• Brittle fingernails, vertically ridged nails • Pain in forearm or bicep • Cramps in calf muscle during sleep or exercise • Painful cramping of feet or toes • Joint pains • Teeth prone to decay, frequent toothaches • Poor quality or malformation of bones • Nervous tics or twitches, twitching muscles • Nervousness, irritability, anxiety • Unusual sensitivity to noise • Insomnia • Heart palpitations Food sources of calcium include: • Milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy foods. • Green leafy vegetables – such as curly kale, okra and spinach. • Soyabeans and soya-based drinks with added calcium. • Almonds, Peanuts, walnuts and sunflower seeds. • Bread and anything made with fortified flour. • Beans and Lentils.
• Figs. • Fish where you eat the bones – such as sardines and pilchards. Below are the current recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, by age: Women 50 and younger: 1,000 mg per day Men 70 and younger: 1,000 mg per day Women over 50: 1,200 mg per day Men over 70: 1,200 mg per day Supplementary range: 400 to 1200 mg daily What happens if I take too much calcium? Taking high doses of calcium (more than 1,500mg a day) could lead to stomach pain and diarrhea. Remember a healthier you, is a more productive you, so stay safe, eat well, and keep healthy!
NUTRIENTS A-Z: CALCIUM by Janice Buckler Holistic Health C alcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and is vital for bone health. 99% of the body’s calcium is in the bones and
Calcium also plays a key role in blood clotting and relaxes the smooth muscle that surrounds blood vessels and various studies indicate a possible link between high consumption of calcium and lower blood pressure. Vitamin D is also essential for bone health, as it helps the body absorb calcium. The same is true for magnesium. Magnesium is needed to keep calcium in solution so that it can be utilized by the body. As well, calcium is a co-factor for many enzymes and without it, some key enzymes would not work efficiently. Calciumandmagnesiumdeficiencies are closely related; however, symptoms of a calcium defi - ciency can include:
teeth. Females who have already experienced meno- pause can lose bone density at a higher rate than males (and younger females) and supplementa- tion may be recommended. Calcium helps regulate muscle contractions. When a nerve stimulates a muscle, calcium helps the proteins in muscle carry out the work of con- traction. Then when the body pumps calcium out of the muscle, the muscle will relax. Calcium is a great remedy for a build-up of lactic acid in the muscle after over-exertion and is often used on cows after they have given birth.
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JUNE 2021 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2021
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