What You Need to Know About Calcium

The Science:

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. It is, in fact, in every bone.

Why then do we need to be concerned about not getting enough calcium?  Because quite literally, nothing can happen in the body without calcium.

Calcium not just important to body functioning, it’s indispensable. It’s essential for our muscular and neuronal systems, our hormonal balances, and is integral to our immune and oxidant functioning which protects us against microbes, toxins, and other foreign invasive bodies.

When the body does not get enough calcium from our diets to maintain these daily cellular functions, it automatically takes it from our bones which act as the body’s calcium storage units. The problem is, calcium supplies in the body must maintain a specific balance; neither too much or too little. And a great number of things can affect that balance.

While most of us know that foods such as milk, yogurt, cheese, almonds, spinach, soybean, and molasses can provide us with the calcium we need, what many are unaware of is that a number of other nutrients such as vitamin A (found in carrots and sweet potatoes), B6 (in many breakfast cereals), C (in orange juice), iron (in beans), magnesium (in artichokes and bananas), manganese (in grains and pasta), phosphorus (in almonds and peanuts), lysine (eggs), and silicone (in cabbage and olives) are also needed for calcium to efficiently do what it does. They work in coordination. And without the elements of this partnership, most calcium is just passed out of our bodies unabsorbed in our urine.

But simply taking in enough calcium and co-nutrients isn’t the whole picture either. A number of minerals and day-to-day lifestyle behaviors called “antagonists,” can neutralize and deplete calcium supplies just by their presence.

>Too much lead, cadmium, aluminum, magnesium, or iron, for example, can neutralize the calcium you intake.

>Lack of exercise, excessive stress, and too much saturated fats (junk food) in the diet can deplete what calcium supplies you have.

>And if you drink coffee, alcohol, or smoke tobacco, the calcium supply intended to maintain daily cellular functioning is diverted to ridding your body of these harmful toxins, leaving less for normal maintenance.

Thus when it comes to maintaining sufficient levels of calcium in the body, it’s a balancing act that takes thoughtful planning and consideration.

Detecting Deficiency:

Calcium deficiency can manifest in a number of ways.

>For example, in that calcium is involved in blood clotting and the maintenance of regular heart rhythm, heart palpitations, arm and leg numbness, and muscle cramps can be warning signs.

>Calcium’s role in nerve signal transmission and tranquilization means that excessive nervousness and insomnia can also be indications of an imbalance.

>And calcium’s integral involvement in the formation of bone and teeth means that tooth decay, osteoporosis, brittle nails, and even grey hair can point to an unhealthy drop in calcium. A drop that can ultimately have a cascading effect that will then start to affect other functioning of the body.

While calcium in the diet is a popular topic of discussion in these enlightened and health-conscious times (especially regarding women’s health and osteoporosis), few sources make it known that a simple hair follicle test is available that can detect calcium abnormalities.

Although for many years doctors relied on blood tests to indicate calcium imbalances, it’s now known that only severe depletions of calcium where bone density is already over a 60% loss can be detected by that method–which is beyond the critical, reversible stage. Thus, since your hair keeps a detailed record of your body’s mineral levels, a small hair sample can access your personal calcium condition.

Calcium and Alzheimer’s:

One area of research currently drawing a great deal of attention from the scientific community is the relationship between calcium and Alzheimer’s disease.

In a recent study of Alzheimer’s patients, many sufferers showed a marked level of depletion of a certain type of calcium in their system.  Apparently, with a shortage of this particular form of calcium, there can be no growth of transmitter/sprout cells in the brain; thus, slower synaptic response results. The good news, however, is that tests also show that once replenished, normal neuroactivity resumes and Alzheimer patients’ memory begins to improve. Thus, calcium deficiencies and imbalances are in many cases reparable and reversible.