Calcium is an essential mineral for the proper functioning of the body. It has several essential functions within the human body, including stabilizing blood pressure and acting in the structural formation of bones and teeth.
The bones have the most calcium, having a total concentration of 95% of the mineral.
Lack of calcium is considered a disease also known as hypocalcemia, which includes fragile bones, ocular lesions and abnormal heart beat. This disease appears when the human body does not have enough calcium, and because of this, there is a great increase in risk of the development of diseases such as osteoporosis.
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The human body does not produce calcium, which has to be ingested through a balanced diet. It is possible to consume the recommended amount per day through food, but depending on the severity of the case, the best way is to intake calcium supplements.
Remember that self-medication can be dangerous, since taking a large amount of calcium supplements can be fatal. So, it is best to have a medical appointment to see which is the best option for your case.
Symptoms of lack of calcium
In the early stage, calcium deficiency may have no symptoms or only mild symptoms, such as cramps and muscle pains (especially in the thighs, arms and armpits when they are moved).
But most of the time, the discovery is made when a disease due to lack of calcium is discovered and is already more advanced.
In more advanced cases, the symptoms of lack of calcium include:
- Memory loss;
- Muscle spasms;
- Numbness and tingling in the hands, feet and face;
- Depression;
- Hallucinations.
If you have any symptoms or cases in the family of calcium-related illnesses, seek medical advice before you even experience any type of symptoms. He will consult the history of the hypocalcemia problem in your family. Based on this, you will ask for a blood test to check the level of calcium in your blood. If it is low, it will prescribe drugs and mineral-rich ideal food .
Other health problems are caused by calcium deficiency and are often not easily detected, such as sleep problems. Animal studies have shown that insomnia prevents the formation of new bones. This happens because calcium levels increase and decrease while we sleep, and their elevation happens during a deep sleep.
In addition, normal sleep cycles were found to be restored when the rate of calcium in the body was increased to normal. In many cases, when consulting with a doctor to find out the cause of insomnia, often only one remedy will be prescribed to help you sleep, without actually finding out what causes it.
The difficulty in losing weight may also be associated with a lack of calcium. According to some research, calcium stored in fat cells helps in the storage and processing of body fat, meaning fat cells with more calcium burn more calories, resulting in greater weight loss.
Cause of calcium deficiency
The natural cause of lack of calcium is aging. Most of the body's calcium is stored in the bones and as it gets older, they start to get thinner or less dense, further increasing the daily requirement of calcium. However, there are several other causes that lead to mineral deficiency.
Lack of calcium can still be intensified for women, because by the time menopause arrives, there is a decline in the estrogen hormone that causes the bones to thin up quickly, requiring them to properly take a daily dose of calcium during middle age. According to the National Institutes of Health, during menopause, women should consume about 1,500mg of calcium every day to further reduce the chance of developing osteoporosis .
Genetics may also be a factor to be taken into account. If your parents or grandparents have had osteoporosis, the chances of you acquiring the disease are even greater. So, as said earlier, even if you do not have symptoms but have cases in the family, seek medical advice.
Cases of babies born to diabetic mothers and those who had low levels of oxygen during pregnancy are at increased risk of developing natal hypocalcemia. In the case of children and adolescents is more difficult, because it is a phase where the body "remodels" the bones, ie rebuilds new bones, so that in this phase is very important the intake of foods rich in calcium.
In some cases, the lack of calcium can be due to malnutrition or malabsorption of nutrients, ie when the body can not absorb the vitamins and minerals that the person obtains from the food.
Another cause may be hypoparathyroidism, which happens when the hormone PTH, which is produced by the parathyroid glands, does not work properly. This hormone controls the levels of calcium and phosphorus in the body, and people with this disease do not produce it correctly, resulting in a drop in calcium levels in the blood, causing various symptoms.
Calcium deficiency and osteoporosis
Calcium deficiency, leading to hypocalcemia, can generate fragile bones, ocular lesions and irregular heartbeats. If left untreated, the disease can lead to death.
If the calcium deficiency is at an early stage, in the long run it may be at risk of developing osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes the bones to become brittle due to bone loss. The person with this disease has a great chance of fracture even with small impacts.
In addition, osteoporosis can also lead to fractures of the spine and inability to walk.
How to Reset Calcium
In most cases, a lack of calcium is easy to treat. Generally, foods with more calcium are added to your diet, and in some cases your doctor prescribes a mineral supplement with the right amount for the patient.
In rare cases, the intake of calcium-rich foods and calcium supplements are not enough to treat the deficiency. In this case, the doctor will choose to regulate calcium levels with injections of the mineral.
Tips
To prevent diseases from the lack of calcium is recommended to eat foods rich in calcium and vitamin D daily. Vitamin D is important because it increases the rate of calcium when absorbed in the blood and also helps in the absorption of calcium and other minerals and nutrients. Examples of foods rich in vitamin D are: eggs, oysters, orange juice, canned tuna, mushrooms, sardines, salmon, liver steak, milk, among others.
The amount of intake needed for calcium and vitamin D depends on sex and age, so it is advisable to seek a doctor.
It is noteworthy that foods rich in calcium and vitamin D, such as dairy products, can have high rates of saturated fat and trans fat, so when buying one of these options, choose the fat-free or low-fat version so there is no increase in risk of developing other heart disease and high cholesterol.
A healthier tip is to add sardines and spinach to your diet. Other foods that contain the mineral are, cheese, yogurt, veggies, some cereals, and fish. It is worth remembering that milk and dairy products are easily absorbed by the body, making them the main suppliers of calcium.