Minerals

	Boron
	Calcium
	Chromium
	Copper
	Germanium
	Iodine
	Iron
	Magnesium
	Manganese
	Molybdenum
	Phosphorus
	Potassium
	Selenium
	Silicon
	Sodium
	Sulfur
	Vanadium
	Zinc

Calcium - Benefits, Deficiency Symptoms and Food Sources

What is Calcium?

Calcium is the most abundant, essential mineral in the human body. Ninety-nine percent of the calcium in your body is stored in the bones and teeth, while the remaining one percent is found in the blood and other tissues. Everyone knows that the human body is made up of 78% water by weight, and that water is hydrogen and oxygen gases. When nitrogen gas and carbon in the form of carbon dioxide and methane gases are added, the total gas in the body by weight becomes over 95%. Almost half of the remaining 5% that makes up the human body and controls all biological functions is the mineral calcium.

Uses and Benefits of Calcium

Calcium, along with vitamin D, helps build and maintain healthy bones and teeth. It helps messages to be sent along nerves. It helps to combat cancer & heart disease. It helps body to metabolize iron. It is also useful for normal blood clotting, proper nerve impulse transmission, and the appropriate support of connective tissue. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, and adolescents may need more calcium than they normally get from eating calcium-rich foods. Adult women may take calcium supplements to help prevent a bone disease called osteoporosis.

Calcium may play a role in the prevention and/or treatment of the following health conditions:

• Cataracts.

• Colon cancer.

• High blood pressure.

• Inflammatory bowel disease.

• Kidney stones.

• Osteoporosis.

• Polycystic ovarian syndrome.

• Pregnancy induced hypertension and preeclampsia.

• Premenstrual syndrome.

Women who bleed excessively during menstruation may need to take a multivitamin and mineral supplement that contains iron to meet the daily recommendation of 15 mg.

Recommended Dosage for Calcium

0 to 6 months 210mg, to 12 months 270mg, 1 to 3 years 500mg, to 8 years 800mg, 9 to 18 years 1,300mg, 18 to 50 years 1,000mg, Over 50 years 1,200mg.

Deficiency Symptoms of Calcium

Calcium is essential for maintaining health bone and teeth but the body also uses calcium in other parts of the body such as in nerve and muscle functioning and blood clotting. calcium deficiency puts you at risk of osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) - a condition that affects one in three women and one in 12 men over the age of 50 in the UK.

Other Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency include:

• Insomnia

• Tany

• Premenstrual cramps

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Low calcium intakes have also been linked to premature births and some forms of cancer, including colon and breast cancer.

Rich Food Sources of Calcium

The best sources of calcium are milk and other dairy products, such as:

• Yogurt.

• Cheese.

• Ice Cream.

• Pudding.

• Cottage Cheese.

Some Green Vegetables can provide a good amount of calcium for the few calories they contain, but many people won't eat the volume of vegetables that is required.