| Calcium |
 |
 |
 |
|
Calcium is a mineral that is pivotal for our health; it ensures fortified bones and teeth while playing other coordinating roles, such as in muscle contraction. To take in plain calcium by itself isn’t possible, it needs a partner! That partner can be carbon which makes calcium carbonate, with oxygen to produce calcium oxide or various others. This partnership deal is needed by many of our essential minerals. As in business partnerships, some are more productive or futile than others. The most common low-cost partnership is probably calcium carbonate. This duo is often employed for heartburn and excess stomach acid, as it’s effective in neutralizing acidity. In cases where we have adequate acidity in the stomach, taking in calcium carbonate or calcium oxide in high doses is not particularly helpful during digestion, especially protein digestion. Stomach acidity or gastric juice is imperative in the forefront of protein digestion. The form of acid in our stomachs is hydrochloric acid and protects us against many pathological organisms. The degree of acidity in our stomachs has a role to play in digestive complaints. We need the right amount to work on our dietary intakes. Our bodies are complex, while the digestive system is a process of mechanical and chemical procedures to enable us to be enriched in nutrients. There are research studies that show the degree of enhanced calcium from differing partnerships. One partnership that has shown a record of high results is calcium citrate. Calcium citrate does not neutralise acidity and is an ingredient of Minute Maid products, especially orange juice. Calcium is a strategic ‘business man’ and when it enters our bodies it forms new partnerships or becomes a ‘one-man business’. The calcium in bone is mainly joined in a partnership named calcium phosphate. With phosphate, calcium can lay down his ‘bricks’ for strong bones and teeth. Calcium alone does exist in our bodies as calcium ions, a term that signifies it as an electron with a chemical charge. During muscle contraction, including the heart beat, calcium stored in muscle cells will be playing a key role. Other electrons that have been shown to support a productive heart beat are magnesium, sodium and potassium. When calcium joins up with various partners it has to be viewed within the ‘climate’, which part of the body it is working and what business is it aiming to achieve. Calcium is known to be generally high in dairy, sardines, oysters, bones, leafy vegetables and some seeds, such as dill and fennel seeds. That isn’t the end of the story; there are calcium adversaries in some foods, such as vegetables. Oxalate and phytate substances actually reduce calcium availability for absorption during digestion. Their presence may be helpful to protect against excess of some minerals. Anastacia Sampson D.N. Med |