Calcium Sources
Though much has been said about the benefits of calcium found mainly in dairy products, the truth is that a large part of the world doesn’t depend on dairy products for its calcium intake but on plants. Few people know that calcium is present in all foods in varying quantities. For instance, dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, collard greens, kale, bok choy and dandelion greens and okra and sweet potatoes are as rich in calcium as fruit including oranges, pears, raisins, prunes, apricots, dates and dried figs. In fact, just one cup of broccoli is equal in calcium content to a quarter of the recommendations of the U.S.RDA.
Rich deposits of calcium are also found in a variety of nuts and seeds such as chestnuts, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, filberts, and sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Fish and seafood such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, flounder, shrimp, clams and oysters are high repositories of calcium. They include. Besides, calcium is also found in amaranth, quinoa, oats and barley; and in peas, beans, soy products, seaweeds, sprouts and blackstrap molasses. Alfalfa, cayenne, chamomile, kelp and lemongrass are some herbs rich in calcium.
Foods such as turnip greens, spinach, almonds, cashews, rhubarb, and beet, though high in calcium, are also high in oxalic acid, which hinders calcium absorption. When such substances come together in the intestines, the resulting insoluble salts cannot be digested. Adding a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to the cooking helps ease the problem.
If you can’t get a continuously good supply of calcium-rich foods, take a calcium supplement with your meals, in powdered form. Give it to your family too but first check the table below for dosages:
Infants: 600 mg/day
Children (up to age 10): 800-1200 mg/day
Adults (up to age 35): 1200 mg/day
Calcium Is A Mineral That Is Absolutely Necessary For Life
Calcium supplements are very important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Although the best sources of Calcium are found in Calcium containing foods. But, the majority of men and women do not get enough from their diet.
In the United States about 20 million people suffer decaicification of their bones. The results are drematic, causing muscle cramping and twitching, periontal disease and tooth loss, and in worst cases, Osteoporosis and bone fractures.
Did you know that it’s also needed for healthy muscles, nerve function, and that calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body? 99% of the calcium is found in bones and only 1% in the rest of the body; however this 1% is the most important as it is necessary for all bodily functions.
A good Calcium supplement should have a 2 to 1 ratio of calcium to magnesium for proper absorption
Remember, body fluids of healthy individuals are alkaline (with a high pH value). Our bodies are alkaline by design and acid by function. Maintaining alkalinity is essential for life health and vitality.
Most degenerative diseases have been linked to mineral and calcium deficiencies that result in low pH levels. Having the proper levels of calcium helps your body have more oxygen which helps build your your immune system so you can cooperate with your body to naturally regenerate good health!
A good Calcium supplement will have Vitamin D - also known as the sunshine vitamin - which is necessary for the proper absorption of Calcium.
Calcium-Channel Blockers For Hypertension
All hypertensive patients who are undergoing an anti-hypertensive treatment agree on one goal – and that is to lower their high blood pressure. One of the controversial medications is the calcium-channel blockers.
Calcium-channel blockers, or sometimes referred to as calcium blockers, have been around lately in the field of anti-hypertensive drugs. Debates recently have stirred the efficiency of this product due to risk reasons. But just how effective really are calcium-channel blockers?
This drug takes its name from its working effect of soothing the blood vessels muscles and reducing the pumping power of the heart. These results in continuous and no restricted flow of blood thereby lowering the blood pressure. Some forms of calcium-channel blockers like diltiazem and verapamil are examples of these drugs that slow the rate of the heart.
Calcium-channel blockers can be used as a stand alone treatment or in combination with other anti-hypertensive agents like diuretics. Calcium-channel blockers work very well with African American hypertension patients, elder patients, and people who have hard time decreasing their sodium consumption. Patients with angina or a severe inflammatory or ulcerated condition of the mouth or throat may also find calcium blockers to be beneficial. These drugs also improve condition of people with coronary artery disease.
Potential side effects are triggered by calcium-channel blockers and among these are:
* Slow heart rate
* Constipation
Advances in medicine and recent studies however challenge the potency of calcium-channel blockers as relief medication to hypertension. Its popularity among the other drugs and its apparently low number of side effects did not escape calcium blockers from these controversies.
In the United States, it is estimated that about six million Americans dose with calcium blockers as medication. Scientists came up recently with articles stating that these drugs are indicative of higher risks towards heart attack. It even worsens angina and develops irregular heartbeat or arrhythmias according to the article. These claims were supported by a publication in 1995 called the Top Ten Medical Advances.
