Calcium Deficiency in Women

Calcium and it’s Importance:

Like other minerals, calcium is one of the most important minerals for the body which helps gives strength to bones, muscle contraction, regulates blood pressure and hormones. Insufficient amount of calcium weakens the bones because our body starts taking it from the bones itself to compensate for the low level of calcium. This may cause osteopenia (low bone mass), osteoporosis (calcium deficiency) and frequent fractures due to fragile bones.

Daily calcium requirement: The requirement for calcium is 1000 mg per day for adults and it goes up as we age. For women over 50 and men over 70 the amount goes up to 1200 mg per day.

Dietary sources of calcium: Calcium can be obtained from various natural sources such as green leafy vegetables, yogurt, milk, cheese, calcium fortified foods like juices, breads and cereals. But sometimes these sources are not enough so we have to supplement the calcium to restore bone calcium. Hence, it is more important to see any calcium supplement to support overall health, bone remodelling and renewal process as well.

Sources of Calcium supplements:

Eggshell, bone meal, hydroxyapatite (obtained from animal bones), oyster shell and corals (Marine based), dolomite (sedimentary rock).

It has been shown from various research that almost two third of the population is not getting essential minerals to maintain and build strong bones, to complete this requirement; there is an urgent need to add calcium supplementation from a quality source. Here we are going to discuss briefly the various sources of calcium based supplement:

Calcium carbonate exists naturally in rocks, shell of marine animals, pearls (Oyster), eggshells, bone meal and many more. It is the cheapest, efficient, effective and most occurring form, but has low absorption compared to other form as given below.

Various forms of mineral based calcium:

Calcium based supplements come in the various forms such as, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Citrate, Calcium Citrate Malate, Calcium Phosphates, Calcium Acetate, Calcium Gluconate and Calcium Lactate. Calcium Gluconate and Lactate are less concentrated form, therefore rarely use and the hydroxyapatite is now not much recommended and limited in use. Calcium Citrate and Malate are much used and easily absorb form of calcium and also easy on the stomach.

Coral based calcium carbonate an organic mineral, is a fossilized coral obtain from the marine life, though this form of calcium is more absorbable, richly loaded with other minerals and better than land based sources, but may harm the aquatic life and may impose devastating effects on precious coral reefs, which are the natural shelter for the countless tiny aquatic creatures.   

Shell or oyster based calcium:

This type of calcium obtained from the empty or dead seashells or the oysters, these are picked and collected from the seashore sites, but due to the ongoing demand now the people are collecting living sea shells for the commercial purpose, killing the creatures and cleaning the shells to derive calcium from the shells. It is common shell based calcium, which may be cheaper, but generally poor to consume because it is hard in nature so it is tough for the stomach to digest. Besides, shall based calcium imposes negative effect on the living shell creatures and disturbs the balance of the natural aquatic life.
 

Purely plant based calcium: Moringa Oleifera

It’s a natural multivitamin pill given naturally from the Mother Nature. It is a tree of life  or paradise, and has been used for thousands years to treat many ailments since it has unbelievable nutrition ingredients like calcium, vitamin C, A, B1, B2 and B3,  potassium, chromium, magnesium , manganese and many more. The leaves contain 17 times more calcium than milk. It shows better absorption and best for the vegetarians, moreover Moringa oleifera is a strictly plant based calcium source that support sustainable lands and do not impose any harm or threat to the environment.

Traditional calcium supplements are obtained from rock, marble, limestone or dolomite, granite and animal bones, are less expensive, but they mostly carry heavy metals, especially lead, arsenic and mercury, which are very toxic to the human body, if once accumulated in the tissue, they may cause serious health related issues. 

Same goes with the shell and coral based calcium, though; they may seem fancy, but equally toxic to the human. Thus, it would be more sensible to get natural calcium supplement from plant based sources (Moringa oleifera), which is devoid of any toxicity and much superior to the source made by semi-artificial way. Besides this, Moringa oleifera is an environment friendly sustainable option.