Summary: Mothers have experienced the bombardment of calcium tablet advertisements time and time again, urging their families to take calcium supplements every day. This is a correct reminder, because as age increases, the absorption rate of calcium decreases and the loss rate increases, so it is necessary to replenish it in time, otherwise it will continue like this and the chance of suffering from osteoporosis will greatly increase, even in the 30s and 40s. , people are young and their bones are brittle. However, many people know about calcium supplementation, but not many people know how to supplement calcium correctly. Mothers have been bombarded with calcium tablet advertisements many times, telling their families to take calcium supplements every day. This is a correct reminder, because as you age, the absorption rate of calcium decreases and the loss rate increases, so you must replenish it in time. Otherwise, if things go on like this, the chance of suffering from osteoporosis will greatly increase, even in your 30s and 40s. , people are young and their bones are brittle. However, many people know about calcium supplementation, but not many people know how to supplement calcium correctly. Xia Yanqiong, chief physician of the Nutrition Department of Guangdong Maternal and Child Health Hospital, said that different age groups have different needs for calcium supplements, and calcium and vitamin D supplements must be reasonable.
Calcium supplementation and vitamin D supplementation complement each other
Calcium supplementation and bone health occur throughout the human life cycle. The absorption rate of calcium in the human body is generally 20% to 60%. The faster the bone grows, the higher the resorption rate. The highest absorption rate is in infancy, reaching 60%; it drops to 40% after 1 year old, to 20%~40% in adulthood, and further drops in the elderly; but during pregnancy, women\’s calcium absorption rate increases to 30%. %~50%.
And due to the decrease in estrogen secretion, women lose very serious calcium after menopause; men lose a lot of calcium in their middle-aged and old age of 50-60 years old. Therefore, calcium supplementation is particularly important. The recommended intake of calcium for adults is 800 mg per day, and patients over 50 years old, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers should consume 1,000 mg per day.
It is common in outpatient clinics that some pregnant mothers know about calcium supplementation, but do not know about vitamin D supplementation, resulting in low calcium absorption rate. Therefore, while supplementing calcium, vitamin D, which promotes calcium absorption, should also be supplemented. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is insoluble in water. It is contained in some fish, animal livers, and eggs, but in very small amounts. At the same time, due to more indoor work and insufficient sunlight exposure, it is not conducive to promoting the synthesis of vitamin D. Therefore, patients need additional vitamin D supplementation, with the recommended intake of 10 micrograms per day suitable for people of all ages.
Supplementation and poisoning are actually difficult
Some patients worry that excessive calcium supplementation will cause hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, kidney stones, vascular soft tissue calcification, constipation and other problems, while excessive vitamin D supplementation can also lead to \”poisoning\”. Xia Yanqiong said that excessive calcium and vitamin D supplementation is difficult to cause \”poisoning\”, and it is unscientific to talk about toxicity without increasing the dosage.
Some patients experience gastric discomfort after calcium supplementation, which may be related to the simultaneous consumption of vegetables with high oxalic acid content such as cabbage and spinach. The combination of oxalic acid and calcium affects calcium absorption. Whole grains and dietary fiber high in tannins can also affect calcium absorption.Some pregnant women also have constipation problems after taking calcium supplements. This is related to lack of exercise, uterine pressure on the intestines, and slow bowel movements. Pregnant women are prone to constipation, not necessarily because of calcium supplements. It is recommended that pregnant women drink more water, exercise more, and drink yogurt; or try different brands of calcium tablets and choose the one that suits you. Otherwise, the mother will be deficient in calcium and vitamin D during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and the baby will be prone to calcium and vitamin D deficiency after birth. Food sources of vitamin D are few and far between, making it harder to overdose. 75~250nmol/L means vitamin D in the body is sufficient, less than 50nmol/L means deficiency, and 50~75nmol/L means insufficient. In fact, most mothers are found to be vitamin D deficient during physical examinations. If you don\’t deliberately supplement, few people can exceed 150nmol/L, and there are many people who are deficient in 50~75nmol/L, which is still far from \”excessive\”.
These groups need more calcium and vitamin D
Adults can follow the doctor\’s advice for bone density examination, calcium supplementation or drug treatment. Some professionals who lack exercise and rarely see sunlight are more likely to be deficient in calcium and vitamin D. Some patients seek to lose weight quickly, adopt fasting methods, have an unbalanced diet, lack milk, soy products, green leafy foods and vegetables, etc., and are also prone to calcium deficiency.
Children grow quickly and have a high demand for calcium. Occipital baldness, irritability, calf cramps, rib valgus, chicken breast, pectus excavatum, etc. may be related to calcium and vitamin D deficiency. If the amount of milk is sufficient, the calcium needed by babies aged 7-24 months can be provided through breast milk, formula milk powder and other foods; if the child does not drink milk, it is recommended that the child supplement with an average of 600 mg of calcium per day.
Vitamin D supplementation requires 400 IU daily starting from birth and continuing throughout adolescence. Xia Yanqiong emphasized that premature infants, twins and low birth weight infants are high-risk groups for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D supplementation should be increased to 800IU per day within three months of birth and returned to 400IU after three months. And, the restocking process is quick and easy. Mothers can put vitamin D drops into their baby\’s mouth.
Tips Calcium supplementation is more scientific
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Xia Yanqiong said that calcium can first be supplemented from food. Research shows that milk and milk products in food are the best sources of calcium.
First, because milk contains high calcium, 400ml~500ml of high-calcium low-fat milk contains at least 500mg~600mg of calcium. Secondly, the lactose in milk can promote the absorption of calcium. If the patient is lactose intolerant, you can drink yogurt or Shuhua milk, otherwise the absorption of calcium will be affected. At the same time, beans and green vegetables are good sources of calcium; a few foods, such as sea rice, kelp, lettuce, sesame paste, etc., contain relatively high calcium.
Product display
When food cannot meet calcium supplement needs, calcium supplement products can be used. However, there are currently no studies showing that calcium absorption is related to gender, orThe absorption of calcium is related to the form of calcium products, so there is no need to deliberately take male calcium, female calcium, or liquid calcium.
Most calcium supplement products contain vitamin D, but often do not reach the recommended daily intake of 400IU, so additional vitamin D supplements are needed. Xia Yanqiong reminded that when buying calcium tablets, you should not only look at the calcium content, but also consider the content of vitamin D and other minerals. Some popular imported calcium tablets on the market have very high calcium content and only 30IU of vitamin D, which is low in cost performance. It is not recommended to buy blindly; it is not recommended to take calcium and iron supplement products at the same time, because taking them at the same time will affect the absorption of each other.
Timing
Xia Yanqiong advocates drinking milk first and then taking supplements; for the same dose of calcium, taking it multiple times is more effective than taking it once. For example, taking 200 mg of calcium three times a day is better absorbed than taking 600 mg of calcium once a day.
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Calcium supplement
In addition to vitamin D, it is also necessary to cooperate with exercise and sun exposure to promote the investment of calcium in bone building. If you only supplement it without supplementing it, the final bone-building effect will be compromised.
New Express reporter Chen Sitao and correspondent Liu Yuanling