Calcium deficiency

Importance of Calcium and Deficiency Risks

Calcium deficiency, resulting from insufficient dietary intake or from poor intestinal absorption, does not produce evident symptoms in the short and medium term. The concentrations of the mineral in the blood (calcemia) are in fact kept within rather narrow limits by a fine endocrine mechanism, which fills any deficiencies at the expense of the bone mineral patrimony. Only in the presence of particular diseases, especially at the level of the parathyroid glands or kidneys, does the lack of calcium in the blood (hypocalcemia) produce noteworthy symptoms, and in extreme situations it can be even fatal.

This risk, of course, does not exist for all healthy people who consume little calcium with food; the greatest dangers in this sense derive instead from the increased bone fragility and the predisposition to osteoporosis in old age. The dietary intake becomes particularly important from birth up to 25-30 years of age, a period in which maximum bone mineralization is reached; thus, accumulating a good mineral patrimony, the inevitable decrease in skeletal mass associated with aging will not be able to reach proportions such as to be pathological. For obvious reasons, calcium intake is also important in old age and, in women, from menopause onwards (due to the decrease in estrogen, hormones that in childbearing age carry out a protective action).

Foods rich in calcium

Milk, yogurt and cheese are the richest food sources in calcium; outside the dairy product family, discrete contributions are provided by fish, broccoli, rocket, cabbage, cabbage, legumes and spinach. We recommend a quick reading of the "calcium absorption" article to evaluate the qualitative aspect of these food sources (bioavailability of the mineral contained in the food).

Recommended Intakes of Calcium

Adequate Intakes (AIs) of Calcium (Food and Nutrition Board) Age Men Women Expectant Nutrients 0-6 months 210 mg 210 mg 7-12 months 270 mg 270 mg 1-3 years 500 mg 500 mg 4-8 years 800 mg 800 mg 9-13 years 1,300 mg 1,300 mg 14-18 years 1,300 mg 1,300 mg 1,300 mg 1,300 mg 19-50 years old 1,000 mg 1,000 mg 1,000 mg 1,000 mg 50+ years 1,200 mg 1,200 mg
Some Foods Rich in Calcium Food Ca (mg / 100g) Grana - Parmesan 1200 Fontina - Mozzarella
Caciocavallo - 700-900 Scamorza - Taleggio 400-500 Cow's milk ricotta. 300 Dried sweet almonds 220-240 Rocket, broccoli, spinach, turnips 50-160 Yogurt 90 - 150 Cow's milk 110 - 120

Subjects at risk of calcium deficiency

Although severe food deficiency is quite rare, there are quite a few people who do not get enough calcium in their diet. In most cases these are moderate deficits, but which repeated over time can make the bones less resistant, more fragile and subject to fractures in old age. In all these cases it is useful to resort to specific calcium supplements assisted by the vitamin. D, micronutrient essential for adequate absorption of the mineral in the intestine.

WOMEN IN THE POSTMENOPAUSAL PERIOD: we have already mentioned how the decrease in estrogen impoverishes the bone mineral wealth and decreases the absorption capacity of calcium at the enteric level. It is estimated that after menopause, bone mass decreases by 3-5% per year, a percentage that progressively decreases until it falls below 1% after the age of 65. Therefore, especially for postmenopausal women who are not following hormone replacement therapy, the joint integration of vitamin D and calcium is strongly recommended (at other times, adequate drugs are used, such as bisphosphonates).

WOMEN WITH AMENORRHEA AND TRIAD OF THE WOMAN ATHLETE: we speak of amenorrhea in the absence of menstrual flow (primary if this has never occurred, secondary if after presenting normally it does not reappear in the following three months). hormonal dysfunctions, general diseases) or physiological (pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause), is inevitably accompanied by a decrease in circulating estrogens. Often, in the fertile period, amenorrhea is the unpleasant consequence of anorexia nervosa, too restrictive diets, severe stress and particularly intense physical activity.

We talk about the triad of the female athlete to highlight the three factors that characterize this syndrome: eating disorders, osteoporosis and amenorrhea. It should however be noted that in healthy women, normally fed and of any age, physical exercise induces a significant improvement in health bone; We recommend in this sense weight-bearing exercises, such as running, dancing, music courses in the gym and multi-joint exercises with free weights (such as lunges and squats). This kind of activity, in which body weight and overloads weigh on the skeleton, determines a general bone adaptation to mechanical stress, with a consequent increase in skeletal mass. To learn more, we suggest reading the article: Osteoporosis and sport.

LACTOSE INTOLERANT INDIVIDUALS: the absence of dairy products in the diet (some cheeses - those aged - can still be taken, especially if the degree of intolerance is moderate) often causes calcium deficiencies. If the intolerance is such as to cause gastrointestinal disorders, such as meteorism, flatulence, diarrhea and nausea, even following the "ingestion of small quantities of milk or cheese," supplementation with calcium supplements may be necessary (generally using calcium carbonate or calcium citrate, which is more expensive but better absorbed in conditions of low gastric acidity).

VEGETARIANS: more than vegetarians, the risk of an "important calcium deficiency affects vegans (strict vegetarians) more closely, ie those individuals who also exclude animal derived foods from their diet (eggs, milk, cheese, dairy products, etc.). ). In addition to the reduced dietary intake, it is in fact necessary to consider the high intake of phytates and oxalates, antinutrients that reduce the intestinal absorption of the mineral, favoring the development of calcium deficiencies. Therefore, if you follow a vegan diet, especially when it is not drawn up by a nutritionist or dietician, it is important to choose plant sources rich in calcium or to use specific supplements.