Today in this blog we are going to discuss about risks of calcium deficiency because to maintain optimal health and wellness, we need to pay close attention to the essential mineral and vitamin levels in the body.
Calcium is certainly one of the most prominent minerals out there, and the risks of calcium deficiency are too important to ignore.
We all know that calcium does play an essential role in maintaining bone health and saves them from getting fractured.
But apart from that, this mineral also has links with essential bodily functions. Therefore lack of calcium level can be a potential threat to your overall well-being.
So, let’s go through the discussion and try to find out more about calcium deficiency symptoms and the risk factors that come with it.
What is Calcium Deficiency?
Among the major and essential minerals, that our body needs to perform perfectly, calcium is the one with the utmost importance.
However, due to a variety of reasons, our bodies can’t extract the essential amount of calcium from our daily diet.
The consequences which arise from calcium deficiency are known as hypocalcemia.
The important amount of calcium in our blood is 2.3mmol/L, and if someone is going low under this range for an extended period then they may face calcium deficiency diseases.
Although any individual can face the issue of calcium deficiency, aging people and postmenopausal women are more at risk than any other group.
Most of us have the preconception that calcium is only important for bone and teeth. But we tend to ignore the significance of the essential mineral.
But after knowing about the potential risk factors, you may reconsider the importance you have given to this mineral.
5 Risks of Calcium Deficiency
You will be shocked to know that the risk factors that come along with calcium deficiency are extensive and can be severe at times.
Some of the most prominent risks that can be raised from low levels of calcium include:
1. The Risk of Osteoporosis
The most well-known risk of calcium deficiency that most of us more or less know about, is the risk of osteoporosis.
Most significant role that has been assigned to calcium is maintaining the good health and quality of bones.
But if someone lacks the essential amount of calcium, then it starts to impact the bone mass and its density negatively.
Thus, this results in fragile and brittle bones which have got the medical term of osteoporosis.
If you are susceptible to fractures even from the slightest injury and fall, then this can be a dangerously low calcium level symptom.
2. Muscle Cramps and Frequent Spasms
If someone is thinking that calcium is only related to bone health, and it has nothing to do with muscle health and condition then they are wrong.
If you are going through several muscle cramps, even in the middle of the night then your body must be trying to tell you that you are going through calcium deficiency.
But why does it happen? Well, calcium plays a major role in muscle contraction thus when the calcium level turns low the muscles become hyperexcitable.
This further leads to frequent muscle contractions and painful muscle cramps. Furthermore, be careful what you have in your dinner because there are certain foods that can cause leg cramps at night, apart from calcium deficiency.
3. Cardiac Issues
Yes, you’ve heard it right. Calcium also plays a major role in maintaining the proper functioning of the heart.
Several studies have suggested that to maintain a regular heartbeat, the cardiac system needs the proper amount of calcium in the blood.
This happens because calcium, like muscle contraction, plays a role in the dilation of blood vessels too.
In cases, where the calcium level is not up to the mark, it can lead to irregular cardiac rhythm, palpitation, and even an increased blood pressure level.
In certain cases, this disrupted cardiac rhythm can even lead to cardiac arrest.
4. Negative Impact on Emotional and Mental Health
It may amaze you, but our emotional and mental health conditions can also be affected by calcium deficiency.
According to experts, mental health conditions such as depression, and anxiety can have a link to inadequate calcium levels.
But what is the reason behind it? Well, different neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin play the most crucial role in deciding our moods.
The secretion of these neurotransmitters gets affected by calcium deficiency, therefore our moods get affected too.
This is why according to some health experts calcium rich foods are best foods to eat for mental health.
5. Increased Risk of Postmenopausal Women
Calcium deficiency symptoms in females can become severe at some point. This becomes extremely crucial for women who are going through postmenopausal period.
During this period, due to hormonal imbalances and certain other reasons, women can’t absorb the essential amount of calcium from their diet.
This not only makes their bones extremely fragile and prone to fracture. But they may also face some other negative consequences like numbness and tingling sensation in several body parts.
However it must be noted that lack of calcium can lead to hormonal imbalance of important hormones like Insulin. This can affect both men and women from any age group.
So, these are some of the major risk factors that can arise from the low level of calcium in the human body. Some may wonder, is low calcium a sign of cancer?
Well not necessarily, but if you don’t pay attention to the initial warning signs then it can lead to severe health conditions including bone cancer.
So, be cautious about the early signs and take essential steps as per the need.
Final Thought
We’ve tried to make you well aware of the risks of calcium deficiency which can go way further from minor joint pains and bad conditions of teeth.
If one asks, what is the most common cause of low calcium, then most specifically it can be blamed on bad diet choices.
But along with it, certain diseases like Hypoparathyroidism, and renal failure, and specific medications like corticosteroids, and calcitonin can lead to low levels of the essential mineral.
To successfully combat this issue, you need to take proper measures to add calcium-enriched foods to your daily diet.
Apart from this if you experience any early symptoms of calcium deficiency, go and pay a visit to your healthcare provider.
