Importance Of The Calcium Protein Ratio

Your body requires a balance to be maintained when you intake certain nutrients, such as calcium and protein, together. In a normal diet, this balance is not as significant as it tends to occur naturally. You body can adjust for most small or temporary changes made in the way that you eat. The ratio becomes an issue when you increase your intake of one over the other and must then compensate for any possible effects. In the case of the calcium-to-protein ratio, the ratio becomes important when you drastically increase your protein intake.

Calcium-to-Protein Ratio

As you surpass the recommended daily allowances for protein, you are putting yourself at risk for bone resorption. Bone resorption is a process where cells known as osteoclasts reduce the bone mineral density in your body to release more calcium into the blood stream. It is thought that the amino acids L-methionine and L-cysteine trigger this response. When high amounts of protein are ingested, large amounts of calcium can be measured in urine tests. It is recommended that you take in 16 g of calcium for every 1 g of protein.

Effects of Phosphate and Vitamin D

While increased protein does have a detrimental effect of bone mineral density, milk and animal protein contain phosphate that can counteract this effect. Phosphate is an ion that contains phosphorus. Phosphorus is one of the more abundant minerals in the body and is used in the formation of bones. Higher levels of phosphorus in the blood lead to lower levels of calcium being excreted. The increased amount of vitamin D also can help blunt this effect. Vitamin D is responsible for increasing the amount of calcium absorbed by the body in your diet.

Protein Information

The FDA recommends eating 56 g of protein per day for men and 46 g per day for women. Although drastically increasing your protein intake above this has no direct detrimental effect, when taken into consideration with other factors, it may have some unintended side effects. Increasing your protein to 30 percent of your caloric intake without increased exercise and carbohydrate intake can lead to a buildup of an organic compound called ketones. Ketones are toxic to the body and must be removed by the kidneys through increased excretion. This increased load on the kidneys can lead to dehydration if not managed properly.

Calcium Information

The recommended daily amount of calcium prescribed by the FDA is 1,000 mg for adult men and women. This increases to 1,200 mg for women over 50 and everyone over 70. Take caution when using calcium supplements as an excess amount of calcium can reduce the amount of zinc and iron absorbed by the body and can lead to kidney stones. The FDA recommends that you do not ingest more than 2,500 mg of calcium per day.