Calcium and Ageing

As we age many outward ‘obvious’ signs begin to show such as the greying of hair, sagging skin, bags under the eyes, thicker waist lines, wrinkles to name a few. 

We may also get a few creaky joints or stiffening which we put down to our age, sometimes maybe a bit too prematurely as stiffening of joints can be due to other metabolic disturbances which get branded as ‘age’.

Calcium is one mineral we all know that is needed for strong bones and teeth with 99% of this macro mineral found in these areas, the other 1% supports the cell environment. This small % helps with -

Muscle contraction

Helps with sending chemical messages to the body

For the production of digestive juices and stomach acids

Blood clotting and much more

Western diets are also laced with added calcium, from cereal to breads to yoghurt etc and many people also take extra supplements which find a high level of calcium in.

Ironic really that we still have bone health issues such as weakened bones or joint stiffness and we do as we are told which is to increase calcium from milk, yoghurt, cheese, and maybe add in some calcium tablets. But why are we still plagued by increasing bone and joint health problems, surely there is enough calcium in the out diet today ?

Of course as we age we are more susceptible (particularly women) to bone loss due to hormonal changes but many other issues of bone and joint health affect men and indeed younger age groups too.

One thing we have to look at is the ‘whole’  picture, with that. I refer to the whole western style pattern of eating which can affect calcium metabolism -

Excess salt intake

Magnesium and B vitamin depleted foods 

Excess sugars

Lack of vegetables and fruits

High caffeine beverages

Aluminium cookware

Lack of Vitamin D

Too much caffeine in the diet

Fizzy drinks

Higher intake of manufactured foods…..and so on.

Calcium in the body is also there to ‘buffer’ excess acids in the bloods, foods such as excess dairy, salt, sugar, refined foods  are acidic in the body, therefore we need to take minerals to buffer this acidity down. So, the body will take calcium from the bone amongst others. So by eating our typical western diet (which is more acidic) over long periods may also contribute to calcium losses .

We also have to consider that  to get calcium into the bone it needs instructions from hormones, in particular calcitonin from the thyroid. and also parathormone. 

It needs to be absorbed from the gut

So what can happen is when calcium is drawn from the bone to buffer acidity or our digestive system is impaired or we have a sluggish thyroid then the end result maybe calcium metabolism problems. Or we may end up ‘dumping’ calcium around the body in places such as -

Joints – causing stiffness

Arteries – may contribute to blocked arteries

Gall stones or kidney stones

or maybe in the softer tissues

ALL these above factors need to be taken into account in order to have a healthy calcium balance! 

If this is happening first we need to get the calcium metabolism working better, we need to get the gut in better condition, we need to have the capacity to ABSORB the calcium, it is not just about taking the calcium in and finds its way to the bones (if only life was that simple)

Importantly we need to also supply the body with the other nutrients it needs in particular MAGNESIUM. other nutrients which may play a role in calcium handling include boron, silica,  Vitamins  B, D and K etc

The use of calcium in the body is a COMPLEX one, if you are experiencing signs of bone and joint issues then you may need to take  closer look and not just treat the symptom i.e adding in more calcium by increasing the dairy or taking extra calcium supplements You need to correct the whole metabolic disturbance (which may take time) in order to optimise bone and joint health.

But we as individuals can make our own changes by -

Increasing foods from as much natural sources as possible including fruits, veg, seeds, nuts (non salted variety) oats etc. All natural foods contain high levels of calcium but also importantly so to you will find other nutrients in abundance which are needed for the metabolism of calcium

AND IMPORTANTLY -

Reducing/avoiding as much as possible the manufactured foods, added salt, excessive protein, excess alcohol etc which may all contribute to calcium losses or calcium mishandling!!

Watch the supplements you use or indeed get prescribed, if they are too high in calcium and not enough magnesium then you may compound the problems.

for more information on health and nutrition go to my website or for clinic appointments go to www.karendevine.co.uk and also for the retreats www.devinedetox.co.uk

Karen

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