calicium required for women

8/8/2019 Calicium Required for Women

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Calcium and Women Health

Calcium is an essential mineral to life. It is the most abundant mineral in your body and isnecessary for bone initiation and growth in the developing fetus and throughout life to maintainoptimal bone health and structure.

Highlights

Pregnancy-No matter what age a woman is when she becomes pregnant, calcium is veryimportant to both the mother and the baby. Calcium from the mother's body is used by thedeveloping baby, putting increased demands on the mother's supply. During pregnancy, calciumtransfer from mother to developing baby reaches 270 mg daily, on average, by the third trimester.Additional calcium may be needed for both mother's and baby's health.

Lactating / Breastfeeding - It is estimated that an additional 500 calories per day areneeded for women who breast feed. It is often recommended to continue the use of prenatalvitamins during lactation. Since prenatal vitamins do not include the total recommended daily

amount of calcium, one must be aware of the need for additional supplementation of this importantmineral

Female Athletes- Studies indicate 77% of girls age 15-18 years old consumed less thantwo-thirds of the recommended dietary allowance of calcium

Menopause- Adequate calcium intake is vital to assure sufficient bone quantity, quality,and strength. Altering reversible risk factors is also important for osteoporosis prevention

Colon Cancer- People who took calcium supplements had about a 30% lower risk ofdeveloping colon cancer than people who did not take supplements(3).

While calcium is often linked to bone health and its importance to optimal bone health cannot beover-emphasized, there are other important functions for calcium during a womans life. Calciumhelps the body by aiding muscle contraction and relaxation, bloo d coagulation and nerve impulsetransmission. Unfortunately, approximately 75% of American women do not obtain therecommended amount of calcium in their diet to help maintain healthy bone structure. To enlightenand encourage women during their life to le arn about calcium, it is helpful to review the variousaspects of calcium's function throughout the life stages. Therefore, use this section to learn moreabout how calcium affects various life stages, including medications and diseases.

y Pregnancyy Lactating / Breastfeedingy Birth Controly Female Athletesy Menopausey Colon Cancer

The average womans bone mass reaches maximum density somewhere between the ages of 25and 35. At age 35, it begins to decrease, picking up speed during the first five years following


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menopause. Although the consequences of osteoporosis are more evident in postmeno pausalwomen, loss of bone density actually begins in the perimenopausal years.

Recommended intake varies by age, but calcium remains essential throughout every stage of life.Teenagers, young women and post-menopausal women in particular are consuming fa r lesscalcium than is healthy and less than their bodies needs.

Pregnancy

No matter what age a woman is when she becomes pregnant, calcium is veryimportant to both the mother and the baby. Calcium from the mother's body is usedby the developing baby, putting increased demands on the mother's supply. Duringpregnancy, calcium transfer from mother to developing baby reaches 270 mg daily,on average, by the third trimester. Additional calcium may be needed for bothmother's and baby's health.

A recent analysis of 14 scientific studies, published in the Journal of the American MedicalAssociation, found that women with initially who took about 1,500 mg of 2,000 mg of supplementalcalcium every day while they were pregnant had a significantly lower risk of preeclampsia, aleading cause of premature birth.

Preeclampsia is a disorder that occurs during pregnancy and affects both the mother and thedeveloping baby. Affecting at least 5 -8% of all pregnancies, it is a rapidly progressive conditioncharacterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine. It can possiblyresult in serious consequences for both mother and child.

Moreover, research also demonstrates that pregnant women with low dietary calcium consumptionwho were supplemented with calcium during their second and third trimesters gave birth to babies

who had a 15-percent increase in bone mineral content over children whose mothers were given aplacebo during pregnancy. The babies of mothers who were getting adequate daily dietary calciumshowed no significant difference in fetal bone content between the treatment group and theplacebo group.

The majority of pregnant women don't get the recommended daily allowance of calcium. Expectantmothers should talk to their doctors about taking a calcium supplement like TUMS if they dontget enough calcium through their diet.

Why should a woman take extra calcium if shes pregnant and already taking a prenatal vitamin?

Most prenatal formulas contain only about 200 mg of calcium and pregnant women need as much

as 1,500 mg per day. Generally, one should not supplement more than 600 mg at one time.

How long should pregnant women take calcium?

The average American woman is likely to be calcium deficient both before and after pregnancy.Moreover, post-pregnancy dieting has been shown in certain studies to be accompanied by asignificant decrease in bone mineral density.


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The benefits of calcium supplementation are not limited to pregnancy and women can continue tosupplement with calcium every day throughout their lifetime if their diets do not provide therecommended intake level of calcium. When a baby is nursing, however, there is a high calciumdemand, and to produce the most nutritious milk, the breastfeeding woman will need a hi ghlynutritious diet, rich in calcium.

Lactating / Breastfeeding

Breast milk is an excellent food source for the infant, containing essential healthy nutrients andimmune factors. The production of breast milk by the mother requires significant energy and

nutrients. It is estimated that an additional 500 calories per day are needed forwomen who breast feed. It is often recommended to continue the use of prenatalvitamins during lactation. Since prenatal vitamins do not include the totalrecommended daily amount of calcium, one must be aware of the need foradditional supplementation of this important mineral . Click here to learn about calciumrequirements and how to take calcium.

Birth Control

Birth control options are a necessity for many adults. A common form of contraception isDepoProvera (DMPA), which is an injection that prevents pregnancy for three months. Itcontains a progestin, a hormone that keeps the womans eggs from being released from herovaries. Women who use DMPA for a long time may lose a small amount of calcium from theirbones. Fortunately, most of the calcium comes back as soon as you stop using DMPA. It isprudent to ensure adequate calcium intake for women using DMPA. Read the label and talk toyour doctor.

