CALCIUM DIET

Posted by admin on March 24, 2009 under General health | Be the First to Comment

A well-balanced diet is the cornerstone of all good health and a variety of foods including fish, lean meats, raw vegetables and fruits, unprocessed brans and cereals should be included in everybody’s daily dietary requirements. Foods such as chocolate, which contains oxalic acid, should be avoided when taking calcium as it may form other insoluble compounds that cannot be absorbed. Also large amounts of phytic acid present in cereals and grains may also inhibit absorption of calcium by the body.

Certain other factors influence the correct assimilation of calcium. It is very important to include weight-bearing exercise such as walking in your daily routine and to try to avoid excessive stress.

One serious consequence of long-term calcium deficiency for women is osteoporosis. It is an increased porosity of the bone in which the bone softens; a reduction in bone mass. Its cause appears to lie in the gradual bone loss that occurs in everyone with advancing age, but which is especially marked in women after menopause. This greatly increases the risk of fractures and it is therefore important to prevent bone weakening and halt its progress before fracture occurs.

Different studies have indicated that a sufficiently high calcium intake can reverse a negative calcium balance and thereby suppress bone loss.

A recent double-blind study undertaken in Denmark demonstrated that calcium supplements resulted in a significantly slower rate of bone softening in the total body-bone mineral content.

If you are going to take a calcium supplement to raise the dietary levels of calcium then one containing calcium and phosphorus, calcium phosphate, is necessary.

*43\26\8*