Calcium is very important for our tooth and bone development, muscle function, nerve conduction and hormone secretion.
The human body contains a lot of calcium, 99% of which is stored in bones and teeth. Because of this, low calcium intake in the short term will not cause any serious consequences.
However, the human body will reach the peak of bone mass around the age of 30, and then the bone mass will inevitably begin to decline. Therefore, it is best to ensure the strength of bones from an early age, even from early childhood, which also helps to prevent osteoporosis in the elderly.
How much calcium does the human body need?
Reference intake of calcium (AI):
0 to 6 months: 200mg
7 to 12 months: 260 mg
1 to 3 years old: 700 mg
4 to 8 years old: 1000 mg
9 to 18 years old: 1300mg
For reference, the calcium content in100g milk is about xx mg. For ordinary adults, a glass of milk can meet xx% of the daily calcium intake. Generally speaking, a healthy adult basically does not need calcium supplementation if he has a balanced diet and ensures the intake of dairy products and green vegetables.
Who should pay attention to calcium supplementation?
It is very important for babies to get enough calcium, but babies who eat breast milk or formula milk don't need extra calcium for six months. Until about one year old, most children still don't need extra calcium supplement.
You should still eat formula milk or breast milk within one year old, and you can consider drinking whole milk over one year old.
However, it should be noted that in some extreme cases, mothers do not have enough nutrition to provide quality breast milk for their babies. For example, if you are a vegetarian woman, you need to pay attention to supplement calcium, vitamin B 12, zinc and iron.
People who are prone to insufficient calcium intake mainly include the elderly, teenagers, pregnant and lactating women, vegetarians and athletes.
Two main points of daily calcium supplementation
In order to ensure the effect of calcium supplementation, two factors need to be considered, one is the absorption rate of calcium, and the other is vitamin D.
If we only look at the calcium content, we will find that the calcium content in breast milk is slightly lower than that in formula milk, mainly because the bioavailability of calcium in breast milk is higher and it is easier to absorb. But in most cases, we don't have to pay too much attention to the difference in absorption efficiency, as long as we eat according to the recommended calcium intake.
Some plants contain oxalic acid and phytic acid, which will combine with calcium, making people slow down the absorption of calcium. But even so, those plant foods should be eaten.
Vitamin D is very important for the absorption of calcium. Because there is very little vitamin D in daily food, most people can't get enough sunshine, so vitamin D supplementation is often recommended. For infants, it is also recommended to supplement 400IU of vitamin D every day. However, if your child consumes more than one liter of formula every day, there is absolutely no need to take vitamin D supplements.
It should be reminded that rickets is actually caused by vitamin D deficiency, not calcium deficiency.
How to supplement calcium through daily diet?
Generally speaking, all kinds of milk, yogurt and cheese are cost-effective.
In addition, the content of calcium in brine, gypsum tofu and some beans, as well as green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, Chinese cabbage and Chinese cabbage is also high.
Some nuts are also high in calcium, such as almonds and sesame seeds, which are very suitable as snacks, but attention should be paid to prevent suffocation when giving them to children.
Some techniques can also be used in daily cooking to increase calcium intake, such as making salads with yogurt, making cakes with calcium-rich ingredients such as milk, and making smoothies with low-fat milk and fruits. You can also take some nutritious and healthy dairy products with you for dinner, or sprinkle some cheese crumbs on snacks, and so on.
What should I pay attention to when supplementing calcium?
Babies are not advised to take any calcium supplements. Older children can take it.
Taking calcium supplements should not only calculate the dose, but also consider the absorption rate of calcium. When supplementing calcium, the absorption rate of calcium will decrease with the increase of single calcium supplement dose. Therefore, it is best to control the dosage below 500 mg each time. If you need high tonic, you can eat it twice a day.
As for the choice of calcium agent, calcium carbonate is cost-effective, but the risk of side effects such as flatulence and constipation is also high. If you switch to more expensive calcium citrate, the side effects will be less.
reference data
https://ODS . od . NIH . gov/fact sheets/Calcium-health professional/
https://www . nichd . NIH . gov/health/topics/bone health/condition info/children