Calcium is a vital mineral. Your body uses it to build strong bones and teeth with Vitamin D. Calcium is also needed for your heart and other muscles to function properly. When you don’t get enough calcium, you increase your risk of developing disorders due to calcium deficiency like:
osteoporosis
osteopenia
Children who don’t get enough calcium may not grow to their full potential height as adults. Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency
Requirement of calcium in body
It’s important to ensure proper calcium intake at all ages.
For children and teenagers, the recommended daily allowances for calcium are the same for both sexes. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the daily allowances are:
Age group Daily recommended dietary allowance (RDA)
Children, 9–18 years 1,300 mg
Children, 4–8 years 1,000 mg
Children, 1–3 years 700 mg
Children, 7–12 months 260 mg
Children, 0–6 months 200 mg
According to the U.S. government’s dietary guidelines, calcium requirements for adults are:
Age Group Daily recommended dietary allowance (RDA)
Women, 71 years and up 1,200 mg
Women, 51–70 years 1,200 mg
Women, 31–50 years 1,000 mg
Women, 19–30 years 1,000 mg
Men, 71 years and up 1,200 mg
Men, 51–70 years 1,000 mg
Men, 31–50 years 1,000 mg
Men, 19–30 years 1,000 mg
What causes deficiency or low calcium in body?
Many people are at an increased risk for calcium deficiency as they age. This deficiency may be due to a variety of factors, including:
· Medications that may decrease calcium absorption.
Women need to increase their calcium intake earlier in life than men, starting in middle age. Meeting the necessary calcium requirement is particularly important as a woman approaches menopause.During menopause, women should also increase their calcium intake to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and calcium deficiency disease. The decline in the hormone estrogen during menopause causes a woman’s bones to thin faster.
The hormone disorder hypoparathyroidism may also cause calcium deficiency disease.-
People with this condition don’t produce enough parathyroid hormone, which controls calcium levels in the blood.
Other causes of hypocalcemia include malnutrition and malabsorption.
Malnutrition is when you’re not getting enough nutrients, while malabsorption is when your body can’t absorb the vitamins and minerals you need from the food you eat. Additional causes include:
Low levels of vitamin D, which makes it harder to absorb calcium
Medications, such phenytoin, phenobarbital, rifampin, corticosteroids, and drugs used to treat elevated calcium levels
Pancreatitis
hypermagnesemia and hypomagnesemia
hyperphosphatemia
Septic shock
massive blood transfusions
Renal failure
certain chemotherapy drugs
“Hungry bone syndrome,” which may occur after surgery for hyperparathyroidism
removal of parathyroid gland tissue as part of surgery to remove the thyroid gland
If you miss your daily dose of calcium, you won’t become calcium deficient overnight. But it’s still important to make an effort to get enough calcium every day, since the body uses it quickly. Vegans are more likely to become calcium deficient quickly because they don’t eat calcium-rich dairy products. Calcium deficiency won’t produce short-term symptoms because the body maintains calcium levels by taking it directly from the bones. But long-term low levels of calcium can have serious effects.
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