Health Risks of Calcium Deficiency

milk

Why Your Meals Should Contain Calcium

Have you ever wondered why your teeth suddenly break on their own? Have you once in a while felt like your bones are as feeble as that of a nonagenarian even while you are as young as 25? Have you knowingly or unknowingly been excluding calcium from your meals? Are you among those who think calcium is an insignificant nutrient, and if it is not included in your diet, there would be no problems at all? Do your pedicurist and manicurist sly you as a result of your brittle, ugly looking nails each time you book an appointment? The cause of your funny ‘nonagenarian feeling’ and sudden break of teeth, as well as feeble and weak bones, teeth, and nails, are pointers to the deficiency of calcium in your body. This could be really dangerous to your health, as it could land you in places you least expect.

Why You Need Calcium

You do not want to begin to complain of waist pain at the age of 35. You do not want to have severe bone fractures upon any little fall you have. You do not want to lose all your teeth at 35 while making a dentist a do-or-die friend in your life.  You also do not want to use artificial teeth, knowing fully well that the reason for your massive loss of teeth is your fault.

If you seek reasons why calcium is essential to your wellbeing, you have come to the right place. This article has within it the health benefits of calcium, causes of calcium deficiency, the symptoms of calcium deficiency, and the major topic of the article, which is the risks you expose yourself to when you refuse to include calcium in your diet. However, before we begin, the most explicit definition of calcium deficiency is the extreme lack of calcium in the body. Got that?

Health Benefits of Calcium

types of teethLet me present the benefits of the nutrients you treat as insignificant. Most people lack this nutrient so much that it becomes a big deal in their bid to restore it into their bodies; at this point, its status changes from insignificant to ‘quintessential.’

  • Calcium is well known for its function for the development, growth, and strengthening of the teeth.
  • It also aids in making the bones stronger.
  • It helps the heart function properly.
  • It ensures that the muscles stay strong and healthy and prevents muscle contraction.
  • Calcium and Vitamin D combined help protect your body against cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
  • The record holds that calcium sees to the efficient functioning of some key enzymes.
  • Calcium also helps generate blood clotting and ensures that the blood vessels work perfectly.
  • It helps nerves pass the right messages to the brain.
  • Generally, calcium generates strength for the whole body.

Note that;

  • Your body does not produce calcium. You can only get calcium from meals, and having appropriate amounts of calcium in your body would help keep you away from your Doctor (except the Doctor is a close friend.)

Sources of Calcium

Calcium can be found in foods, and some of these foods include;

  • Milk
  • Soy products with added calcium
  • Bread and other fortified flour products
  • Bony fishes
  • Cheese
  • Broccoli, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables
  • Yogurt
  • Beans and lentils also contain decent amounts of calcium
  • Almonds
  • Figs
  • Seeds
  • Fortified drinks

Quickly note that;

  • The medical record holds that people who eat the bones of fishes and other meats tend to grow healthy teeth, nails and bones as these animal bones they eat contain high levels of calcium that are sufficient for the body.

Causes of Calcium Deficiency

  • The primary and most apparent cause of calcium deficiency is the lack of calcium intake for a long time, this has to do with the absence of the inclusion of calcium in diets. It happens mainly when you do not eat calcium-giving foods.
  • Also, another reason found to be the cause of calcium deficiency is Vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D ensures the absorption of calcium, so no matter how much calcium content you have if you lack Vitamin D to absorb it, you would suffer from the health risks attached to calcium deficiency. This automatically means that the idea of calcium in the body depends on an existing and functioning Vitamin D; without this, there would be no calcium content in your body.

Other Causes Include;

  • Medications: Some medications are used repeatedly, tamper with the calcium content in your body. One of these medications is chemotherapy medications. They do this by affecting the Vitamin D content, which eventually makes it impossible to absorb calcium.
  • Hormonal changes also cause calcium deficiency. This is very common with the womenfolk.
  • Another cause of calcium deficiency could also be genetic factors.
  • Excessive consumption of magnesium can also lead to calcium deficiency as it alters the proper absorption and functioning of calcium.
  • The record holds that excessive sodium and protein intake would cause calcium excretion, thereby making your body lose calcium.
  • Some digestive diseases have also been found to cause calcium deficiency.
  • Body activities that eliminate calcium through sweat or urine can also cause calcium deficiency.
  • High coffee and alcohol consumption.
  • Kidney and thyroid diseases.
  • Age is also a factor. Wondering how this is possible? Infants are known to absorb 60% of the calcium they get in foods; however, as they grow, the absorption level reduces to about 20%

Effects of Calcium Deficiency

  • Constant muscle cramps, contraction, and spasm
  • Excess and continuous fatigue and sluggishness
  • Dry skin, skin irritation, and skin infections like eczema
  • Osteopenia; the reduction of the mineral density in the bone
  • Osteoporosis; this makes the bones thinner. Both osteopenia and osteoporosis cause severe pain and acute disability as well as bad posture
  • Rickets in children
  • Extremely painful menstruation
  • Weak bones, nails, and muscles
  • Heart diseases
  • Some forms of cancer
  • Severe dental issues
  • Depression
  • Poor blood clotting
  • Delayed growth and development in children
  • Heart-related illnesses

A picture of a man holding his left chest regionThese are the health risks of the lack of calcium in the body. Little or no amounts of calcium in the body would lead to any of the following health issues mentioned above. This automatically means that one way to keep a healthy medical record lies in supplying your body with necessary nutrients like calcium.

Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency

  • Memory loss which is closely linked with confusion
  • Numbness in the face, feet, and hands
  • Hallucination
  • Weak nails
  • Constant muscle cramps
  • Easy fracture of bones
  • Easy breakage of teeth
  • Extreme and continuous fatigue and fainting
  • Sluggishness
  • Itchy and dry skin which can lead to eczema
  • Brittle nails
  • Extremely painful menstruation
  • Difficulty swallowing

Treatment

The excellent news about calcium deficiency is that its treatment process is not complicated. It has to do with changes in lifestyle and diet and dedication to the treatment routine. With all of these in place, the lost calcium in your body would return, and you would see yourself strong and healthy again.

How Do You Treat It?

  • To begin with, change your diet. Make sure your diet includes calcium-giving foods like dairy products, soy products, beans, fish bones, fortified bread, green leafy vegetables, and so on. All of these are have calcium contents in them.
  • Furthermore, after you must have started out with your calcium diet, make sure that every physical activity you engage in does not make you lose excess calcium through sweat or urine.
  • Avoid excessive intake of magnesium, sodium, protein, and phosphate.
  • Eat foods that contain Vitamin D, as Vitamin D is a key factor in the absorption of calcium into your body.
  • Then eat more and more meals that contain calcium and Vitamin D. Also, do not forget to chew biscuit bones as they contain calcium as well.

Now that you know that calcium is not so insignificant after all, would you still ignore it? Ignoring it would be extremely detrimental to your health. Remember that calcium is not part of your body’s makeup. To supply your body with calcium, you have to eat calcium-giving foods and foods rich in Vitamin D, which would also help your body absorb calcium. These foods include dairy and soy products, fortified flour products, bones, and many more. The illnesses associated with calcium deficiency is not favorable; however, its treatment process is relatively easy and more advantageous than its symptoms and effects. Your health is a very important part of you, hence the need to take care of it by protecting it from deficiencies as little as calcium deficiency.