Studies printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association and in Circulation say that not all of the calcium-channel blockers available commercially are alike. Furthermore, it said that this agent contains what is called nifedipine which turned out to be risking factor of most heart attack cases.
The effect of nifedipine is unfavorable. Instead of reversing the rise of blood pressure, it may even promote hypertension. This is so, according to scientists, because calcium-channel blockers’ ability to reduce blood pressure may cause sudden impact to body. In this state, the body overreacts and heightens the production of adrenaline which ultimately results in heart rate speeding up.
These speculations however remain to be proven. The absence of evidence that hook the dreadful effects of nifedipine and calcium-channel blockers and the limitation of nifedipine presence have led manufacturers to come up with an updated formulation of these drugs that are tagged as longer-acting and gentler agents.
Calcium Deficiency
A body deficient in calcium is proof of an inadequate supply of calcium or a failure to metabolize calcium. This is the chief bodybuilding element of bones and teeth, and is among the vital minerals that contribute to the growth, repair and reproduction of the human body.
In situations when the blood calcium level falls below normal, calcium is retrieved from the bones and returned through food intake. But if one’s diet is so low in calcium that it cannot return the borrowed amount of calcium back to the bones, it leads to a condition called osteopenia, the precursor of osteoporosis or fragile and brittle bones. About 75 percent of Americans fall below the mandatory calcium recommendations for their age and gender, putting them at great risk for osteoporosis.
Low calcium levels bring on osteoporosis, colon cancer and hypertension. Of these, osteoporosis threatens the health of 44 million Americans, in the 50-years+ age group or 55 percent of people, causing over 1.5 million fractures a year. To prevent the growth of polyps in the colon, linked to invasive colorectal cancer, take calcium supplements.
High blood pressure or hypertension affects roughly one out of every four adult Americans or 50 million. According to studies conducted, women who took 800 mg/day of calcium had a 23 percent lower risk of high blood pressure than women who took only 400 mg/day.
Pregnant women with low calcium levels (1500-2000 mg/day) have a greatly reduced risk of developing pregnancy-related hypertension. Studies also point to the fact that calcium taken in by the mother affects the baby’s blood pressure. Where women had high calcium intakes, they gave birth to heavier babies and lower blood pressure. This low blood pressure level was found to be the same for the first five years of the infant’s life.
Osteoporosis and Calcium Supplementation
Osteoporosis, one of the most terrible long-term consequences of estrogen deficiency, is common among post menopausal women, but it is not inevitable. A healthy diet, especially the consumption of adequate amounts of calcium and other minerals, has a significant part to play in both preventing and in slowing the progression of this disease. Generally, for healthy bones, women require 800 to 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily. During menopause, calcium needs increase to 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams daily.
Examples of food sources of calcium include dairy products, salmon, tuna, sardines, green leafy vegetables and tofu. You must check from time to time to see if your daily diet provides you with an adequate amount of calcium. If your diet falls short of this, or if you are not sure, take a good-quality calcium tablet to give you 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily.
One of the best sources of calcium to combat post menopausal osteoporosis is milk. A cup of milk daily will give a good start to meeting your calcium requirements. When it comes to cow’s milk, calcium-enriched milk is recommended, which is low in fat and much higher in calcium than skim milk. If you are on a dairy-free diet, you may choose calcium-enriched soy milk instead. Some soy milks are calcium-enriched; while others are low in calcium, so it is bets to read labels to be sure the product you purchase is a good source of calcium.
There are a number of different supplemental sources of calcium. Bone meal, which comes from the ground bones of young animals, contains calcium from microcrystalline hydroxyapatite. Bone meal calcium is well absorbed, but it is possible for it to be contaminated with heavy metals such as lead. Calcium carbonate, which contains 40 percent elemental calcium, is the most concentrated and inexpensive form, but its absorption varies. Calcium lactate, calcium citrate and calcium gluconate are less concentrated forms of calcium, containing only about 15 percent elemental calcium but are better absorbed than carbonate forms.
Some calcium supplements contain a mixture of different types of calcium to improve absorption. Many good calcium supplements also contain vitamin D, which enhances the absorption of calcium from the intestines. Calcium is best absorbed when taken on an empty stomach. It should not be taken, however, with high fiber-foods such as cereals, grains and legumes, as this will reduce its absorption. It can be taken with dairy products, fruits, vegetables and meats.
