Calcium is important for overall
health. Almost every cell in our body uses calcium in some way. Some areas
where our bodies use calcium is in our nervous system, muscles, heart and bone.
Our bones store calcium in addition to providing support for our bodies. As we
age, we absorb less and less calcium from our diet, causing our bodies to take
more and more calcium from our bones. Over time this aging process can cause or
contribute to osteopenia or osteoporosis.
We get calcium from the food we eat.
Calcium-rich foods include milk, cheeses and other dairy products. We can also
get calcium from vitamins and supplements, E.g. Trevo.
Our bodies like to keep the amount
of calcium in our blood within a certain narrow range. This range allows the
cells in our body to stay healthy and perform jobs necessary for life. When
blood calcium levels are low the amount of calcium in our blood goes below
normal, our parathyroid glands release a hormone called parathyroid hormone
(PTH). Although this sounds similar to thyroid hormone, PTH is different. PTH
tells our bones to release more calcium into the blood stream. PTH also helps
activate vitamin D which in turn increases intestinal calcium absorbtion.
We obtain vitamin D from the foods
we eat and from our skin in response to sunlight. Because vitamin D promotes
absorption of calcium from the intestine,vitamin D helps to build and maintain
strong bones. When we have very low vitamin D levels, we can develop an adult
form of rickets, called osteomalacia.
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