I have a question!

• What is calcium?
• Why is calcium so important to me?
• What happens when I do not take in enough calcium?
• Hey, I've got a great idea! What if I take in more calcium than I need?
• I heard that someone is lactose intolerant... What does 'lactose intolerant' mean?
• Dad / Mom / Teacher says I need Vitamin D. Why do I need it?
• What if I eat too much Vitamin D?

Where can I get:

• calcium??
• Vitamin D??

How much each day do I need:

• calcium?
• Vitamin D?

I'm just too tired / lazy / bored / busy to go through all of the above.. Can I have a short summary of everything?

A brief summary for you..

• Calcium is very important to us.
  • most common mineral in our body
  • important element in our bones
  • calcium level in our blood must be constant in order for our body to function normally.
  • calcium is taken from our bones when our calcium level in the blood is low.
• Hence, if we do not take enough calcium to replace the lost calcium in our bones, our bones will become weak.
• As a result, we may get diseases like osteoporosis.
  • Osteoporosis is when your bones are weak. As a result, one easily get fractures, especially hip fractures.
  • Almost a third of those who get hip fracture as a result of osteoporosis enter nursing homes and many die within a year of their injury.
  • Osteoporosis is often known as a 'silent thief'.
  • No symptoms except that some older people may decrease in height or become hunched. People only realize that they have the disease only after a hip fracture.
  • No cure for osteoporosis. Hence prevention is very important!
• However, taking in too much calcium is also not good for us.
• We may get kidney stones as a result of consuming too much calcium.
  • Caused by an increase of calcium loss through the urine.
  • Normally, excess calcium is taken by the kidneys and passed out in the urine.
  • In this case however, the excess calcium builds up, combines with other substances, forming kidney stones.
• Vitamin D is also important; promotes calcium absorption.
• Eating too little will also cause you to have osteoporosis, as calcium is not being absorbed as much as possible.
• Just like calcium, eating too much Vitamin D will cause you to have kidney stones.
• Hence it is very important to take just enough calcium and Vitamin D every day. To check how much calcium and Vitamin D you need daily, check out this table.
• Lactose intolerant people are people who cannot drink milk and food containing milk sugars. When they do so, they experience symptoms like:
  • bloating
  • gas
  • nausea (feel like vomiting)
  • diarrhoea
  • cramps at the abdomen
• As most of the calcium we drink is from milk and dairy products, lactose intolerant people often do not take in enough calcium. They have to ensure that they take in sufficient calcium from other sources.
• To help you, we have compiled a list of food sources with calcium and vitamin D.

Calcium? | Importance of calcium | Not taking in enough calcium | Taking in too much calcium

Lactose Intolerant? | Importance of Vitmain D | Taking in too much Vitamin D | Summary

Sources of calcium | Sources of Vitamin D | Daily recommended amt of calcium | Daily recommended amt of Vitamin D

References:

(April 7, 2004). Healthcommunities.com, Inc. Kidney Stones. [WWW document].

URL: http://www.urologychannel.com/kidneystones/index.shtml. Date Accessed: 10/06/04

Karen Collins. Young Again Nutrients. Vitamin D Deficiency Concerns on the Rise [WWW document]

URL: http://www.youngagain.com/vitamind7.html. Date Accessed: 20/06/04

Jane Higdon (2001 to April 8, 2003). Linus Pauling Institute. Calcium. [WWW document]

URL: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/calcium/. Date Accessed: 05/06/04

Osteoporosis Society of Canada Web site. What is Osteoporosis? [WWW document] URL: http://www.osteoporosis.ca/english/about%20osteoporosis/default.asp?s=1.

About Osteoporosis [WWW document] URL: http://www.osteoporosis.ca/english/About Osteoporosis/Nutrition/Calcium%20Requirements/default.asp?s=1,

http://www.osteoporosis.ca/english/About Osteoporosis/Nutrition/default.asp?s=1

Date Accessed: 05/06/04. C. 2004.

Health Promotion Board. Joy of Life [WWW document] URL: http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/ere/ere05010101.asp
Strong Bones for Life [WWW document] (in pdf format) http://www.hpb.gov.sg/pdf/strongbonesforlife_e_.pdf

Adult Requirements [WWW document] http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/adu/adu010101.asp

Child Requirements [WWW document] http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/chi/chi010101.asp Date Accessed: 04/06/04