Health Benefits of Calcium

You must have always been advised, since childhood, to have milk or eggs everyday. Your doctor, or more precisely, your dentist, must have advised to you have calcium rich foods everyday. Similarly, adults, and mostly women, are advised to include good amounts of calcium in their daily diet. Have you wondered why is the much hype created around calcium and calcium rich diet? This is because of the large number of advantages associated with having calcium in your diet. Here, we will take a look at it in detail.

Calcium Benefits

All the bones and teeth in the human body are made up of calcium. Therefore, one can get a hint of the uses and importance of calcium to human beings. The following are the other important health benefits.

• Calcium is essential for the proper growth and development of the human skeletal system. Therefore, right from babies to teenagers, all are advised to have calcium for proper growth.
• Uses of calcium also include its role in neuro-transmission. Calcium in the body helps in the release of neurotransmitters.
• Similarly, calcium is also required for maintenance of healthy teeth and gums. Calcium deficiency can lead to disorders of the teeth.
• Calcium deficiency is a condition that is caused when the body lacks the required amount of calcium. Osteoporosis is one of the diseases caused due to calcium deficiency.
• Conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis; and other deficiency diseases can be prevented and treated to a great extent if a person has a regular intake of high calcium foods in his diet.
• Interestingly, calcium also helps in maintaining proper weight. If one has a proper intake of calcium, the body does not release the parathyroid hormone, which consequently prevents the production of fat.
• If you suffer from a chronic or ongoing back problem, you may be suffering from a calcium deficiency, or low levels of calcium. Proper levels of calcium in the body prevent back and joint pain.
• One of the lesser known benefits of calcium include its use in having healthy nails and hair.
• One of the coral calcium health benefits is that it helps in enhancing the immune system.
• It is also believed that good or healthy levels of calcium in the body help in maintaining proper blood pressure and prevent hypertension (high blood pressure)
• If you are suffering from premenstrual difficulties or blues, you should check your body calcium levels. Having healthy levels of calcium help in prevention of these blues.
• Lastly, uses of calcium supplements include treatment of headaches, muscle cramps, fatigue, depression, etc.

Calcium Dosage

You should try to include calcium rich foods in your diet regularly. If you are looking for the dosage of calcium, essential for men and women, then note that men and women of age 15-24 require 1200 mg of calcium. Whereas those aged 25 and above, require a dose of 800 mg of calcium. You should consult the doctor to know about the calcium requirement for babies and children. Supplements should be taken on a doctor's prescription and consultation.

With this information on the calcium benefits and dosage, you must have realized why you have been advised to have a calcium rich diet since childhood. So, alter your diet and make the necessary changes before it is too late. Take care!