With more and more of us shying away from dairy, it is becoming more difficult for us to get calcium in natural forms.  Whether it is because of lactose intolerance, a desire to stay away from fatty, high-calorie cheeses or an attempt to avoid the hormones in milk, many people do not get the daily required amount of calcium.  Why is this a problem?  Because calcium does a lot more for your body than you might think.

How Calcium Helps

We often think of calcium as fundamental to having strong bones.  It is pretty much common knowledge that not having enough calcium can result in frail bones that are susceptible to injury.  While this is true, calcium is necessary for other physiological processes in our body as well.  In addition to its presence in bone, our bodies also contain plasma calcium, which is a substance that other integral bodily processes require.  Some of these processes are:

•    muscle movement
•    blood clotting
•    transmission of nerve impulses
•    activation of some enzymes
•    metabolism of some hormones (including estrogen)

If our bodies cannot maintain enough plasma calcium through the foods we eat, our bodies reabsorb bone mass.  This is essentially how a low-calcium intake can result in weak and brittle bones.

How Much Is Enough?

Your daily calcium requirement depends on your age:  

•    Ages 4 to 8 - 800 mg
•    Ages 9 to 18 - 1,300 mg
•    Ages 19 to 50 - 1,000 mg
•    Ages 50 and over - 1,500 mg

Also, pregnant or lactating women, age 18 and over, should get 1,000 mg per day.