"There are few micronutrients more crucial to our wellbeing than calcium: it builds our bones and teeth, regulates our heartbeats and even allows our blood to clot up when we’ve had a scratch or scrape. But as we age, our bodies can do less and less with the calcium we consume through our diets. This can lead to osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women. Health authorities in plenty of other countries suggest that women in later life start to eat more calcium, but the NHS has no such advice, recommending 700mg a day for all of us regardless of age or sex – happily equating to a 6cm chunk of a hard cheese like cheddar or parmesan.
The latest science suggests that eating a much greater amount of calcium is better for us at any stage of life. A recent study published in the journal Jama Network Open found that consuming at least 1700mg of calcium per day can slash a person’s risk of developing bowel cancer by 25 per cent. Other recent research suggests that those of us who consume an extra 300mg of calcium in excess of the NHS guideline amount, the same as a large glass of milk, have a 17 per cent lower risk of bowel cancer.
A diet low in dairy and in vegetables can lead to deficiencies, as leafy greens are a crucial source of calcium. So while older women are at risk of osteoporosis, younger women should be aware of a potential calcium deficiency, too. “It’s women in the UK aged between 20 to 29 who have the lowest calcium intake,” says Rhian Stephenson, a nutritionist and founder of the supplement brand Artah. This is partially because women tend to avoid dairy products at a higher rate than men and partially because of the fact that people in that age bracket generally have a lower vegetable intake.
So how much calcium is really enough for the full range of its benefits – and how would you know that you’re deficient?
Am I getting enough calcium?
“Calcium has tons of different uses in the body,” says Stephenson. “It’s one of the most abundant minerals, forming part of the structure of our bones and teeth as well as supporting nerve and muscle function and regulating cellular activity. If we aren’t getting enough calcium in our diets, our bodies will take it out of our bones”.
All in all, “most people in Britain are getting enough calcium in their diets, and pretty much exclusively through diet alone,” says Stephenson. Good data on the average calcium intake of a person in the UK is hard to come by, but American research suggests that the average woman in the US consumes 1,009mg of calcium per day, while men consume 1,156mg.
While dairy products are often the best source of calcium, “it’s entirely possible for someone on a vegetarian or vegan diet to get all the calcium they need, they only need to be more mindful,” Stephenson rules. Leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach and collard greens are all good sources of calcium. Younger people, who are both more likely to try out vegetarianism and be generally more veg-averse, “might struggle here unless they were raised in a vegetarian or vegan household”.
Women who eat low-fat dairy products meanwhile, rather than avoiding dairy entirely, should also be in the clear. Products like zero-fat Greek yogurt “tend to contain just as much calcium as the full-fat versions, sometimes even a little more,” says Stephenson.
The signs of calcium deficiency
The signs of calcium deficiency can be hard to spot, says Stephenson, as they are so easily confused with minor ailments or other conditions like arthritis. “It’s hard to measure whether the levels of calcium in your blood are healthy or not, because it will be taken from your bones to buoy up the levels if you aren’t consuming enough in your diet,” she explains. “The only way to know for sure is by scanning for bone density.”
Yet there are some warning signs that you could be calcium deficient. “Aching bones, muscle soreness as well as cramps and spasms, low blood pressure and anxiety can all result from calcium deficiency, and might be used by a doctor along with an overview of your diet to assess whether you’re consuming enough calcium,” Stephenson says.
Nails that “are softer or break more easily” can also indicate calcium deficiency, “but there are many things that could cause this, so that isn’t definitive either,” Stephenson adds. White spots on a person’s nails are often thought of as a telltale sign of calcium deficiency, but this is usually not the case – the spots, also known as leukonychia, are more easily caused by small injuries to your nails, often through nail biting.
The link between calcium and bowel cancer
Bowel cancer rates are on the rise in Britain and across much of the world. Research into the protective effects of calcium against bowel cancer is extremely promising, experts say.
It’s thought that calcium works to ward off bowel cancer by “binding to acids in the bowel and helping to sweep them out, so that they don’t have as much of a chance to damage the bowel,” explains Megan Winter, a health information manager at Cancer Research UK.
