Benefits Of Calcium

butter-milkBenefits Of Calcium

All through your childhood and adolescence, the bones of your body increase both in size as well as mass. Bones continue to add mass till the age of thirty, an age when the bone mass reaches to it maximum. Bone loss, is a process that occurs as gradually as bone growth. So the stronger are your bones at the age of thirty, the better will be the condition of your bones as you age. It is therefore, important to consume sufficient quantities of calcium, along with minerals like magnesium and vitamins like D and K2 all throughout childhood and adolescence. Apart from keeping the bones healthy, calcium also provides many other benefits to the body which include:

1.Aids in reducing body weight.
Insufficient intake of calcium in the diet increases the chance of being overweight. When you are on low calcium diet, the body thinks that you’re starving and goes into an emergency mode, thus releasing parathyroid hormone from two pairs of glands in the neck. The parathyroid hormone stimulates the bones to release calcium into the bloodstream. The kidneys also release a hormone called calcitriol, so as to increase the ability of calcium absorption. Both, parathyroid hormone and calcitriol stimulate the creation of fat and slows down its breakdown thus adding to the amount of fat in the body. A high intake of calcium suppresses these hormones, stimulating the body to store less fat and also aids in its breakdown. Thus calcium intake helps in weight loss.

2.Benefits to the heart.
Low calcium intake in the body increases the chances of high blood pressure. This is because as a reation to shortage of calcium, the body releases a hormone calcitriol. This hormone works on the smooth muscular walls of the arteries, contracting them and thus increasing your blood pressure. Sufficient intake of calcium aids in maintaining the blood pressure helps the muscles including that of the heart to contract and relax properly.

3.Aids in the treatment of PMS.
Regular intake of calcium in the diet helps to remove symptoms related to PMS. This is because if sufficient amount of calcium is consumed, the body suppresses the release of calcium-regulating hormones. Conversely this hormone is released when the calcium intake is inadequate. Women suffering with PMS have high levels of such hormones all through their menstrual cycle and thus exhibit the symptoms of syndrome. Sufficient intake of calcium can thus helps to sure PMS and symptoms related to it.

4.Helps in preventing colon cancer.
Adequate intake of calcium the diet reduces the risk of colon cancer. It also suppresses the development of polyps which in turn results in cancer.

Calcium is such an important mineral that it should be a part of the regular diet. Calcium can be obtained from all dairy products like milk, curd and cheese that can easily be a part of our daily diets.

Leave a Comment