Functions of Calcium

The Importance of Calcium in Nutrition

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body and has several important functions. Calcium is the top macro mineral when it comes to your bones. This mineral helps build strong bones, so you can do everything from standing up straight to scoring that winning goal. Calcium is a primary structural constituent of the skeleton, but it is also widely distributed in soft tissue where it is involved in neuromuscular, enzymatic, hormonal, and other metabolic activity.

Ø  Formation of bones and teeth

Ø  Coagulation of blood

Ø  Contraction of muscles, Cardiac action, Milk production

Ø  Transformation of light to electrical impulses in the retina

Ø  Young mothers during pregnancy and the nursing period

Ø  Children and young people for rapid growth of bones

Functions of Calcium

Ø  Development of bones and teeth: Most of the calcium from food goes straight to the teeth and bones, where it is used for building and maintaining strength.

Ø  Regulation of body process: Calcium is also used throughout the body to help muscles contract, enable blood to clot, transmit messages along nerves, produce energy, keep the heart beating, and maintain the immune system. If calcium intake is low, the body takes what it needs from the bones. This can cause the bones to become thin and brittle.

Absorption and utilization

Body need: - Calcium is absorbed chiefly from the upper part of the intestine. Normally it is seen that from an average Indian diet only 20-30 per cent of calcium gets absorbed. The rest is excreted in the faeces. Part of the absorbed calcium is also excreted in the urine but the amount is very small. The efficiency of absorption of calcium increases during periods of rapid growth i.e. infancy, childhood, pregnancy, lactation. When the body’s demand for calcium increases the absorption of calcium also increases to meet this increased demand.

Nutrients in the diet: - Certain nutrients like vitamin D, protein and carbohydrate present in the diet help to improve absorption of calcium. Another nutrient that influences calcium absorption is phosphorus.

Inhibitors: - Inhibitors are substance present in food which hinders calcium absorption.  Cereals and green leafy vegetables are rich in calcium. But all the calcium present in these foods is not available to the body. 

  

Food Sources of Calcium

Milk and milk products, cheese, small fish (with bones), tofu, dark green vegetables, legumes and eggs, Calcium found in plant-based food sources is typically bound into compounds and less easily absorbed by the body. It is estimated that the body actually absorbs as little as 20 to 40 percent of the calcium in food sources.

Food Sources of Calcium
Cereals/Millets
Ragi	344mg/100g
Amaranth Seeds	510 mg/100g
Pulses
Bengal gram whole	202 mg/100g
Horse gram whole	287 mg/100g
Rajmah	260 mg/100g
Nuts and oils seeds
Gingerly seeds	1450 mg/100g
Mustards seeds	490 mg/100g
Cumin seeds	1080 mg/100g
Poppy seeds	1584 mg/100g
Green Leafy Vegetables
Agathi	1130 mg/100g
Amaranth	397 mg/100g
Fenugreek	395 mg/100g
Rape leaves	370 mg/100g
Milk and Milk products
Cow’s milk	120 mg/100g
Buffalo milk	210 mg/100g
Cheese	790 mg/100g
Khoa	956 mg/100g
Fish and sea foods
Hilsa	180 mg/100g
Rohu	650 mg/100g

 

RDA Of CALCIUM
Childern	Age	4-6	800 mg
		7-10	800 mg
Males	Age	15-18	1300 mg
		19-24	1000 mg
Females	Age	25-50	1000 mg
		15-18	800 mg
		19-24	800 mg
		25-50	800 mg

 

Deficiency Symptoms of calcium:

Because bone stores of calcium can be used to maintain adequate blood calcium levels, short-term dietary deficiency of calcium generally does not result in significantly low blood calcium levels. But, over the long term, dietary deficiency eventually depletes bone stores, rendering the bones weak and prone to fracture. The symptoms of calcium deficiency are:

Ø  Bowlegs, Pigeon Breast, and Knock-knees of children

Ø  Cramp pains in legs

Ø  Delay in sitting up, Crawling and Walking of babies

Ø  Heart becomes irregular

Ø  Nerves become extremely irritable

Ø  Poor sleep disorder

Ø  Weakness in the bones