Are you getting enough calcium?

Calcium

-A mineral needed to form healthy bones and teeth

-Can’t be absorbed without Vit D

-Absence of calcium in children can lead to skeletal complications such as rickets

-Inadequate amount in the diet throughout life leads to osteoporosis

Calcium sources from food

-Dairy

-Nuts

-Oily fish

-Dark green leafy vegetables

Osteoporosis

-Happens when bone mineral density is too low (not enough calcium deposits)

-Irish osteoporosis society; 300,000 estimated to have osteoporosis in Ireland and 200 million world wide

-Irish osteoporosis society list calcium supplements as a treatment and preventative measurement for osteoporosis

-Calcium and vitamin D supplements, in conjunction with regular exercise can help minimise the effects of bone mineral loss.

Risk Factors (i.e people who should be taking calcium supplements)

-Family history of osteoporosis

-Steroid use

-Past or present eating disorders

-Underweight for your height

-Impaired mobility (wheelchair users or bedbound)

-Not balancing calories in with exercise

-Underactive thyroid medication

-Vegetarian/ Vegan

-Physiological Stress

-Inadequate nutrition, poor absorption, excessive exercise, inadequate rest periods or excessive competitions can lead to physiological stress. This affects sex hormones, which can increase bone loss and may also lead to increased cortisol levels

-Psychological stress

-Due to any cause, particularly if it is associated with inadequate nutrition and poor absorption, will often result in increased cortisol and prolactin levels in the blood, which can increase bone loss.

-Surgical or early menopause (even menopause in general)

Importance of Taking Calcium Supplements

1. We are putting calcium deposits on our bones until our mid thirties. After this, the bone mineral density decreases with each year. (most important between16-35). You should be pushing calcium and vitamin D supplements on clients in this age bracket as they are depositing these minerals onto their bones. The better the bone density is here, the longer it will take for their bone mineral density to decline into the risky stage that can cause osteoporosis.

2. Female clients after menopause!!!!!! Even though bone mineral density begins to decline in your mid to late thirties, it is a slow and steady decline. This is accelerated after menopause in women as the protective effect of oestrogen is lost. Calcium is needed in this period to help slow down the decline of bone mineral density at this stage.

Recommended Daily Allowances

-Recommendation is 3 servings of calcium rich food a day, 5 for pregnant women and teenagers

Male Adult: 800mg

Female Adult: 800mg

Teenager: 1200mg

Child: 800mg

Pregnant woman: 1200mg

(Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Recommended Dietary Allowances for Ireland 1999)

Forever Living Calcium

The Forever living calcium has 800mg calcium per daily dose (100%)

80mg vitamin c (100%)

5 ug Vitamin D (100%)

A List of Calcium Rich Foods (Difficult to get up to 800mg daily though)

Calcium content of food:

Whole milk (190ml) =224mg

Semi-skimmed milk (190ml) =231mg

Skimmed milk (190ml) =235mg

Soya milk (190ml) =2 5mg

Goat’s milk (190ml) =190mg

Low-fat yogurt (150g) =225

Ice cream (112g) =134

Cheddar cheese (28g) =202mg

Cottage cheese (112g) =82mg

Boiled spinach (112g) =179mg

Boiled broccoli (112g) =45mg

Baked beans (112g) =59mg

Large orange (1) =58mg

Dried apricots (100g) =92mg

Brazil nuts (100g) =170mg

Whitebait (56g) =482mg

Salmon (56g) =52mg

Tofu (100g) =480mg

Milk chocolate (56g) =123mg