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Calcium is arguably the most important nutrient in your body and more than 99% of them are stored in your bones and teeth. Calcium is essential for many body functions. It helps regulate heartbeat, muscle contraction and nerve conduction, as well as building and maintaining a healthy skeleton, Your body loses calcium every day through shed skin, nails, hair, sweat, as well as through urine and faeces. Calcium will be withdrawn from bones if daily intake is insufficient to perform these activities. When this happens over many years, the bones thin out, resulting in OSTEOPOROSIS, a thinning of bones that can lead to fractures and posture problems.
Your bones are continuously breaking down (resorption) and being formed at the same time. The calcium absorption can be as high as 60% for children, but the absorption decrease to less than 20% for adult and even less as you age. Therefore, dietary intake for calcium should increase if you are age 51 and over.
Studies show that an increase in calcium intake would have the following benefits:
â—� Lowers blood pressure and the risk of hypertension (high blood pressure)
â—� Decreases risk of colon cancer (has not been determined conclusively)
â—� Helps promote a healthy colon
â—� Lowers body weights or less weight gain over time
Getting sufficient calcium should begin at an early age and continues throughout lifetime. It is especially important:
â—� For elderly women & men
â—� During & after menopause
â—� During pregnancy & breast feeding
â—� For growing children