Feature: Regulating your body processes with
calcium
By Charina A. Javier
Calcium is the main structural component of bones
ad teeth but did you know that it also controls the contraction of your muscles
and transmission of your nerve impulses?
Yes, 99 percent of our calcium, together with
phosphorus, forms the matrix of bones and teeth, the structural function of
calcium. The remaining one percent is in the bloodstream, regulating the
contraction and relaxation of muscles, especially the heart muscle, blood
clotting, nerve impulse transmission, production of hormone and maintenance of
acid-base balance.
The amount in the bloodstream may be too small as
compared to the amount found in the bones but reducing it causes the calcium in
your bones to be used up, putting individuals at greater risk of fracture or
osteoporosis in later life.
Calcium is needed in the production and activation
of enzymes like the enzyme to contract and relax muscles, secretion of hormones
such as the growth hormone, conduction of synapses in nerves, activation of
clotting factor in the blood, control of cell membrane permeability and
electrolyte balance.
Calcium normalizes blood pressure among
salt-sensitive patients and relieves muscles muscle cramps especially among
pregnant women. In addition, a study done by Prompt and Quinton of the
Departments of Physiology and Medicine of the University of California Medical
School found that calcium is an essential requirement for stimulating sweat and
that may be a factor in regulating the concentration of sweat.
Our body has to maintain the normal level of
calcium in the blood and soft tissues to keep up with all of its regulating
functions even at the expense of our bones.
This mechanism makes it difficult to determine
calcium deficiency unlike other nutrients where deficiency can be determined
through blood or urinary tests and there is no specific disease characterizing
it.
Including calcium-rich foods in your daily diet
would ensure that the calcium stored in your bones will not be used up to help
regulate a lot of body processes. Message No. 5 of the 2012 Nutritional
Guidelines for Filipinos developed by the Technical Working Group led by the
Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology
(FNRI-DOST) recommends to consume milk, milk products and other calcium-rich
foods everyday for healthy bones and teeth.
Examples of alternative sources of calcium are
freshwater shrimp, anchovy, shore crab, mungbean, jute leaves, horseradish
leaves, sardines, and dried fish.
So to keep up with your body processes and not
compromise your bones, eat and drink calcium-rich foods everyday!
For more information on food and nutrition,
contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana,
Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and
Technology, General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City; Tel/Fax Num: 8372934 and 8373164; email:
mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph, mar_v_c@yahoo.com; FNRI-DOST website:
http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph.; FNRI Facebook page: facebook.com/FNRI-DOST; FNRI
Twitter account: twitter.com/FNRI-DOST. (FNRI-DOST S&T
Media Service/PIA-Caraga)