Bowel cancer symptoms - more to read here
While there’s no direct evidence that a lack of calcium can cause bowel cancer, “diet is closely linked to bowel cancer risk, and it’s important that people have a healthy varied diet and maintain a healthy weight to reduce their chance of developing bowel cancer in the future,” says Winter. “Diets that are high in fat, sugar and salt are often low in other nutrients and can lead to increased risk of weight gain,” she adds.
“We’ve known for a long time that dairy products had a protective effect against bowel cancer, but now it’s established that this is largely because of the calcium in dairy,” Winter explains. A study published in January this year investigated the protective effects of 97 different foods and nutrients, and found that over the course of 17 years, “every 300mg higher intake of dietary calcium a day, about the amount in a large glass of milk – was associated with a 17 per cent lower risk of bowel cancer,” says Dr Keren Papier, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, who led the study.
“Calcium was found to have a similar effect in both dairy and non-dairy sources, suggesting that it was the main factor responsible for cutting risk,” Dr Papier adds.
That said, specific dairy products have been shown to have especially good cancer-preventing effects: another recent study, which followed 135,000 people over the course of 35 years, found that those who ate two servings of yogurt a week could be less likely to suffer from certain types of bowel cancer. This was put down to bifidobacterium, a probiotic more likely to be found in yogurt than milk, that is believed to protect the lining of our guts.
Can you have too much calcium?
In Dr Papier’s study, calcium intake among participants “was higher than the average UK calcium intake, and we found that those who consumed 1100mg of calcium a day in their diets had a lower risk of bowel cancer compared with those who consumed 800mg a day,” she explains.
But that doesn’t mean we should all be chugging pints of milk. “Dairy products are likely to be high in fat and that can make it more difficult to keep to a healthy weight, with overweight and obesity being risk factors for bowel cancer themselves,” Winter says. “People would also see more benefit from adding in high-calcium ingredients that also contain more fibre and other nutrients than milk, and it’s better to make small, incremental changes rather than ratchet up milk intake.”
Dr Papier agrees that “more research is needed to understand the potential health impacts of increasing calcium intake in different populations”.
In general, “you don’t want to eat more than 2500mg of calcium a day,” says Stephenson. “But that is a truly enormous amount of calcium,” Stephenson adds – so most of us can only see benefits from adding a glass of milk to breakfast, or having some cheese and crackers after dinner instead of a slice of chocolate cake.
Should I take calcium supplements?
Most people are getting enough calcium through their diets alone, and almost all of the evidence for its cancer-fighting benefits are tied to the impacts of eating it rather than taking it in supplement form.
“Calcium is one of the few supplements that I don’t recommend people take, because we don’t fully understand whether it’s safe yet,” Stephenson says. Winter agrees: “we always prefer to encourage people to eat a varied diet with a range of calcium sources, rather than relying on calcium supplements”.
Evidence on the effects of calcium supplements on bowel cancer risk is lacking compared to what we know about dietary calcium, says Dr Papier. “We only investigated dietary calcium in our study, but given the widespread use of calcium supplements, future studies should investigate the role of calcium supplements for preventing colorectal cancer,” she says.
So while calcium supplements might not do you any harm, it’s better to add more calcium into your diet by changing the foods you eat.
The best calcium-rich foods for your health
“Sardines contain more calcium than milk because of the bones in the fish,” says Stephenson. They are also a fantastic source of omega-3 fatty acids, essential to brain health.
Cow’s milk contains much more calcium than alternatives like oat milk, though fortified milk alternatives can also be a good source of calcium. As with yogurts, skimmed and semi-skimmed milks are just as rich in calcium as the blue-topped kind.
Aside from its probiotic, gut-feeding effects, “yogurt is much easier on your system than milk is,” says Stephenson, making it easier to eat a larger amount of it per day.
“You can’t look to soft cheeses for calcium,” says Stephenson. Fortunately, delicious and (relatively) low-calorie parmesan cheese has it in reams.
Chickpeas contain a good whack of calcium as well as fibre and protein, making them an excellent boon to our diets."Words above from article seen here
Helpful link
UK's NHS site 'About Calcium' - see here
Related Post
Calcium - Do You Know These Facts ? - see here
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However, it is IMPORTANT to note that articles within this blog are provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your GP or local health care team/provider.
All the best Jan
