Calcium is considered to be very essential our everyday health. It not only builds up the bones but it also plays an important role in maintaining the blood pressure in the body. It keeps the bones and teeth strong throughout the life and ensures proper functioning of the muscles and nerves. Calcium is also very helpful in clotting of the blood. Long-term calcium deficiency may lead to the condition called as osteoporosis, wherein the bones deteriorate and then there is increased risk of getting fractures. Opposite to that, when there is over-retention of calcium, a condition is called as hypercalcemia that can impair kidney function and can alter absorption of other essential minerals.
Calcium is what everybody is aware of since we find word ‘calcium’ everywhere; on toothpaste tube, orange juice container, supplements etc. The history of calcium has glorious history that goes back to the first century when the Romans prepared lime as calcium oxide but a man from England named Sir Humphrey Davy, isolated calcium in the year of 1808. Calcium is soft, grayish colored metallic element that can be derived from calcium fluoride by using electrolysis. If it is burned, the flame would be yellowish-red and once it gets exposed to the air, it turns into white nitride coating.
For muscles, calcium is the most essential element among all as because of calcium, the muscles can contract. Calcium also performs some of the vital roles such as regulating the heartbeats and transmitting the nerve impulses and maintaining the fluid balance within the cellular levels. In United States, estimation says that about 50-70% of the adults do not get enough calcium in their normal diet. For the absorption of calcium, human body requires Vitamin D that is produced with the help of sunlight.
The prime source of calcium is all kinds of dairy products. Products like cheese, milk, milk powder etc. provide sufficient quantity of calcium. Other sources include nuts, seeds, beans, shrimp, broccoli, oysters, okra and dark green leafy vegetables. Luckily, we can supply calcium in the form of pills from outside. Many manufacturers use shells (from the ocean) to gain natural calcium. Calcium is also supplied by fortifying some foods as we have many food packets enriched with calcium and other minerals (as in biscuits).
According to latest research, calcium can help reducing the body weight in a significant way (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in the month of July 2006). However, it is not to be mistaken that getting too much dairy products like cheese can help you reducing the body weight. The calcium is to be supplied by the food that is less in calories. Broccoli, quinoa etc are good sources of calcium and they not only provide you such an essential element but also power you up by providing proteins. Coral calcium supplements are considered to be very great, natural and safe source.
We require different amount of calcium at different stages of our lives. For instance, growing children and pregnant woman require more calcium as compared to normal adult man or woman. Recommended daily calcium intake varies from 1-1.5 gm.
