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The Benefits of Calcium Supplements for Bone Health

What is calcium?

Calcium is a mineral useful for strong bones and teeth. It helps with both muscle contractions, heart function and blood clotting. Small amounts of calcium are lost in our daily faeces, urine, and sweat.

What role does calcium play in maintaining bone health?

Calcium has multiple roles in maintaining strong bones. To begin, calcium aids in bone mineralization, which is essential for the structural integrity of the skeleton. As a storehouse, the calcium in our bones helps keep calcium levels in the blood where they should be at all times.

Calcium in the blood is a relatively insignificant fraction of the body's overall calcium, but the body exerts great effort to keep blood calcium levels within a small normal range. To help keep calcium levels in the blood within a healthy range, the bone is always remodelling itself.

Calcium is essential for adults to have healthy bones. If bones are fragile, osteoporosis can develop over time in response to insufficient calcium consumption. The hip, spine, and wrist are particularly vulnerable areas for those with osteoporosis. These fractures increase the chance of death as well as create chronic pain and impairment, loss of independence, and a reduced standard of living.

Vertebral fractures are a common complication of osteoporosis because of the fragility of these bones. Because of this, the spine collapses in some spots, causing discomfort, mobility issues, and eventual deformity.

If a person doesn't get enough calcium from food or supplements, their body will pull it from their bones. Over time, osteoporosis can develop if the body continues to dissolve more bone than it rebuilds in order to keep blood calcium levels stable. Insufficient bone mass is the cause of osteoporosis.

While taking calcium supplements on their own can aid with bone density maintenance, research shows that doing so in conjunction with vitamin D3 is much more effective.

Choosing a calcium supplement :

Calcium supplements come in a wide variety of pill, tablet, and liquid forms. Both calcium carbonate and calcium citrate are commonly used. Most people can safely consume either of these calcium sources. However, people whose stomachs do not create enough acid may have trouble absorbing calcium carbonate and may be better off with calcium citrate.

Calcium citrate may be preferable to calcium carbonate for those who are 65 and over, as well as for people who have undergone intestinal bypass surgery.

It is usually agreed that calcium citrate or calcium lactate are the most beneficial types of calcium. These compounds outperform conventional calcium supplements because they are readily ionised, are almost entirely broken down and used by the body, are safer, and improve mineral absorption. The main issue with these calcium supplements is their size; in comparison to calcium carbonate, you would need more dosages of capsules or pills to get the same amount of calcium.

Calcium supplements are one of the most sought-after, particularly by women. Because there is a strong association between early-life bone health and the likelihood of osteoporosis later in life, developing strong bones must be a lifelong goal for women starting in childhood. That's because women tend to have lower bone density than men do at the same age.

Calcium: The Optimal Dose :

The amount of calcium that should be consumed according to the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) steadily rises from childhood through adulthood.

Calcium supplementation between 600 and 1,200 milligrammes per day is suggested for optimal bone health. The recommended daily dose increases to the 1,200 mg range if there's considerable bone density loss. There are no additional benefits to taking a higher dose. Women who are nursing or pregnant have a higher daily requirement of 1,000–1,300 mg, based on their age.

Calcium and Magnesium supplement :

Magnesium and calcium work well together in the body, notably in the bones. Magnesium is essential for healthy bone mineralization and plays an important role in the activation of vitamin D. Natural's CalMag supplement offers the standard recommendation for maintaining a healthy calcium-to-magnesium ratio: to consume magnesium in a 2:1 ratio to calcium.

Are there any drugs that could potentially cause a calcium-related side effect?

Calcium can inhibit the body's absorption of the following medications if consumed at the same time as those medications:

  • Phenytoin.
  • Iron supplements.
  • Bisphosphonates. 
  • Thyroid medications.
  • Antibiotics 

Takeaway:

Calcium is necessary for the development of strong bones as well as the preservation of healthy teeth. It is recommended that adequate calcium be obtained through dietary sources like dairy products, green leafy vegetables, and tofu. 

On the other hand, a physician might suggest taking a supplement for some patients. Anyone who is thinking about taking supplements ought to first consult with their physician.

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