We all know that calcium is necessary for strong bones and teeth.
What you may not know is that calcium is required for every cell of the
body to function in a healthy way. Besides acting as a cellular cement
for bones, calcium is used by nerves and muscles, and it also
contributes to proper blood clotting. Here's an overview of the good
things calcium does for your body:
Calcium promotes healthy bones and teeth. Just as lime
is necessary for strong concrete, calcium is needed for strong bones.
Calcium is continually deposited into multiplying bone cells, like the
cement that holds together the particles of stone and sand in a chunk of
concrete. The stronger the bone development during childhood, the
healthier those bones will be in adulthood. That is, the stronger the
foundation, the sturdier the eventual building.
During adolescence bones grow rapidly, so teens need a lot of calcium
in their diet. Once a person reaches full growth, calcium needs
stabilize, but there are periods when calcium needs increase, such as
during pregnancy, lactation, and healing from injuries. In old age, the
bones begin to lose some of their sturdiness (this is called
osteoporosis or "fragile bones"). There are a variety of reasons for
this, some hormonal and some related to the fact that calcium absorption
lessens in elderly intestines. Also, certain medications decrease the
body's ability to absorb calcium, including antacids . Senior citizens
need to be particularly conscious about the level of calcium in their
diet and about which medications interfere with calcium absorption.
It's best not to wait until you're fifty-something to start preventing
osteoporosis. Building stronger bones with a calcium-rich diet and
weight-bearing exercise in your twenties and thirties is more likely to
prevent osteoporosis than preventive measures in your fifties.
Other functions of calcium. Besides promoting healthy
tooth enamel, calcium helps muscles. Muscles can cramp, and heart
muscles can even fail, if these muscles are not supplied with just the
right amount of calcium. Nerve impulses, the transmission of information
between nerve fibers, will not function properly without just the right
amount of calcium. For example, muscles twitch (called tetany) when the
calcium supply to neuromuscular cells is insufficient. Calcium is one
of the most vital minerals for optimal functioning of your entire body.
To start your child out right try Dr Sears' Multivitamins which contains 50mg of calcium per soft chew.
How does calcium work? As with other minerals, the
body has a marvelous system for keeping the concentration of calcium in
the blood and tissues just right. This is needed because if calcium
concentrations fall too low or get too high, certain organs will fail to
function. The first checkpoint is in the intestines. If you eat too
much calcium or already have enough calcium in your blood, the
intestines simply absorb less of the calcium in the food you eat. If
your body needs calcium, the intestines absorb more. Bones are the
second checkpoint. If you don't get enough calcium in your diet, your
body may borrow what it needs from your bones. This works for a time,
yet continued withdrawals of calcium from the bone bank can lead to
osteoporosis. A hormone called parathyroid oversees all this calcium
activity like a vigilant bank manager, keeping the calcium concentration
just right. When calcium levels fall, this hormone stimulates vitamin D
to increase absorption of calcium from the intestines and to release
calcium from the bone bank until a proper balance is restored.
(http://www.askdrsears.com)
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