Your body needs calcium but cannot manufacture this mineral, so it depends on your dietary intake. Almost all of the calcium you eat gets stored in your bones and teeth, according to MedlinePlus, with some in your muscles, blood, and the fluid found between your cells. Your body cannot function properly when it lacks calcium, leading to a variety of bad effects.
Body Function
Calcium is vital for several different bodily processes. Your blood vessels and muscles need it to expand and contract. This mineral also assists with transmission of of nervous system impulses and helps with hormone secretion. All of these functions may be impaired when your body lacks enough calcium to facilitate them.
Bones
Your bones are a calcium storehouse, and your body takes calcium out of them when it does not get enough in foods or supplements to function properly. This leeching away of calcium weakens the bones and makes you more likely to suffer from fractures. Postmenopausal women experience bone loss naturally as they age, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements, but this loss is slowed if they get plenty of dietary calcium.
Development
Youngsters, especially girls, need enough calcium as they develop or their bones may not gain enough mass. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that females have most of their bone mass by age 20, so they must get sufficient calcium up until that point for proper development. Women with good bone mass are less vulnerable to negative effects from loss of some of that mass later in life.
Needs
You must get a minimum amount of calcium daily, either through the foods you eat or a supplement, to prevent the consequences of a lack of this important nutrient. Babies need 200 mg until they reach 6 months, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. They need 260 mg until they turn 1 year old, when their need jumps to 700 mg until they are 3. They need 1,000 mg up till age 8, then 1,300 mg through age 18. The adult requirement drops to 1000 mg through age 50. It remains at 1,000 mg for older men through age 70, but women over 50 need 1,200 mg. Everyone needs 1,200 mg after age 70. Pregnant and nursing women need additional calcium.
Sources
Calcium comes in many foods, either naturally or through enrichment. Good sources include milk and other dairy products and items with added calcium like cereals, bread and juice, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Soy milk and some bottled waters are also fortified with calcium.
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