| Calcium is a mineral popularly known
to prevent osteoporosis in women. This disease is characterized
by a gradual thinning of the bones resulting in a curved back
and possible hip fractures. What actually happens is that blood
is absorbing calcium from the bones because there isn’t enough
calcium in the blood. To prevent this, women must obtain calcium
from food sources. But why does the blood need to have calcium?
This is because calcium plays important roles in many other aspects
of health. Calcium helps in controlling
blood pressure. This has been proven by the 13-year study of
James Dwyer at the University of Southern California School
of Medicine. His study showed that a daily intake of 1300 milligrams
of calcium reduces the risk of hypertension by 12 percent.
In another study by Dr. Margo Denke at the
Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center, calcium has been found to reduce levels of total
cholesterol. A high-calcium diet can reduce the levels of bad
LDL cholesterol by 11 percent. While the good HDL cholesterol
was left unchanged.
Calcium can also prevent strokes. According
to a Harvard study, this mineral protects middle-aged women
from strokes. Women who take at least 400 mg of calcium have
a 12 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke. This illness is
caused by a build up of plaque in the walls of the blood vessels.
Calcium protects people from colon cancer.
This mineral prevents growths that eventually become malignant
and cause colorectal cancer. A professor of Cornell University,
Dr Martin Lipkin, showed this link between calcium and colon
cancer. He suggests that both calcium-rich foods and calcium
supplements will give health benefits.
Calcium keeps the pregnant woman and her baby
healthy. According to Barbara Levine at the Rockefeller University,
calcium makes sure that the fetus stays healthy. This mineral
also increases the bone mass of the mother. With vitamin D,
the mother avoids bone-related diseases.
The most surprising of all uses of calcium
is that this mineral helps in weight loss, especially for women
in their middle age. A study conducted by dr. Robert Heaney
at Creighton University showed that women with high calcium
intake did not gain weight while those with low calcium diets
gained weight. This was supported by a study of Dr. Michael
Zemel at the University of Tennessee. His study revealed that
calcium releases a certain hormone that stimulates the body’s
fat cells to lose weight.
If you are interested in this particular effect
of calcium, you can obtain this mineral from milk products,
dark green leafy vegetables, shrimp, clams, legumes, and tofu.
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