Calcium deficiency leads to osteoporosis, which reduces quality of life and can even cause disability for the rest of your life.

Why do the elderly lack calcium?

Elderly people have gradually sclerotic blood vessels, which causes the stomach lining to shrink due to insufficient blood supply. Glandular cells in the stomach lining decrease or degenerate, leading to reduced secretion of gastric juice and stomach acid. On the other hand, pepsin secretion in the pancreas also decreases, causing low or insufficient stomach acid. When there is a lack of acid, calcium salts (in food) are difficult to break down into calcium ions for absorption. Therefore, calcium absorption from food in the elderly will be reduced compared to adults.

When calcium absorption from food into the blood is reduced, by natural reflex, parathiroid hormone increases, causing calcium salts in bones to decompose into calcium ions, released into the blood to restore blood calcium balance to ensure physiological activities of the body related to blood calcium.

On the other hand, the process of "transferring" calcium from bones into the blood also causes calcitonin to be secreted more, promoting calcium salts to be deposited on the joint surface near the bones, increasing calcium excretion through the urinary tract. Meanwhile, the kidneys of the elderly have reduced function in regulating acid-base balance, calcium reabsorption in the renal tubules is reduced, thereby causing a lot of calcium to be excreted.

Normally, the calcium concentration outside the cell (fluid, blood) and inside the cell is usually at a ratio of 5,000:1. To ensure the concentration in the body, there is a process of "pumping" calcium (on the cell membrane) to move calcium from inside to outside the cell. "Pumping" calcium requires energy. In the elderly, the metabolism decreases, so energy also decreases, causing the calcium pumping to decrease. Increased calcium in the cell will cause extracellular calcium (fluid, blood) to decrease. And when blood calcium decreases, the body's natural reflex repeats the process of "moving" calcium from the bones into the blood as mentioned above.

Female sex hormones (estrogen) and male sex hormones (testosterone) increase the activity of bone-forming cells. In women from menopause, in men from the age of 40 onwards, these hormones decrease, causing the process of bone formation to decrease and bone destruction to increase. Moreover, the elderly go outdoors less, so they are less exposed to ultraviolet rays in the sun, the process of converting pre-vitamin D under the skin into vitamin D is therefore reduced.

Poor calcium absorption and increased calcium excretion lead to calcium deficiency in the elderly.

And the harmful effects

Calcium deficiency leads to osteoporosis, which reduces quality of life, sometimes leading to disability for the rest of life, or even death.

When calcium is lacking, nerve conduction is reduced, leading to senile dementia. Studies on aging (in the US) suggest that decreased extracellular calcium and increased intracellular calcium are among the causes of amyloid plaque formation in Alzheimer's disease.

When the "shift" of calcium from bones into the blood increases, calcium is deposited in the wrong places. Calcium deposits under the skin cause the itch of old age.

Recently, researchers have also found that excess calcium in the blood vessel walls will lead to "porridge-like spots" in the arteries. Porridge-like spots contain a lot of bad cholesterol and calcium deposits. The causes of atherosclerosis are very complex, including: high blood pressure, high blood lipid disorders, vascular damage, neuroendocrine disorders, and calcium is one of the factors that form atherosclerosis.

Calcium participates in regulating vascular permeability and neurotransmitter excitability. Lack of calcium, increased vascular permeability and excitability make the body susceptible to allergens and allergies. Due to calcium deficiency, allergic diseases such as asthma often increase in frequency and severity in the elderly...

How to supplement calcium?

Ideally, the elderly should eat foods rich in calcium and easily absorbed such as cow's milk, soybeans, sesame, shrimp, fish, crab, clams, seaweed, black fungus... When preparing food, add a little vinegar to support the secretion of stomach acid. Eat foods rich in vitamin D such as egg yolks, salmon liver (with appropriate amount of fat), get plenty of sunlight (early morning sunlight). Eat enough vitamin C (oranges, lemons) to help create collagen (good for bone and cartilage creation). Eat enough protein to help absorb calcium better and eat just enough salt. If you eat too much protein, salt will increase calcium excretion. Eat just enough sodium salt (if you eat too much, it will also increase calcium excretion).

Because the absorption process in the elderly decreases while calcium excretion increases, there are cases of calcium deficiency that require supplementation with medication. Do not use calcium alone but should use it with vitamin D to help calcium absorb better. In many cases, this calcium supplement will improve the condition of diseases such as osteoporosis, itching, high blood pressure... caused by calcium deficiency in the elderly.

Currently, there are many types of calcium-containing drugs on the market. However, specific supplementation in each case should consult a doctor to achieve effectiveness, avoid overuse and side effects caused by drugs.

According to Health & Life - NT