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Why is calcium so important to me?
When the calcium level in our blood is low, our body will start taking calcium from our bones. Why? Well, our body needs calcium to function properly. Our bones also need calcium to be firm and strong. This is because our bone is mostly made up of hydroxyapatite or calcium phosphate [Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2] crystals. This means that our bone contains large amounts of calcium and phosphate. Hydroxyapatite makes our bones and teeth firm and hard.
As we grow, our bone is constantly formed and reformed again. To maintain the calcium levels in our blood, the calcium from our bones will go into our blood when we have a low calcium level. Then there are cells that make new bone to replace the 'lost' bone. Can you see that this is a cycle? As our bone is mainly made up of calcium, when we do not take in enough calcium, the lost bone is not replaced. When this carries on, our bones no longer become healthy and strong.
Hence, it is very important to take in enough calcium to keep our bones healthy and strong!
Are you still not convinced? Well, go on to find out what happens when you do not take in enough calcium...
When you do not take enough calcium, your bones become weak. As a result, you can get diseases, which are usually bone-related. One of them is osteoporosis.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is when you have a low bone mass. People who have osteoporosis have weak bones that can break easily. This means that these people can easily get fractures, especially hip fractures. Do you know that in Singapore, about one fifth of those who had an osteoporotic hip fracture die and one third had to use wheelchairs or even had to stay in bed?
This means that osteoporosis is a disease not to be taken very lightly. There are often no symptoms for osteoporosis, except that some older people may become shorter or hunched. Moreover, there is no cure for this disease. Hence, prevention is very important. Even if you find out that you have osteoporosis, as long as it is early and not too late, you can at least try to slow down the disease and prevent a hip fracture!
Just to let you know, lack of calcium is not the only factor is having
We need Vitamin D absorb calcium. Without enough vitamin D, we cannot absorb calcium from the food you eat. Then your body will have to take the calcium from your bones. As a result, your bones become weak, and you get diseases (just like when you do not eat enough calcium..) such as osteoporosis.