Calcium

Calcium’s importance to maximum bodily health cannot be stressed enough. Calcium supplementation is very crucial for many types of people because calcium performs a variety of bodily functions like strengthening bones and teeth, regulating hormone functions and supporting the health of new mothers. Calcium’s role in the process of stimulating the contraction of the uterus during childbirth and milk production is important for healthy babies. Nearly all calcium in the body is located in bones and teeth, while a portion of all calcium ingested also circulates the bloodstream to perform a number of other roles in optimizing bodily health.

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Benefits:
*Strengthens bones and teeth
*Supports cardiovascular functions
*Regulates hormone functions and blood pressure
*Encourages proper nerve and muscle functions

Having a healthy amount of calcium in the body is fundamental to regulating the contraction of heart muscles, while also performing vital functions in the transmission of nerve impulses. If calcium levels are insufficient it can lead to hypertension and high blood pressure, as the body automatically releases a hormone that raises blood pressure when calcium levels are low. Maintaining cardiovascular health is also one of the major roles of calcium, helping to control the contracting and relaxing of the muscles, and benefiting the nervous system by regulating blood pressure in the arteries.

Almost 99 percent of calcium found in the body is located in the bones and teeth, leaving about 1 percent to circulate in the blood stream. Calcium is deposited and broken down based on the demand placed on it by the body, and when diet or supplementation of calcium is low, the body will take the necessary amount of calcium from the bones to meet the needs of the blood stream. Calcium makes up around 70 percent of bones, providing their strength and rigidity. Without enough calcium in the body, bones can become brittle and weak, potentially leading to broken bones and osteoporosis.

High calcium intake can serve many purposes in the body, such as regulating body weight. High levels of calcium can lower concentrations of fat cells by decreasing the production of certain hormones in the body. In stimulating fat cells to breakdown, fat cells bind themselves to calcium, thereby preventing its absorption in the digestive tract. Once calcium is attached to fat cells it is possible for the fat to be released though the bowels and discarded from the body.

Calcium deficiency occurs when the body does not intake enough or fails to metabolize an adequate amount of calcium. Once ingested, calcium is absorbed through the small intestine and passed to either the bloodstream or into the bones. Vitamin D plays a significant role in assisting the body to absorb the maximum amount of calcium. Vitamin D is a fundamental ingredient in various hormones that enable calcium to pass from the digestive system into the blood or bones as needed.

On the same note, phosphorus ratios to calcium are important in terms of the body’s ability to utilize calcium to its full extent. Hormonal secretions of the parathyroid and thyroid glands are also able to help maintain calcium equilibrium in the blood. These regulatory mechanisms performed by phosphorus and vitamin D can prevent calcium deficiency from taking place. Calcium deficiency can cause the parathyroid hormone to transfer calcium from the bones in order to meet the needs of the blood stream, making bones brittle and subject to potential breakage.