In addition to making sure you obtain enough calcium in your diet, avoid making dietary mistakes that can steal minerals from your bones. Keep your consumption of protein from animal sources to no more than 50 grams daily. This is the equivalent of the amount of protein found in six-ounces serving of meat or fish plus one eight-ounce glass of milk.
Our bones contain magnesium and the trace minerals zinc, boron, silica and manganese in addition to calcium and studies suggest that adequate amounts of all these different minerals are more effective than calcium alone in preventing bone loss during menopause. If you are on menopause and if your diet is not always perfect, it is bets you take a trace mineral tablet that contain all of these minerals.
Calcium - The Essential Mineral
Calcium is absolutely essential to everyday health. Not only is it important in bone strength, but it plays an important role in blood pressure control, nerve function, and blood clotting. The problem is however, most of us do not get enough of it. An average adult women needs twelve to fifteen hundred milligrams of calcium a day. The average man only needs twelve hundred.
The best sources of calcium are and always have been dairy products - everything from milk and yogurt to cheese. Smaller amounts of calcium can be found in foods like broccoli, oranges, and salmon. There is a such thing as too much calcium though. If you take in too much calcium in a day it can interfere with the absorption of iron and zinc. These are two things that are of short supply in the American diet already.
By monitoring your diet, you can determine how much calcium you may need to supplement. Two basic calcium supplements are calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is the most popular supplemental form, it is the cheapest, and you don’t have to take as much of it to get the same amount as you would calcium citrate. If you choose to use a supplement however, it is important that it contains vitamin D as calcium needs vitamin D to be absorbed into the body.
Calcium is now being said to be the key ingredient to losing weight according to recent research. It not only helps with hypertension, it also supports healthy physiology in a way that helps lose excess body fat. There is a major misconception because some feel that if calcium helps lose weight then drinking more cows’ milk and eating cheese pizza is the way to go. That approach to getting your calcium is just horrible thinking. Cows’ milk is associated with all sorts of medical disorders such as asthma and constipation. And just like cheese, it is filled with all kinds of fat. There are far better sources of calcium to help with weight loss. This comes in the form of nutritional supplements. Coral calcium supplements are very good for getting your daily calcium intake without all the fat. Plants like broccoli are filled with the exact form of calcium the body desires. Quinoa is a grain and also contains the calcium needed as well as protein.
Even if you’re not trying to lose weight however, you need calcium. Please don’t fall into that misleading custom and think calcium means milk because that is the last place you want to look. It is actually a marketing myth promoted by the dairy industry. Calcium supplements are far better for you, and plant based calcium such as broccoli is even better. You should work to get calcium from whole foods, vegetables and grains. To keep this calcium you have worked so hard to take in, you should never ever drink soft drinks as they have been proven to strip the calcium right off of the bones in the body.
General Calcium Reactor Help
Calcium reactors release CO2, dissolving calcium source material in their reactor. The result is calcium is added to your tank helping corral and other aquarium livestock thrive.
However, using a calcium reactor can be a hazardous activity if not done properly. Co2 is colorless and odorless, so can be dangerous if released in the air without fresh oxygen entering the enclosed space. So, when handling your Co2 container, keep a window open nearby, keep away from radiators and other heat sources, and use all safety cautions when handling the container.
Given that you utilize your Co2 container safely, the next step is to assemble your calcium reactor, which is different depending on the manufacturer, model type, as well as the feed pump and valve you choose to use. Because there are so many types available, investigating these will not take place during this article. Do your research on the different kinds of reactors and choose the one that’s right for you. This goes for the valve, which needs to be tight enough, and the pump tube, of which there are different shapes and sizes. You’ll want to feel comfortable with your design.
Now that your reactor is set-up and ready to go, the next phase is to set the Co2 bubble count on a low setting. Manufacturers will suggest a setting for their reactor and you should follow the guidelines for their product. The second step is to adjust the PH setting to properly dissolve the medium you are drawing the calcium from. You will want to set the PH to between 6.5 and 6.7 for the best results, by using a PH meter to check the effluent flow rate and then make the adjustments, allowing a few hours between changes to check if the PH is between 6.5 and 6.7. Continue this process until you have successfully changed the PH to the correct level.
