This page describes calcium deficiency in adults and children. You will find everything you need to know: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of this problem. Read how to check the level of calcium in the body and how to compensate for its deficiency. Understand how the symptoms of calcium deficiency differ in men and women, adults and children. Learn the main reasons why calcium may not be absorbed. Here are 7 questions that readers often ask and detailed answers to them.
Calcium deficiency: detailed article
To compensate for calcium deficiency, adults and children usually take one of four substances - calcium carbonate, chloride, gluconate or calcium citrate. Therefore, objective information is presented here on how different drugs differ from each other. Calcium tablets can have serious side effects in adults. Below is what they are. Eat foods rich in calcium to avoid taking pills or take them as little as possible.
Causes
You probably already know that a lack of vitamin D in the body can be a cause of calcium deficiency. Read the article ““ for more details. After studying it, you will understand whether you and your children need to take supplements of this vitamin. Other lesser known causes of calcium deficiency:
- lack of magnesium;
- excessive consumption of table salt;
- excess phosphorus, which is contained in carbonated drinks;
- renal failure;
- problems in the functioning of the parathyroid gland (not to be confused with the thyroid gland);
- medications - proton pump inhibitors, drugs for epilepsy;
- undergone surgery to reduce the size of the stomach (bariatric surgery).
80-85% of the population suffers from a lack of magnesium in the body. It causes many health problems and can lead to calcium deficiency, among other things. When there is not enough magnesium, calcium is deposited on the walls of the arteries, and not in the bones, as it should be. It is possible that calcium is also actively excreted in the urine to balance the levels of this mineral and magnesium. Adults should be more concerned about their magnesium deficiency than about calcium problems. If you have symptoms of magnesium deficiency, start taking magnesium tablets, with or without vitamin B6. Read the detailed article ““. Magnesium supplements quickly improve well-being and blood and urine test results. Calcium preparations cannot boast of such an effect.
To remove excess sodium, the body is forced to use up its calcium reserves. Doctors often force patients with hypertension to completely avoid table salt (sodium chloride). This diet is very difficult to tolerate. Once you start taking magnesium-B6, it will no longer be necessary. Magnesium improves the metabolism of not only calcium, but also sodium. 2-3 grams of salt per day is unlikely to harm people who do not suffer from heart failure. But consuming sodium more than this norm is not advisable.
Many carbonated drinks are loaded with phosphorus. They negatively affect the metabolism of teenagers, who often eat fast food, washed down with soda. If the body uses a lot of calcium to bind excess phosphorus, then this mineral will not be enough for skeletal development. Eating unhealthy foods in your younger years comes at the cost of an increased risk of bone fractures in middle and old age.
Kidney failure blocks the conversion of vitamin D into its active form. This inhibits the absorption of calcium in the intestines. The parathyroid gland produces parathyroid hormone, which regulates calcium metabolism. Diseases of the parathyroid gland lead to a deficiency of this mineral. Proton pump inhibitors are medications for stomach acid. They cause many side effects, one of which is impaired calcium absorption. Try to normalize your digestion without using these drugs.
How to check calcium levels in the body? How to increase it?
Calcium is not only a building material for bones and teeth. It also mediates signal transmission between cells. It is necessary that the level of this mineral in the blood be almost the same all the time, otherwise the transmission of signals will be disrupted and the person will fall dead. If you don't get enough calcium from your diet, the body immediately flushes this mineral from the bones to maintain stable levels in the blood. Therefore, a blood test cannot tell whether an adult or a child is calcium deficient. A blood test for this mineral is used only to diagnose rare, serious diseases. For example, problems with the parathyroid gland.
To assess the density and mineral composition of bones, doctors take an X-ray of them using a special technique using two beams simultaneously. Ask your osteoporosis specialist for details. The effectiveness of this survey is questionable. Because if a doctor tells a person that he has normal bone density, then he will act against his material interests. It turns out that a lack of calcium in the body in adults and children can be assumed only by indirect signs, but it cannot be accurately confirmed or refuted, except in cases of severe diseases of the parathyroid gland, kidney failure or cancerous tumors.
Why is calcium not absorbed in the body? What are the reasons for this?
Typically, you cannot accurately determine whether you or your baby are absorbing calcium well. The reasons for this are explained above in the answer to the previous question. Read the detailed article " " to find out if you have risk factors or symptoms of deficiency of this substance. Vitamin D regulates calcium absorption.
Symptoms
No symptoms can accurately establish that an adult or child does not have enough calcium in the body. Popular medical websites list the following signs: fatigue, bad mood, chest pain, heart rhythm disturbances, hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing, dry skin, brittle hair and nails, tingling or, conversely, loss of sensation in the arms and legs, psoriasis, cataracts. This is all quackery. The symptoms listed above are most likely caused by something other than calcium deficiency. Leg cramps almost certainly indicate a lack of magnesium in the body. Tablets are highly likely to help with them. And if you take calcium supplements without magnesium, the cramps are unlikely to go away. Perhaps the only reliable symptom of calcium deficiency is decreased height in an adult.
