It is used for skeletal function and structure, also plays a role in muscle contraction and expansions, helps send messages through the nervous system with help of nerve conduction. Calcium also helps in the process of building new cells by forming the cellular membrane.
90% of women and 70% of men don’t consume the recommended daily allowance of calcium. To maintain optimal health, men and women aged 19-50 need 1000 mg of calcium each day; women over 50 and men over 70 need 1200 mg per day. This is especially important for women, who are at a greater risk for bone-related disorders like osteoporosis.
Calcium deficiency is known as hypocalcemia. Symptoms include: numbness, muscle cramps, poor appetite, fainting and fatigue, heart problems, growth development in children. Calcium Deficiency also leaves you prone to blood clotting and can give you a disease called osteoporosis which literally translates to “poor bones”. Your bones are already weak and deteriorating.
Watch out though, taking too many large amounts of calcium can cause hypercalcemia, which can result in decreased kidney function and calcification of red blood cells. Symptoms of hypercalcemia can include frequent urination, bone pain, fatigue, and constipation. So when it comes to calcium intake, more is not necessarily better. In fact, pre-menopausal women who take high amounts of calcium are at an increased risk for hip fractures.