Female Athletes

Adolescent and young adult female athletes are generally very healthy. However, a sub -group ofthese women may be causing irreparable damage to their bodies as they excessively exercise ortrain for their sport. The Female Athlete Triad is a relatively new term that describes females whoexcessively exercise or train for their sport too much. While weight bearing exercise is importantfor healthy bone development, excessive exercise can have the opposite effect on developingbone structure. Athletes who push themselves with excessive training and restrictive diets havealtered menstrual patterns and bone thinning disorders. Some have said that the female athletetriad is old bones in young bodies. By over -training and under-eating, the female body goes into aconservation mode that can lead to diminished female hormones and lack of menses. The lack offemale hormones (especially estrogen) and altered diet, which often lacks sufficient calcium, can

lead to very brittle bones that are prone to fracture. By educating young athletes about propereating and training habits, this condition can be significantly reduced. Proper nutrition, includingadequate calcium intake for bone development is critical.

What is the impact of diet and exercise especially among young athletes on the risk forosteoporosis?

A young woman or girl who wants to be thinner to enhance performance may attempt to do so


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through dieting and excessive exercise, thereby increasing her risk for low estrogen levels andbone loss.

Now regarded as a common and serious health problem facing young female athletes (especiallygymnasts and dancers), female athlete triad refers to a combination of three interrelatedconditions that are associated with athletic training: disordered eating (incl uding anorexia and

bulimia), amenorrhea (absence or irregular menstruation) and osteoporosis, leading to unusual orfrequent stress fractures.

Not all patients have all three components of the triad and many young athletes with femaleathlete triad try to hide their symptoms or behavior from friends, family, trainers and/or coaches,making diagnosis difficult.

Having adequate calcium in the diet is important for achieving and maintaining optimal bone

health. Studies indicate 77% of girls age 15-18 years old consumed less than two-thirds of the recommended dietary allowance of calcium. Proper nutrition, includingcalcium, together with regular moderate weight bearing exercise (such as. weight lifting, resistance

training, running), can help protect young a thletes against bone loss and enhance bone strength.

Menopause

During the menopause transition, significant bone loss can occur. In fact, during the first 3 -5 yearsafter menopause, a woman can lose significant amounts of her bone mass. This bone loss le adsto more fragile bones. This can equate to bone thinning and subsequent osteoporosis, whichincreases the risk of fractures. Osteoporosis is thought of as a silent disease until the thinning hasresulted in a fracture, which can lead to crippling pain, long recovery periods and loss ofindependence. According to the U.S. Surgeon General's Report, osteoporosis is a large problemin the U.S. with over 1.5 million fractures related to osteoporosis each year, including 700,000vertebral fractures and 300,000 hip fractures. The national direct expenditures for osteoporosis

fractures are estimated to be $14-17 billion annually.

Adequate calcium intake is vital to assure sufficient bone quantity, quality, and strength. Alteringreversible risk factors is also important for osteoporosis prevention . Although calcium intake alonewill not protect a menopausal women from osteoporosis, adequate intake will ensure that calciumdeficiency is not contributing to a weakening skeletal system.

Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is the third most common malignancy in US women. Much research is being done

on the prevention of colon polyps, which is thought to reduce the risk of colon and rectal cancer. Alarge study by Dr. J. Baron revealed that calcium supplementation was associa ted with asignificant reduction in the risk of recurrent colon and rectal polyps(1). This study used 1200milligrams of calcium over a four-year period and found a 15% reduction in polyp recurrence. Thisreduction was seen within the first year of the study. Other studies have also revealed positivebenefits from calcium supplementation and polyp protection. Therefore, consuming an adequateamount of calcium for optimal bone health may also give protection from colon and rectal


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malignancies.Further analysis of the data from the Dr. Baron study revealed continued optimism regardingcalcium and colon cancer prevention. In this study, 803 men and women who had a prior colonpolyp were given calcium (1200 milligrams) or placebo and followed for 4 years. The investigatorsmeasured levels of vitamin D in the study participants and found that the benefit of calcium onpolyp prevention was seen in individuals with higher levels of vitamin D(2).

A new study by the American Cancer Society shows calcium may lower the risk of colon cancerfor both men and women, while vitamin D might help cut risk in men. The effect was strongest inpeople who took supplements, rather than getting these nutrients from foods. McCullough and hercolleagues studied more than 60,000 men and more than 66,000 women who were alreadyparticipating in an American Cancer Society study of nutrition and cancer prevention. Theparticipants were all between 50 and 74 -years old when they enrolled in the study in 1992 and

1993. People who took calcium supplements had about a 30% lower risk ofdeveloping colon cancer than people who did not take supplements(3).

In the future, more studies are needed to determine the exact amount of calcium and vitamin D

needed for colon cancer prevention.

References

1. Calcium Supplements for the Prevention of Colorectal AdenomasBaron, J.A., et al. NEngl J Med1999; 340: 101-7.

2. Grau MV, Baron JA, Sandler RS, et al. Vitamin D, calcium supplementation, and colorectaladenomas : Results of a randomized trial. J Natl Cancer Inst 2003;23:1765-71.

3. McCullough ML, Robertson AS, Rodriguez C et al. Calcium, vitamin D, dairy products, andrisk of colorectal cancer in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort (United States).Cancer Causes Control 2003; 14(1):1-12.

Major contents source - http://www.calciuminfo.com/lifestages/women.aspx

calicium required for women

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