Next use your alkalinity test kit to see if the reactor is successfully replacing the calcium used by your livestock. It is important to know what your normal alkalinity is like so that you can adjust the CoH in the reactor to ensure that you don’t go higher or lower than you normal level, for the safety and well-being of your livestock.
Once you are satisfied that your reactor has restored the calcium level in the tank, you are done. Check your alkalinity levels every few weeks to ensure that more calcium replenishment is not necessary.
Bodywork for Clients With Calcium Deposits
Whether or not they know it, a large percentage of Americans have calcium deposits in their bodies. While calcium deposits do not pose a severe health threat, massage therapists should use caution when presented with these bumps, as they may be indicative of other serious health concerns. Proceeding with massage only after your client’s physician has diagnosed them with calcium deposits is the best course of action.
The development of calcium deposits is called calcinosis, and can occur in one of four different types. The most common form is called dystrophic calcinosis, occurring when tissue damage is present in someone with normal levels of calcium and phosphate in their body. Autoimmune disorders and other diseases can cause tissue damage that leads to calcium deposition. Alternately, a person who has high amounts of calcium and/or phosphate can develop metastatic calcinosis, which can be indicative of kidney failure.
Being beyond the scope of practice for a massage therapist to diagnose someone with calcium deposits, it is important that your client see their physician immediately, as these bumps may actually be a much more serious condition. Once you know your client has a calcium deposit, it is typically ok to proceed with massage, as this type of stimulation will not cause any harm.
Calcium deposits may actually help a massage therapist determine which area of the body to focus on during a session. Since these deposits are commonly found near joints, it is likely that your client may be experiencing some joint pain. The more you know about this condition, the more you can enhance your massage session, and provide your client with the most beneficial therapy possible.
Calcium in fortified beverages
I’ve frequently wondered how much calcium is actually in my glass of soymilk since there’s often a layer of sludge left at the bottom of the glass or in the carton. Could this be where most of the calcium ends up? Researchers at Creighton University have raised important concerns about the amount of calcium actually delivered by fortified beverages. They examined four brands of calcium-fortified soymilk and rice milk and eight brands of calcium-fortified orange juice. Beverages were tested and assigned a score based on the amount of calcium in the beverage that did not dissolve (and that probably would not be drunk) and on the likelihood of the calcium in the beverage being absorbed. A score of 100 indicates a source of calcium that would be well absorbed and that would deliver the amount of calcium on the product’s nutrition label. Scores for orange juice ranged from 70 to 99, with most products above 95. Soymilk and rice milk scores ranged from 57.5 to 90. These results suggest that many calcium-fortified beverages do not deliver as much calcium as the label suggests they do. What can consumers do?
* Shake calcium-fortified beverages very well to maximize the amount of calcium in your glass.
* Use other well-absorbed sources of calcium like kale and collard greens in addition to calcium-fortified beverages.
* Contact producers of calcium-fortified beverages and let them know that it is important that their products deliver usable calcium in the amount indicated on the label.
Calcium
From a young age, we’ve been told to drink our milk, whether it was our moms not letting us
leave the dinner table until our glasses were empty, or today, milk-mustachioed celebrities
ballyhooing its benefits.
Well, mom and those celebrities are right. Milk, with its abundance of calcium and
beneficial vitamins, does do a body good. As the most calcium-dense food on Earth, milk
helps build strong bones and maintain immune function, and some think it may aid in weight
loss.
But when dairy and your body don’t agree, getting the recommended 1,000-1,300 mg of calcium
a day becomes a bit more difficult. In fact, since the average American diet contains only
800 mg of calcium, it seems that more than just the lactose-intolerant are neglecting to
follow their mom’s milk advice.
Here’s where supplements can swoop in to the rescue. Simply pop a 500-mg calcium pill
daily, and–presto–you’re halfway to the minimum recommended daily amount of 1,000 mg per
day. Or you are until you find yourself standing in front of the shelves at your local
store, eyes slowly glazing over at the array of calcium varieties. Carbonate … citrate …
lactate … how to choose?
Luckily, the answer is elementary, as in the amount of elemental calcium in each. Since
supplements are not completely made of calcium, it’s good to know how much of the element is
in the supplement you choose. Below are the approximate amounts of elemental calcium each
formula has, according to the Physician’s Desk Reference:
* calcium carbonate: 40%
* calcium phosphate: 40%
* calcium citrate: 21%
* calcium lactate: 13%
* calcium gluconate: 9%
Sure makes shopping easier.