Saturday, May 14, 2011

Calcium Supplements

By Owen Jones


Calcium is one of the most vital building blocks that your body has to have. Everybody requires a constant replenishment of calcium, but it is especially necessary for children in order to help them build healthy teeth and bones.

It is necessary for pregnant mothers so that the baby gets all the calcium that it needs without having to steal it from Mum and older people need it to stave off osteoporosis, to which elderly women are particularly liable.

Most people rely on milk to provide their calcium, but there is increasing proof that most individuals cannot get calcium from milk. A lot of children can but not all and very few adults. Some races of human beings are better at acquiring calcium from milk than others. Red meat is a good source of calcium and so is cheese, but this does not help vegetarians and vegans.

If you cannot take dairy products or eat meat, then you should be consuming calcium supplements to be certain of the health of your bones and teeth. There are a number of kinds of calcium tablets: some are solid and can be soluble or not and some are chewable.

Whichever sort you choose to take you should eat them before or after a meal but not during and you ought to not take them in conjunction with any other tablets in case they react with them.

As always, you ought to check with your physician before taking calcium supplements because there are some conditions that calcium or too much calcium can aggravate. Pregnant women should mention that they take calcium tablets as well, because the GP might also be prescribing calcium in a general concoction of vitamins.

Too much calcium can be a problem for some people under some conditions particularly those with some stomach issues, kidney stones and diarrhea. If you eat meat and cheese, you may not require calcium and if you take supplements and already eat enough that might cause you long term worries as well.

Indications of taking too much calcium include constipation, vomitting, dizziness, nausea, dry mouth and a loss of appetite. If you experience any of these things you ought to give up taking calcium supplements and visit your medical doctor.

It is easy for most individuals to acquire enough calcium in their standard diet. Those with the biggest problem in this matter are vegetarians, but calcium tablets are cheap enough. Calcium is often included in general purpose vitamin tablets as well, so acquiring your RDA should never be a problem.

In Asia, people do not eat much dairy produce and lots of rural Asians eat the bones of fish, small birds and small reptiles in order to ensure that they get enough calcium in their diet. Most Westerners would baulk at eating bones, but it is not unpleasant and helps keep teeth and gums strong as well.




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