What does calcium deficiency lead to in the body?
Calcium deficiency in the body increases the risk of dental problems in children and adults. Perhaps, due to impaired skeletal development, the child will grow weak and frail. It is possible that calcium deficiency in adults increases the risk of bone softening and fractures. However, in the 2000s, the results of large-scale studies were published showing that taking calcium supplements daily for many years did not prevent adults from breaking the hip and other bones. Perhaps a lack of calcium aggravates high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. But this is a dubious hypothesis. Almost no symptoms allow us to say for sure that a child or adult does not have enough calcium in the body.
What are the symptoms of calcium deficiency in women?
It is possible that calcium deficiency in the body increases premenstrual symptoms in women. But this has not been proven. It is unlikely that taking supplements of this mineral will relieve PMS. Start taking 6 mg per 1 kg of body weight for 3 weeks - and you will endure PMS much easier in the next cycle. Once you are convinced that magnesium is helping, continue to take it every day without interruption. L-glutamine also helps with PMS almost instantly if you take 3-5 grams of it in capsules or powder dissolved in water. Women who are overweight and consume a lot of sweets should also take chromium picolinate.
Watch the video - an excerpt from the popular TV show “About the Most Important Thing.” A nutritionist talks about the importance of calcium for women. Find out which popular foods flush this mineral out of your body.
Calcium deficiency in children
Many parents are concerned about calcium deficiency in their children. A deficiency of this mineral can cause dental problems, mild skeletal development delays, or even rickets. The normal level of calcium in the blood is 2.15 - 2.50 mmol/l, and in children and adolescents this figure is usually higher than in adults. A blood test usually does not establish or refute calcium deficiency in the body. A blood test for vitamin D is more informative than a calcium test. The site draws readers' attention to the fact that calcium gluconate tablets contain very little of this mineral. For more details, see the article ““. However, young children under 3 years of age require very little calcium to prevent or treat deficiency. Therefore, 1-4 calcium gluconate tablets per day may be sufficient, along with a nutritious diet.
Read the detailed article ““. Find out the daily calcium intake for children from birth to 18 years of age. Understand how the symptoms of calcium deficiency in the body differ in young children, primary schoolchildren, teenagers and adults.
If a woman had diabetes during pregnancy or the baby was born too small, she may develop neonatal hypocalcemia. This is a low level of calcium in the baby's blood for several days after birth. Symptoms include frequent crying, poor appetite, fainting, intermittent or slow breathing, and palpitations. Neonatal hypocalcemia is treated with intravenous injections of calcium gluconate, and then tablets are given for several days. This is an acute condition that is rare. Calcium deficiency in children usually does not cause obvious symptoms, so it is difficult to confirm or refute. In families in which parents set good examples for their offspring to eat healthy foods, calcium deficiency does not occur in either children or adults.
How to compensate for calcium deficiency
It is usually not difficult to replenish calcium deficiency in adults and children. You may not even need to take pills to achieve this. First of all, study for adults and children depending on gender and age. Include calcium-rich foods in your diet. This will help you. Try to get as much of this mineral from food as possible so that you can avoid taking pills altogether or take less of them. Calcium supplements may increase the risk of cancer and heart disease in adults. Read the article ““ for more details. Consider this information before you buy and start taking pills.
Also study the article ““. Find out if you or your children have a deficiency of this vitamin in the body. Vitamin D deficiency can develop even in hot countries in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle, spend all their time indoors, are not exposed to the sun, or use excessive sunscreen. Vitamin D regulates calcium absorption. If there is not enough of this vitamin in the body, then no matter how much calcium is consumed, it will not be absorbed in the intestines. Calcium that the body does not use as intended can be deposited in the kidneys in the form of sand or stones. At best, it will simply be excreted through the intestines.
Which calcium is better absorbed?
In the article "" gluconate, carbonate, chloride and are compared with each other. Study this article to choose the most suitable tablets for adults and children. Popular drugs Calcium D3 Nycomed and Complivit Calcium D3 are good combination products. They contain calcium and vitamin D in sufficient dosages.
Vitamin D is important for the body's absorption of calcium. Less known is that magnesium also regulates calcium metabolism. Adults should be more concerned about a magnesium deficiency than a calcium deficiency in their body. If you have, then start taking this mineral in tablets, perhaps along with vitamin B6. This will relieve you of many unpleasant symptoms and improve calcium metabolism.
What promotes the absorption of calcium in the body? What prevents this?
And magnesium promotes the absorption of calcium in the body in children and adults. They are prevented by oxalic and phytic acids, which are found in sorrel, spinach and grain products. All types of greens, except sorrel and spinach, are excellent sources of calcium and can serve as a substitute for dairy products. Carbonated drinks that contain too much phosphorus leach calcium from the body. This can be a problem for teenagers who drink a lot of soda. Coffee leaches calcium from the body, but not significantly. Each cup of coffee stimulates urinary excretion of 2-3 mg of calcium. This is not much, with a daily intake for adults of 1000-1200 mg.
