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Calcium Calcium, the body's most abundant mineral, plays a critical role in bone health, but it does much more than that. Calcium permits cells to divide, regulates muscle contraction and relaxation, keeps the heart beating and the brain working, plays an important role in the movement of protein and nutrients inside cells, helps control blood pressure, and is essential for blood clotting. Calcium also seems to protect against heart attacks and certain types of cancers.

Good Sources of Calcium Although the optimal amount of calcium isn't known, "enough" according to the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Institute of Medicine, is 1,200 milligrams (mg) a day for adults over 50. The most readily available form of calcium is in dairy products. But you can get calcium from many other foods as well. Tofu, if prepared with calcium sulfate, is an outstanding source. Just one-quarter of a block gives you a substantial 553 mg. Don't like tofu? Try whizzing it in a blender with some milk or juice, fresh fruit, and a bit of honey to make a nourishing and delicious smoothie. Leafy green vegetables, calcium-fortified fruit juices, canned sardines, and canned salmon with bones are all good sources. Even carrots and green peas contain calcium. To up your consumption of calcium in a way you won't even notice, add dry milk to soups or sauces. Just one-quarter cup of dry milk provides 375 mg of calcium. Debunking Myths "Milk is a poor source." Some people believe that drinking milk is not a good way to get calcium because the protein in it carries away the calcium in urine. "Here's the story," says Holick. "The body metabolizes the sulfur amino acids in protein and releases sulfuric acid. And that acid, which is excreted in urine, takes calcium along with it." So it does have a marginal effect on bones. However, if you get enough calcium in your diet, you can more than offset any loss. "Coffee saps calcium." A while back, reports warned that drinking caffeinated coffee would leach calcium from bones. "But a nicely done study shows that the amount of calcium in the milk you put into your coffee is enough to make up for the minuscule amount of calcium lost," Holick says. "Calcium causes kidney stones." In the past, people whose risk of kidney stones was high were told to limit the amount of calcium they ate because the stones are made from calcium salts. But current thinking has it that calcium from food actually decreases the risk of kidney stones. The most important message about calcium is also the simplest: Make sure you get an adequate amount. You don't have to count milligrams with every bite, but learn which foods are rich in calcium and make them a regular part of your diet. And, to guarantee that the calcium you eat becomes available to your body, get sufficient vitamin D, via the sun or in a multivitamin tablet.

Both men and women over age 50 should be eating 1,200 mg of calcium a day. The chart below shows the calcium content of some common foods.

Source - Readers digest

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created by ally | posted on 2008-06-15 | 1629 views |