Dietary Substances That Adversely Affect Calcium Balance

Your diet can impact your calcium levels even if you think you are getting enough from the foods you eat. About 99 percent of the calcium in your body is stored within your bones. The body cannot survive without adequate calcium. If there is a deficiency, the body will break down bone to release calcium into the blood. Over time, this action can decrease your bone density, leaving you at risk for osteoporosis later in life. Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption. Deficiencies in this nutrient, therefore, can also have an adverse effect on your calcium balance.

Salty Foods

You are probably aware of the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Excess sodium intake increases water retention and thus blood volume. Sodium can also adversely affect calcium absorption. High sodium intake increases calcium loss in urine. The precise mechanism is unclear. Whether it is due to chemical or hormonal activity, excess sodium can set up a vicious cycle where the body pulls calcium from bones. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the average American diet in individuals aged 2 and up contains more than twice the recommended adequate intake.

Caffeine

The role of caffeine and calcium remains controversial. A study by the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging and Tufts University in Boston, published in the October 1994 issue of "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," found a positive association between calcium loss and consumption of two to three servings of coffee in post-menopausal women. The study found that caffeine had a negative effect on bone health in women who consumed less than 800 mg of calcium per day. This effect was not observed in women who consumed more than the recommended dietary allowance. However, a review published in the September 2002 issue of "Food and Chemical Toxicology" concluded that any loss of calcium could be explained by other factors than caffeine itself.

Soft Drinks

Controversy also surrounds soft drink consumption because of its phosphate content, the most common form of phosphorus found in nature. The risk is twofold. Consuming soft drinks may lower your intake of milk, an important source of calcium. The high phosphate content may also impact calcium levels. A study by the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Denmark, published in the December 2005 issue of "Osteoporosis International," found that in as little as 10 days, replacement of milk with cola accelerated bone turnover.

Gluten

If you have celiac disease, eating foods containing gluten can impair your body's ability to absorb calcium. Absorption occurs primarily in the small intestine. A person with uncontrolled celiac disease will have damage in the small intestine caused by an autoimmune response to gluten. The damage will, in turn, hamper absorption of nutrients absorbed in the small intestine. Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, rye and barley. The only way for a celiac disease patient to prevent malabsorption of calcium and other nutrients is to eliminate gluten from his diet.