The best time to supplement calcium in life Establish a timetable for "calcium supplementation"
According to nutritional survey data in our country, the amount of calcium consumed by the population is only 50% of the recommended intake, resulting in a severe calcium deficiency. So, how can we improve calcium nutrition, when is the best time to supplement calcium, and what foods are beneficial for calcium absorption? What factors inhibit calcium absorption?
During a person's life, the periods of "youth" and "middle age" are most prone to calcium deficiency, and are also the best periods for supplementation.
"Youth" refers to children and adolescents. During childhood and adolescence, children grow and develop rapidly, requiring a lot of calcium. In old age, calcium loss significantly increases. Women around 50 and men around 65 begin to lose calcium from their bones, and this continues throughout old age.
"Middle age" refers to the period of pregnancy and breastfeeding for women. A woman bears the nutritional burden of "two people."
During these special periods of life, due to increased calcium demand or accelerated calcium loss, the body enters a state of calcium deficiency. Supplementing calcium at this time not only improves absorption rate but also effectively prevents related diseases caused by calcium deficiency.
The worst time to supplement calcium
Keywords: on an empty stomach
Calcium ingested orally, whether from food or various calcium supplements, is broken down into calcium ions in the stomach acid. Without stomach acid breakdown, calcium cannot be absorbed and utilized by the body effectively.
The secretion of stomach acid depends on nerve, fluid, or the body's circadian rhythm metabolism, primarily influenced by the timing of food intake.
When food is chewed in the mouth, the stomach wall cells begin to secrete stomach acid. Stomach acid not only breaks down calcium from food and calcium from various calcium supplements, but also has a neutralizing effect on strong alkaline calcium supplements, reducing their irritation to the stomach lining. Therefore, it is not advisable to supplement calcium on an empty stomach.
The best time to supplement calcium during the day
Keywords: before bed, 1 hour after meals
Supplementing calcium before bed: Scientists have found that the best time to supplement calcium during the day is every night before bed, through research on the physiological role of calcium metabolism in the human body. Under the action of calcium regulatory mechanisms, the body blood 50-200 mg of calcium is excreted from the urine every day. During the day, the diet contains 400-500 mg of calcium, which can be obtained from food to maintain blood calcium balance. At night, calcium is still excreted in the urine, and at this time, the calcium supplement from the diet has ceased, and the dynamic balance of calcium in the blood will be disrupted. To maintain blood calcium balance, the body's self-protective mechanism will extract a portion of calcium from the calcium reserve - bones.
The various hormones that regulate calcium metabolism are also secreted differently during the day and night, leading to lower calcium levels at night and higher levels during the day. Low calcium in the blood may stimulate the release of parathyroid hormone, inhibit the release of calcitonin, increase the number and activity of bone-forming cells, and accelerate bone calcium breakdown.
By supplementing calcium before bed, we can provide sufficient raw materials for nighttime calcium metabolism, increase the concentration of calcium in the blood, reduce the occurrence of diseases such as heart disease, stroke, asthma, and emphysema, without having to use calcium from bones. At the same time, the best time for bone to absorb calcium is also at night. Take calcium tablets or drink Milk，with 1-2 tablets of soda biscuits dry, which is a classic calcium supplementation strategy recognized worldwide.
Supplementing calcium during the day: Plant-based foods generally contain more oxalic acid and phytic acid. Oxalic acid and phytic acid can combine with calcium ions to form insoluble calcium salts, which cannot be utilized by the body and are directly excreted from the body. Animal foods contain a lot of fat, and excessive fat acid can combine with calcium ions to form fat-bound calcium, which cannot be utilized by the body. Supplementing calcium with meals will reduce the absorption rate of calcium, wasting food, while stomach acid is beneficial for the breakdown and absorption of calcium, so the best time to supplement calcium during meals is about 1 hour after meals.
The harm of calcium deficiency:
Calcium deficiency in infants and children can cause stunted growth, deformities, and rickets;Calcium deficiency in adults reduces peak bone mass and bone density;Calcium deficiency in the elderly can lead to osteoporosis and fractures;Calcium deficiency in mothers can affect the development and growth of the fetus and infant, causing gestational hypertension and post-partum softening of the bones.
