Can calcium be supplemented in old age?

People often ask: "Is older, can calcium still be supplemented?" In a person's life, the need for calcium is continuous. Calcium is a daily physiological need. Calcium loss cannot be reversed after the age of 30. With age, timely and effective calcium supplementation will slowly decrease bone density, and clinical symptoms of osteoporosis will generally not appear. Without calcium supplementation, the negative balance of calcium will be accelerated, leading to the appearance of osteoporosis.

Let us first look at the common misunderstandings of calcium supplementation.

Misunderstanding of calcium supplement one:

The 55-year-old Aunt Wang asked the doctor in the outpatient clinic: "Look, doctor, I have been taking calcium tablets for two months. How did I check the bone density or osteoporosis?"

In fact, this short-term calcium supplementation will not change bone mass, but can only temporarily regulate blood calcium. There is a course of calcium supplementation, calculated annually. This observation can be effective.

The second misunderstanding of calcium supplementation:

Too much calcium will cause kidney stones and hardening of the arteries. I still don't want to take it.

On the contrary, people with calcium deficiency are more susceptible to kidney stones, and their risk is 6 times that of normal people. People take oxalic acid every day, enter the blood, enter the renal circulation, combine with calcium, the calcium amount is stable, and the oxalic acid concentration decreases; if the blood calcium is low, high concentrations of oxalic acid are prone to occur, and calcium oxalate is more likely to form stones. In addition, vascular sclerosis is the deposition of blood lipids in the vascular intima, not calcium forming calcium stones in the vascular intima.

All-round calcium supplementation is the most effective

Which calcium supplement method is the most effective? Experts suggest that calcium supplementation should pay attention to all directions and multiple angles.

Food supplement: dairy products, soy products, shrimp skins, sesame seeds, fresh vegetables, etc. These high-calcium foods should be eaten more.

Drug calcium supplementation: Inorganic calcium (calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, etc.), organic calcium can be selected, but it needs to cooperate with outdoor activities for more than half an hour a day.

Mechanics: walking and muscle strength training can promote calcium absorption. Calcium supplementation is difficult when the muscles are relaxed. For example, after hip replacement, osteoporosis can also occur in good health. Affected by gravity, bones will fight gravity, which promotes the positive intake of calcium. Bed rest after surgery, active and passive exercises, non-weight-bearing exercises, and physical resistance training can be performed to delay the loss of calcium.

Sufficient calcium supplementation: The human body needs to supplement calcium 1000 mg every day. If calcium is not supplemented after the age of 30, the human body will use the "stock" of bones. The diet of Europeans and Americans is based on eggs, milk, and meat, with sufficient calcium. The Chinese diet mainly consists of rice, noodles, and vegetables, and two sachets of milk (with calcium content of about 400 mg) are required every day to meet the daily calcium requirement. The daily calcium requirement of the elderly and adolescents should be more than 1000 mg, and the young people should also need more than 1000 mg if they have clinical symptoms of calcium deficiency.

Increase calcium absorption: If there are diseases that affect calcium absorption such as gastritis and enteritis, medications are needed to improve gastroenteritis to promote calcium absorption.

Auxiliary calcium absorption: Calcium and vitamin D are supplemented at the same time, and the calcium and phosphorus ratio is appropriate to promote calcium absorption. Bisphosphonates inhibit osteoclast activity, promote calcium absorption, keep calcium normal, and reduce osteoclast action. Calcitonin can reduce the calcium content in the blood and supplement calcium deficiency.

People at high risk of calcium loss

The following populations are at high risk of calcium loss due to various reasons: obese children during adolescent development; smoking and drinking people; patients with sports injuries and surgery; pregnant women and breastfeeding women; women with uterus and ovaries removed; menopausal women; excessive exercise In patients, the repair of microfractures and bone injuries can also lead to calcium loss; patients with endocrine system diseases; patients with tremor paralysis; and dialysis patients.

Calcium supplementation is something we need to persist throughout our lives, and it also slows down the process of aging. Even if we are old, calcium supplementation is a "remedy, it is not too late."