Some people feel that it is normal to lose calcium when you get older and that it is not absorbed even if you take it. In fact, calcium supplementation is a lifelong process that we insist on, and it is also a process that reduces our aging. When you get older, calcium supplementation is not a way to make up for all the lost calcium, but a way to mend the fold and prevent further calcium loss. With age, timely and effective calcium supplementation, bone density declines slowly and clinical symptoms of osteoporosis generally do not occur. Without calcium supplementation, on the other hand, the negative balance of calcium will be accelerated and osteoporosis will occur. Can calcium still be supplemented as you get older? You can if you use the right method.
Will you get kidney stones if you take too much calcium? Just the opposite
In clinical work, it is found that many people have misconceptions about calcium supplementation, the following two are typical.
Myth 1: Calcium supplementation can be effective in the short term
Aunt Wang, 55, asked her doctor, “Look, doctor, I’ve been taking calcium tablets for two months, how come I still have osteoporosis after checking my bone density?”
This short-term calcium supplementation will not change the bone mass, but only regulate the blood calcium for a short time. Calcium supplementation has a course of treatment, generally calculated on an annual basis, strictly in accordance with the norms of calcium supplementation, only after a year to observe the improvement of bone density, adhere to several years can achieve a better consolidation effect.
Myth 2: Calcium supplementation will lead to kidney stones
The formal literature reports that people with calcium deficiency are six times more likely to develop kidney stones than normal people. People take in a lot of oxalic acid from food every day, if part of the oxalic acid and sufficient calcium in the intestine combined, excreted through the intestine, the concentration of oxalic acid in the blood drops, not easy to produce high concentrations of oxalic acid in the kidneys, otherwise it will be very easy to produce calcium oxalate crystals precipitation to form kidney stones.
Calcium supplementation for the elderly is a long-term “system project”
What is the correct way to supplement calcium for people who are older? Here are some suggestions: Calcium supplementation from multiple perspectives.
Food supplementation Dairy products, soy products, shrimp, sesame seeds, fresh vegetables, etc., a variety of nutrients absorption can effectively improve the use of calcium.
Pharmacological calcium supplementation Inorganic calcium (calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, etc.), organic calcium, adequate calcium intake is especially important for the elderly, while half an hour of outdoor sunlight is needed daily to produce sufficient active vitamin D3 to promote calcium absorption.
Calcium supplementation with mechanics Mechanics plays a huge role in the absorption of calcium by bones, such as the effect of gravity. Walking, muscle strength training, etc. are all beneficial to calcium absorption. When elderly people who do not like to exercise are resting in bed or sitting on the couch for a long time, their muscles are in a relaxed state, when calcium intake is difficult to carry out. Astronauts in space lack the stimulation of gravity on the bones, and osteoporosis can occur in very good bodies.
So older people must increase their outdoor activities and walking as their physical strength allows, so that their bones can fight gravity and promote positive calcium intake. If one has osteoarthritis and cannot walk too much, or is paralyzed in bed, tensioner training, massage and shock wave physical stimulation of muscles and proper mechanical stimulation can promote skeletal calcium absorption. At the same time, non-weight-bearing exercises of the limbs can be carried out, limb confrontation training, delaying the loss of calcium.
Calcium should be supplemented with sufficient amount The human body needs calcium 1000mg per day in vitro intake, after 30 years of age, if you do not pay attention to calcium supplementation, calcium needs to be taken out of the bone stock, accelerating the loss of calcium. Some people’s diet is mainly rice, noodles and vegetables with low calcium content, it is recommended that two bags of fresh milk (containing about 400mg of calcium) per day to reach the minimum daily requirement. For elderly people, the daily requirement should be greater than 1000mg. If the calcium content in food is not sufficient, it is necessary to supplement from medication.
Increasing calcium absorption After adequate calcium supplementation, if there is gastroenteritis and enteritis, medication is needed to improve gastroenteritis to promote calcium absorption. An appropriate amount of active vitamin D3 intake also greatly increases the efficiency of calcium intake.
