Who should take calcium?

Welcome, ladies & gentlemen (and non-binary folks too) to the ultimate guide about who should take calcium. You might be thinking: “Why on earth do I need this article in my life? What even is calcium?” Fear not young grasshopper, we’ve got you covered with all the essential information that you never knew you needed. Buckle up and get ready for a wild ride!

What Is Calcium Anyway?

Before we go any further, let’s start from scratch and answer this fundamental question – what is calcium? The scientific name of calcium is Ca (yes, just like that). In simpler words, it’s one of many essential minerals required by our body to function appropriately. Our bones are made up of 99% calcium; it plays an important role in building strong teeth as well.

Now that we know a bit about Calcium’s chemistry let’s delve into who specifically needs it.

Infants

If there was ever a time in your life when chugging milk straight outta bottles seemed okay, it was probably during infancy. As per experts’ recommendation (1) infants aged between 0-6 months require only approximately 200 milligrams(Mg)/day of Calcium; while those aged between 7-12 months require around 260 Mg/day of Calcium.

Pregnant Women

If making another human being inside your body wasn’t enough work already then brace yourself – pregnant women have to consume higher volumes – around 1000 Mg/day of calcium than their non-pregnant peers simply because they constantly pass nutrients onto their growing baby (2).

This leads us perfectly segue into:

Lactating Mothers

You guessed right; babies have some unique kindship with milk again here (3)- (4) – Lactating mothers need anywhere between almost three times more than usual intake at 1000 Mg/day of calcium!! This supports the calcium passed onto a growing baby via breast milk.

Women above 50 years & Men Above 70 years

Bones and teeth undoubtedly take center stage in this section (5)- (6) – With deteriorating bone health as age progresses, elderly folks are advised to ensure that they’re incorporating roughly around 1200 Mg of Calcium into their diet.

At this point, you’re probably thinking: “Alright but how on earth do I know whether I’m getting enough calcium or not? Do I have to hunt wild animals now???” Fortunately, things aren’t that bleak yet!

Food rich in Calcium:

We’ve wrangled up some edible options here- Highly accessible nutrients doesn’t it sound yummy!

Food Item	Servings Consumed	Calcium Amount (Mg)
Milk	2 cups	600
Cheese	1 slice	200-250
Yogurt	1 cup	300
Broccoli	2 cups fresh	146
Mackerel	–	–

Hold on… mackerel.. where’s its data down below?

Fish also makes for an optimal source of dietary calcium. However different fish often bear fluctuating nutrient levels. Don’t go counting stars over leading casual catch culprits like Salmon every time –when assessing which fish contain high amounts you’ll find Mackerels are key runners-up containing approximated top amount amongst all fishes with nearly up to ~232 mg/3 ounces(—about a half-cup).

It’s worth noting though that a proper balanced diet is essential, and food might not always cover our body’s requirements fully, so supplements might be necessary. It goes without saying A doctor is recommended to be consulted.

Do-not-do’s of Calcium intake

But wait a minute, you still need to know what not to do with calcium or consumption in excess!

-Don’t chug down more than the advised level – nigh unusable unabsorption by body causes deposits that frame up risking kidney damage and other such nuisances. Also never overdose as there’s no telling how much is enough or too much until expert medical advice (7)

   – However, if you miss out on them one day due to circumstances like hurt leg stuck at home; don’t fret over last night’s ill-spent fast-food session – vitamins can step up for occasional gaps (8).

Wait! There are others we need a stern grip:

Factors	What they may cause
Excessive Alcohol Consumption	25X lower absorption rates
Caffeine Intake	24 mg/dL per hour caffeine-containing beverages reduce calcium reabsorption
Sodium (Salt)	– salt playfully tricksters our tiny limbs in water retention making Calcium easy evacuee via urine (9)

One last thing though…

Calcium my heart skip…? Not really:  

Well technically yes ! but let us explain ☺The saying “Calcium makes your heart skip” is actually imprecise–

– Calcium is one element (alongside potassium, sodium) guilty of involved muscle unit contraction & shaping heartbeats but no need to worry your body regulates it naturally. So in other words – you should still NOT depend on or over-consume calcium as a shortcut to better heart health! (10)

Now that we’ve covered everything you needed to know about who needs how much Calcium and its sources, go forth and lead well-informed healthy lives.