Vitamins & Minerals

The Five Benefits of Calcium And Why You Should Be Taking it

The Five Benefits Of Calcium And Why You Should Be Taking It

Calcium is one of those minerals that you’ve probably heard a lot about.  You think, yeah, calcium and your bones.  You need it for strong bones.  But that’s not the only health benefit you get from taking calcium.

1.  Strong bones and teeth – and help prevent Osteoporosis. 

We might as well get the obvious benefit out of the way and talk about your bones.  One of the bones people rarely think of when thinking about calcium is their teeth.  Your oral health is important not only for your teeth, but also for your entire body.  Root canals can lead to infection and other health complications, and the risk of needing a root canal increases as you age and when you don’t get enough calcium throughout your life.  If you’re young and you start supplementing your diet with calcium, you can significantly increase your bone health.  If you’re a little older, taking a calcium supplement can decrease your bone loss as you age.  It’s never too late to supplement your diet with calcium.

2.  Keep slim and healthy

In recent years, calcium’s role in keeping you slim and trim has been getting a lot of attention.  Ensuring you get adequate levels of calcium is important for maintaining a healthy weight because it helps you to burn more fat and store less fat in your body.  If you want to stay fit and trim, it’s very important that you get enough calcium through diet or nutritional supplements.

3.  Cancer Prevention

Though controversial, some researchers have found that calcium supplementation can help reduce your risk for cancer.  Some people are misinformed when they say the opposite is true.  Mega doses of calcium through supplementation may increase the risk of prostate cancer.  Though that only occurs with major overdoses.  Some people are under the mistaken impression that calcium cures cancer.  There is no definitive evidence of this at this time.  So while taking calcium supplements can help reduce your risk of developing cancer, you should never take large doses under the impression that it will actually CURE cancer.  There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

4.  Lessen PMS Symptoms

Recent research suggests that calcium can help reduce the severity of PMS symptoms.  Women should take 1000 milligrams of calcium and 1000 to 2000 units of vitamin D each day to lessen their PMS symptoms.  You should be taking a daily dose of calcium anyway, and less severe PMS symptoms is just one of the many benefits.

5.  Love your Heart!

The research is pretty new, but many researchers have found that taking a daily calcium supplement can help reduce your risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.  When your body digests calcium, 99 percent of it gets stored in your bones and teeth.  The other one percent is used for essential bodily functions including nerve transmission and muscular function.  Heart problems and high blood pressure can be caused by a calcium deficiency.  But just like all minerals, calcium should be taken in moderation.  Too much calcium (more than 2,000 milligrams) can increase your risk for heart disease.

Vitamins and minerals play a crucial role in your overall health.  You can get all of your essential nutrients from diet alone, but it’s difficult.  That’s why supplementation of at least some vitamins and minerals is likely to be required in order to get sufficient levels of each of them daily.