With Halloween coming up this month, I figured we should talk about bones, why? Well one, bones are everywhere this time of year, and two, they are major part of your body. Without your bones your body would have no structural component whatsoever. So, what do we need to do to keep these bones healthy and strong, why eat vitamin D and calcium of course! Vitamin D is a vitamin that works hand and hand with calcium to keep your bones nice and strong. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium into the bones, and that newly absorbed calcium helps with bone maintenance, bone development, and the prevention of bone disease (osteoporosis). If you want to learn more about Vitamin D and the sources of it, look at the bulletin board in Winslow Dining Hall and learn about how to “Treat Yourself to Some Vitamin D,” but today let’s get some information on calcium!
First, calcium is the most abundant mineral in our bodies. You can find calcium in many parts of the body such as your blood, muscles, and nerve cells, and though you can find it in many places, 99% of a person’s calcium in their bones. Due to there being so much of it in the body, it must be regulated constantly. It is regulated by the parathyroid glands that are close to our Adam’s Apples. When the calcium levels in our blood are low the parathyroid gland releases, parathyroid hormone, I know such a creative name, to breakdown the calcium in the bones and release it into the blood. Therefore, we need a dietary source of calcium, because if we never eat enough calcium then we are breaking down our bones constantly and that is never good.
Second, calcium can help with bone health and heart health. Earlier it was mentioned that calcium helps the bone health by being absorbed into the bones and strengthening the bone marrow, but did you know that calcium plays a role in heart health, too? Studies have shown that people who have an adequate amount do calcium have a lowered risk of hypertension or high blood pressure later in life. There is little that is known about how calcium works with blood pressure, but calcium is a mineral that affects muscle contractions within the body, and that mechanism includes the muscle contractions that are needed for the heart to pump blood throughout the body. So, this contraction function may be a part of that.
Lastly, sources of calcium are found in many different places. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of calcium for adults ages 19-50 is 1,000 mg, or 1 gram, a day. Then, during adolescence and pregnancy this number increases to 1,200 mg and 1,300 mg respectively. This is because during adolescence we are growing rapidly and need as much calcium as possible to have strong bones in the future. Then, during pregnancy the baby is developing everything and needs all the nutrients it can get to be healthy at birth. So, here are some great sources of calcium that you can find near you:
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Sardines (canned)
- White beans
- Red Beans
- Oranges
- Kale
- Broccoli
From what we learned above, I think that calcium is very useful to our bodies, and that strengthening our bones and improving our heart function it is leading our bodies into a healthier future. So, when you see all the bones for Halloween, just remember about calcium and how much it does for you. Then, when you’re mom tells you to drink your milk, you can drink it knowing why you need it.
Keep painting,
Caprisse Johnson, Dining Services Senior Nutrition Assistant
References: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/calcium#RDA
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