CALCIUM DEFICIENCY

condition in which an organism fails to receive or to metabolize an adequate supply of the element calcium, the mineral most likely to be deficient in the average diet. Calcium is the chief supportive element in bones and teeth. Calcium salts make up about 70 percent of bone by weight and give that substance its strength and rigidity. About 99 percent of the calcium in the human body is held in the bones and teeth. The remaining 1 percent of calcium circulates in the bloodstream, where it performs a variety of important functions. It helps to contract muscles and helps regulate the contractions of the heart. It plays a role in the transmission of nerve impulses and in the clotting of blood. Calcium is involved in the stimulation of contractions of the uterus during childbirth and in the production of milk. It also regulates the secretion of various hormones and aids in the functioning of various enzymes within the body. Physiologically, ingested calcium is absorbed in the small intestine and passes from there either into the bloodstream or ultimately into the bones. The most efficient absorption of calcium is dependent on the presence in the body of vitamin D, which is a key ingredient in various hormones that enable calcium to pass from the digestive system into the blood or bones. Similarly, there are optimal ratios of phosphorus to the amount of calcium consumed that permit calcium to be more completely utilized. Hormonal secretions of the parathyroid and thyroid glands (parathyroid hormone and calcitonin, respectively) also help maintain a calcium equilibrium in the blood. These regulatory mechanisms help to prevent a deficiency in calcium from developing in the bloodstream. When such a deficiency does develop, parathyroid hormone acts to transfer calcium from the bones in order to maintain the mineral's all-important presence in the bloodstream. The result of a mild insufficiency of calcium over the long term may be thinning bones (osteoporosis) or the softening of bony tissue (osteomalacia). The faulty metabolism of calcium during childhood may result in rickets (q.v.). Recent research points to calcium deficiency as being a possible cause of hypertension (high blood pressure) and of colon cancer. Severe calcium deficiency, or hypocalcemia, which is defined as a reduction of calcium levels in the bloodstream below a certain normal range, has its own clinical manifestations. The main syndrome is tetany, which involves sensations of numbness and tingling around the mouth and fingertips and painful aches and spasms of the muscles. A clinically detectable deficiency of calcium is a relatively rare finding and is almost always caused either by a deficiency of parathyroid hormone or of vitamin D in the body, i.e., the two chief regulators of calcium metabolism. Calcium is plentiful in nature. Food sources high in calcium include milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products; leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, turnips, and collard greens; and canned salmon and sardines.