Health Tech

Women Often Suffer From Calcium Deficiency, There Are Ways To Avoid It

It is very important to have a balanced amount of calcium in the body to keep our health and bones strong. Its deficiency can cause problems ranging from bone pain to heart problems. But it has often been seen that calcium deficiency is found in women. Their daily routine as well as food habits are responsible for this. With increasing age and changing life, women are more prone to calcium deficiency. In this article, we will try to know on the basis of conversation with some experts what effect calcium deficiency can have on the body. What are the ways to keep it balanced and is it safe to take medicines to meet the calcium deficiency?

Why does the deficiency start from childhood itself?

At present, a large part of the population living in cities, be it women or men, is seen to have calcium deficiency. In such cases, this problem usually starts from childhood itself. Children complain of pain in hands, feet or bones.

Dr. Atreya Niharchandra of Bangalore has been working in the field of nutrition for almost two decades. She says that nowadays children and other people do not get enough sunlight and calcium deficiency is seen in them. Through sunlight our body gets vitamin D which helps the body to absorb calcium. Apart from this, it keeps the bones strong.

She says, “Now there are no open grounds for playing or physical activities, or there is a shortage of them. Children also usually play indoor games. Due to this, physical activities are reduced and the health of bones is not good.” If people in villages do more physical work, their body also gets enough sunlight, then many times their diet is such that there is not enough calcium in it.

One way to fulfill the deficiency of calcium in the body can be better diet. But people who have calcium deficiency, their diet is also such that it cannot fulfill it. Dr. Atreya Niharchandra says, “In today’s time, the genetically modified food that is being used on a large scale is wheat. Apart from this, calcium deficiency is also seen in people who are more dependent on cow’s milk, because there is a risk of adulteration in it too.” “It is important to note that till the calcium is not absorbed in the body, there is no benefit of your exercise or going out in the sun.”

More risk in women

Usually we see many such cases in or around our homes, in which women have to consult a doctor due to calcium deficiency. Back pain, knee pain, weak bones are now quite common diseases in women. Divya Prakash, founder of online wellness platform ‘Metamorphosis’ and nutrition expert, has done a special study on calcium deficiency in women in Delhi and its surrounding areas.

She says that in childhood, girls’ physical development is faster than boys, so they need more calcium and after 19 years, boys’ growth is faster, but girls also need more calcium due to periods and other reasons. Dibya Prakash says, “Girls or women eat less food than men. During periods, it becomes even less. Then generally in society, there is a difference in the food of women and men. So the less you eat, the less calcium your body gets.”

She says that in India, it is usually seen in homes that women serve paneer, dal, soybean and non-veg food to men in a better way and eat food with gravy themselves. Many parents give their children health supplements by mixing them in milk after watching advertisements, but according to experts, this leads to more sugar than calcium reaching the child’s body and children become sugar addicts. Due to this, they do not like normal milk or anything without sugar content. To prevent calcium deficiency in the body, things like figs, broccoli, drumstick, ragi, dry fruits, nuts are considered very beneficial.

Take care of your child like this from pregnancy to old age

During pregnancy, the fetus rapidly needs calcium and iron, which it gets from its mother. Therefore, women need a lot of calcium during this period. This need increases even more from the sixth month of pregnancy. If women do not take care of their health at such a time, then the problem of calcium deficiency in their body can become permanent. That is why doctors usually give calcium and iron tablets to pregnant women so that there is no deficiency of these in the body.

Generally, if an adult needs 800 milligrams of calcium for one kilogram of body weight, then a woman needs 1200 milligrams of calcium during pregnancy. However, it is very important to be careful while taking calcium and iron tablets. Divya Prakash says, “Calcium and iron are absorbed in a specific part of the small intestine. Therefore, both medicines should be taken at different times. It is better if you take calcium in the morning and iron at night. And yes, do not take calcium tablets on an empty stomach, but take them in between meals.”

To avoid calcium deficiency in the body, it is important that you maintain the right amount of calcium in the body right from the beginning, because with increasing age, the body’s ability to absorb calcium also decreases. In women, the ability to absorb calcium remains only up to 30% after menopause. In this way, with increasing age, degeneration of bones of the body starts. Dibya Prakash says, “Women take care of the rest of the family from the beginning, but due to not taking care of themselves, they become dependent on others while taking care of others.”

How safe is the medicine?

Calcium deficiency can not only weaken bones, but it can also cause heart problems. Calcium is fat soluble, i.e. it is digested by dissolving in fat and due to the physical structure of women, on an average a woman’s body contains more fat than a man’s body. According to Divya Prakash, this is also the reason why women need more calcium. But due to less diet and other reasons, they take less calcium than men.” For calcium to be absorbed properly in our body, it is important that our metabolism is correct. Metabolism can be kept right by brisk walking (exercise), sleeping on time (at least 7-8 hours) and waking up.

Even though calcium medicine is easily available, it is not safe to take calcium tablets or medicines without consulting a doctor. Dr. Atreya Niharchandra says, “Doctors decide after their examination how much calcium the body needs and advise taking medicine or tablets accordingly. Taking anything in excess can be risky and this is applicable to calcium as well.” Excess calcium can lead to many serious problems including kidney stones.

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