Do I Need Calcium Supplements?
May 12, 2011 by Owen Jones
Filed under Skin Care
Calcium is one of the most vital building blocks that your body requires. Everyone requires a steady replenishment of calcium, but it is particularly important for children in order to help them build healthy teeth and bones.
It is crucial for pregnant mothers so that the baby gets all the calcium that it needs without having to steal it from Mum and older people require it to ward off osteoporosis, to which elderly women are particularly liable.
Most individuals rely on milk to supply their calcium, but there is increasing evidence that most people cannot derive calcium from milk. A lot of children can but not all and very few adults. Some races of human beings are better at getting calcium from milk than others. Red meat is a decent source of calcium and so is cheese, but this does not help vegetarians and vegans.
If you cannot tolerate 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 types of calcium tablets: some are solid and can be soluble or not and some are chewable.
Whichever sort you choose to take you ought to eat them before or after a meal but not during and you should not take them in conjunction with any other tablets in case they interact with them.
As always, you ought to check with your medical doctor before taking calcium supplements because there are some circumstances that calcium or too much calcium can aggravate. Pregnant women ought to mention that they take calcium tablets too, because the doctor may also be prescribing calcium in a general concoction of vitamins.
Too much calcium can become a problem for some individuals under certain conditions particularly those with some stomach conditions, kidney stones and diarrhea. If you eat meat and cheese, you might 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 should stop taking calcium supplements and visit your physician.
It is simple for most individuals to get enough calcium in their standard diet. Those with the biggest difficulty in this matter are vegetarians, but calcium tablets are cheap enough. Calcium is frequently included in general purpose vitamin tablets as well, so procuring your RDA should never become a difficulty.
In Asia, people do not eat much dairy produce and many 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 assists to keep teeth and gums strong as well.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a number of subjects, and is now concerned with omega 6 and omega 3. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at Omega 6 9