in the form of citrate and carbonate) and vitamin D 3, but several other useful trace elements: magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, boron. The addition of calcium citrate makes the drug effective even with reduced acidity of gastric juice. In addition, this component prevents stone formation in the urinary system.
Assign "Calcemin Advance" for children over 12 years and adults in a single dosage - 1-2 tablets per day with the possibility of increasing the daily dose to 3 tablets. Take the drug is recommended during meals.
Calcium preparations are not prescribed in such cases: in excess in the body of calcium and vitamin D 3, hypersensitivity to the components of the drug, pathologies that can cause the development of hypercalcemia, such as sarcoidosis, hyperthyroidism, cancerous tumors. Severe consequences may result from taking the drug with kidney failure, nephrolithiasis, hypercalciuria. Preparations containing sugars are not used to treat patients with impaired glucose and fructose metabolism.
Reception of calcium preparations may be accompanied by the appearance of the following symptoms:
- indigestion with nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea,
- allergic reactions in the form of skin rashes, itching and redness of the skin, rarely anaphylactic shock.
Prolonged intake of large doses of calcium-containing drugs can trigger the appearance of calcium in the urine, the formation of urinary stones (stones) with it.
Acute hypocalcemia is considered a condition that threatens the patient's life, therefore, it is treated in a hospital setting. In any case, the intake of calcium preparations should be carried out in parallel with the control of its content in the blood and urine.
Homeopathy
If in traditional medicine, it is generally accepted to treat calcium preparations only when symptoms of a deficiency of this mineral are present, in homeopathy the approach to prescribing such medications is quite different. Assign calcium preparations mainly in childhood and adolescence, when the need for calcium, necessary for the growth of the skeleton, the formation of the immune and nervous system, the accumulation of muscle mass and the implementation of many physiological processes in the body is particularly great.
Little children, who are not indifferent to tooth powder, chalk and whitewash, but do not tolerate milk and dairy products, prescribe mainly the preparation Calcium carbonicum. And this homeopathic remedy is used for most diseases developing in childhood. These are diseases of the bone system, and pathology of the respiratory system, the nervous system and the circulatory system, metabolism. Apply Calcium carbonicum for migraines and epilepsy.
In the elderly, this drug is prescribed to phlegmatic children with light tender skin, sensitive to the effects of cold, because of which they constantly freeze their legs. Such children do not like meat and milk.
To thin children with the extended features and the raised or excited excitability, not so sensitive to a cold, but often suffering diseases of an osteal system the preparation Calcium phosphoricum is shown. These children are very fond of meat.
Slightly aggressive children with violations of the structure of the teeth and bones are prescribed homeopathic remedy Calcium fluoricum.
Calcium sulfuricum is prescribed for children with purulent diseases (for example, follicular angina), and its analogue Hepar sulfuris is strong, athletic to young patients with cold character traits and epileptoid tendencies of temperament.
Calcium around us
The lack of calcium in the body is quite strange, given that calcium in sufficient quantities can be found in many foods that we have known since birth. Take the same milk, which is the most important source of calcium and vitamins for the baby, starting with infancy.
And who does not know about the eggshell, almost 90% of calcium? Egg shell from lack of calcium has been used for a long time. True, many scientists consider this source of an important trace element to be very doubtful. The problem is that calcium from the egg shell is very poorly digested.
This question was suggested to solve with the help of a lemon, tk. An acidic medium must promote the digestibility of calcium. Thoroughly washed eggshells had to be dried, after having been cleaned from the inner film, and rubbed into powder, after which it was taken daily for ½ tsp. Powder mixed with lemon juice (2-3 drops). Calcium in this form is recommended for admission for 2 months with a repeat of the course 2 times a year.
But milk and eggshells are not the only sources of calcium in nature. If the reader is interested in the question, what else can you compensate for the lack of calcium in the body, it is worth paying attention to those products that are quite often present on our table. These are any sour-milk products (especially cottage cheese), sea products, vegetable oils, oatmeal, green leafy vegetables (parsley, dill, etc.). By the way, cod liver oil, as a source of vitamin D, is useful not only for children, but also for adults, as it helps to assimilate calcium entering the body from other foods.
Leaders in the content of calcium are hard and processed cheeses, made from natural milk, meat and liver of marine fish (especially cod). A sufficient amount of calcium is also found in leguminous crops (beans, peas, soybeans) and various types of nuts, which are considered more affordable products that can diversify the diet of both the child and the adult.
Prevention
Using foods rich in calcium, you need to remember that the digestibility of the mineral in this case remains rather low (30-50%). There are 2 ways out: to find additional sources of calcium in the form of medicinal and vitamin-mineral complexes or to consume more products containing natural calcium, taking all measures to prevent its washing out of the bones and, if possible, improving its absorption in the digestive tract.
For example, sharing calcium and fatty foods reduces the absorption of the mineral in the digestive tract. And excessive hobby kofesoderzhaschimi and carbonated drinks provokes the excretion of calcium from the body. Negatively affect the maintenance of a balance of calcium in the body and bad habits (in particular smoking), and therefore have to choose: either health or pleasure.
The same can be said about strict diets that are not able to provide adequate nutrition, as a result of which the body will experience a deficiency of one or another important vitamin or trace element.
If the lack of calcium in the body can be caused by a violation of its digestibility in the intestine, then there is a sense as soon as possible to correct the problem by contacting the doctor at the appearance of the first signs of pathology.
The health of the bone, nervous, muscular and other systems of the baby should be taken care of by his mother, who during pregnancy and lactation should receive enough calcium to share it with her offspring for the sake of both.
Forecast
Lack of calcium in the body - a fairly serious problem, often reminiscent of himself in childhood. And the forecast of its solution with age and the presence of gastrointestinal diseases, which disturb the absorption of nutrients in the intestines, as well as pathologies of metabolism, is becoming less favorable.
Medical expert editor
Portnov Alexey Alexandrovich
Education: Kiev National Medical University. A.A. Bogomolets, Specialty - "General Medicine"
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