The role of calcium in the human body

Calcium refers to alkaline earth metals and has a high biochemical activity. The body is about 1, 5 kg calcium. It is a major structural element of bones and teeth, a part of the nails, hair, soft tissue, extracellular fluids and blood plasma. Calcium is also an important component of the blood coagulation system, it maintains the right balance of salts in the human body.

Among the most important functions in a living organism is its participation in the various enzyme systems, including providing muscle contraction and transmission of nerve impulses that modify the activity of hormones and so on. Calcium also affects the permeability of the cells to tissues of potassium and sodium, has a stabilizing effect on the membranes of nerve cells.

The source of calcium is food. With food adult can obtain about 10 g of calcium pregnant women - 15 g, nursing mothers - to 20 g Calcium from food mainly in the form of insoluble salts, which dissolve in the human stomach by using a gastric juice, and then exposed to bile acids, transforming it into a digestible form.

What happens when a lack of calcium in the body

The human body absorbs about half of the calcium from food. Lack of calcium (hypocalcemia) can cause a number of pathological changes in the body, the main of which is tetany.

Tetany - is increased neuromuscular excitability, due to a decrease in concentration in the blood and interstitial fluid ionized calcium (Ca ++), which manifests itself fits of seizures of individual muscle groups. Most often it occurs at tetany total calcium deficiency caused by lack of the parathyroid glands. In this case, the reduced production of primary parathyroid hormone (PTH), which reduces the amount of calcium and an increase in the content of phosphorus in the blood, which causes seizure.

Other causes of hypocalcemia are deficient in vitamin D (such as rickets Rickets - all about vitamins   children), digestive diseases, accompanied by diarrhea Diarrhea (diarrhea) - a familiar nuisance   (loss of calcium and a violation of his absorption), lack of calcium supplementation in pregnant and breastfeeding women, renal failure, inborn errors of phosphorus-calcium metabolism.

Tetany is associated with changes in the acid-base exchange in the alkaline side, which occurs when anacatharsis (gastro-kishechogo tract toxicosis pregnant and so on), when administered to patients with a large amount of soda solution, in poisoning of oxalic acid (in this case, form insoluble salts calcium) and other.

How does tetany

There are obvious and latent tetany. A typical attack of tetany starts with precursors in the form of paresthesias - sensory disturbances (such as "pins and needles" or numbness in the body), and then begin muscle twitching, and then tonic (continuous) convulsion of individual muscle groups.

Characterized by a so-called karpopedalny spasm: twitching muscles of the lower limbs and flexors. When convulsions in the hands of the upper extremities are given to the body, bent at the elbows, hands are lowered, the thumb bent given to the IV and V fingers ("hand obstetrician"). If seizures begin in the legs, feet and toes are in plantar flexion, the sole takes the form of the chute. In convulsions of the facial muscles, it takes a characteristic expression lips parted ("fish mouth"), Semi-underslung eyelids, eyebrows reduced, the reduction of masticatory muscles causes a sardonic smile. In severe cases, seizures may spread to the muscles of the trunk and the diaphragm, which causes bronchospasm and respiratory failure. In children, this may cause a spasm of respiratory arrest Stop breathing (apnea) during sleep - upper airway obstruction   and death.

Hidden forms of tetany is characterized by absence seizures. But while there may be paresthesia and arching pain in the muscles of the limbs.

Treatment tetany occurs when a lack of calcium

Tetany attack removed intravenous administration of 10 ml of 10% sodium gluconate or calcium chloride. At the same time prescribe medications, relieves anxiety (eg, relanium). Further treatment - a treatment of the underlying disease that caused the lack of calcium in the body.

As calcium has a relatively low bioavailability (from food is absorbed only half of it), in order to maintain normal metabolic processes necessary to its additional revenue in the form of dairy products, nutritional supplements and so on.

Galina Romanenko

How useful

During the long winter, our body is tired from lack of exercise, lack of vitamins and minerals. As a result, after a few months of winter slowed metabolism Improves metabolism and losing weight without dieting We came lethargy, sleepiness during the day and insomnia at night, headaches.

To restore proper metabolism give our body vegetable juices, which contain:

• carbohydrates - they immediately enter the bloodstream and become a source of energy;
• vitamins - they come with the enzymes, many times accelerating all biochemical processes in the body;
• minerals - without them can not do any biochemical process, and metabolism consists of a mass of such processes;
• plant enzymes and hormones - also activate metabolic processes;
• organic acids - stimulate the production of digestive juices;
• volatile - substances that have antibacterial properties;
• Flavonoids - plant pigments capable of altering the body's reaction to other substances, such as allergens, viruses and so on;
• Polyphenols - plant-derived organic compounds, which are potent antioxidants Antioxidants: the truth about the notorious benefits They possess anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, antioxidant properties, positive effect on the activity of the brain;
• chlorophyll - the green pigment found in green vegetables (zucchini, cucumbers, leafy greens), a structure at the molecular level is close to the heme (iron in hemoglobin), and because of this similarity strengthens cell membranes, connective tissue formation, strengthen the immune system Strengthening the immune system - help the immune system .

How to drink

To vegetable juices brought maximum benefit, they need to drink right:

• juices need to take a long time, it is desirable for the entire season of fresh vegetables until the next winter;
• amount of pure juice should not exceed 300 ml per day (possible); Drinking juice can be 2-3 hours for half an hour before a meal, if it seems too concentrated, it can be diluted with water; on the night of fresh juice is better not to drink - it is somewhat invigorating;
• vegetable juices can be mixed; can become the basis of juices that you can drink in large quantities without harm to health - cucumber, pumpkin, squash, tomato; to them, you can add the carrot, beet, cabbage and juice of any other vegetables; It goes well with vegetable juices apple juice; each serving of vegetable juice is desirable to add the juice leafy greens (dill, parsley Parsley Health and Beauty   and so on);
• cooking juice must immediately before administration, the only exception is the beet juice that has to stand in a cool place for about an hour, after which it can be added to other vegetable juices; beet juice should start to take a tablespoon a day, spreading it with water or adding other juices (but no more than one-third cup), as this juice, some people suffer with difficulty: it causes nausea and bloating; if you can not stand beetroot juice, you should not take it, in other juices are also a lot of necessary substances to the body, and beets are best eaten boiled - it is also useful.

Every week you can arrange fasting days, during which you need to drink vegetable juice diluted with water. In just a day you need to drink 1, 5 liters of fluid, the ratio of juice and water which should be 1: 3. And since that day the body does not get solid food, which means that stool does not move through the intestines, before unloading the day you need to do a cleansing enema.

Vegetable juices are very useful, but do not drink liters of them - it will not bring additional benefit, but can harm the body.

Galina Romanenko