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Muscle Cramps/Night (Nocturnal) Cramps
Published in Charles Theisler, Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
Calcium plays an essential role in muscle contraction. Low blood levels of calcium directly increase the excitability of both the nerve endings and the muscles they stimulate.6 Muscle aches, cramps, and spasms are the earliest signs of a calcium deficiency.7 Cramps are also seen in circumstances that decrease the availability of calcium or magnesium in body fluids, such as taking diuretics, parathyroid gland dysfunction, excess vomiting, or inadequate calcium absorption.6
Optimal Nutrition for Women
Published in Michelle Tollefson, Nancy Eriksen, Neha Pathak, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan, 2021
Kayli Anderson, Kaitlyn Pauly, Debra Shapiro, Vera Dubovoy
Calcium is considered a nutrient of concern for the general population with respect to bone health, particularly for women and older adults. Plant sources of calcium include leafy green vegetables – especially bok choy, broccoli, napa cabbage, collard greens, and kale – as well as fortified plant milks, calcium-set tofu, sesame seeds and tahini, almonds and almond butter. Some calcium-rich foods contain oxalates, which interfere with calcium absorption. High-oxalate vegetables include Swiss chard, spinach, and beet greens. Other leafy green vegetables like kale, on the other hand, have low oxalates, and the absorption of calcium is greater than milk.119 If supplemental calcium is needed, it is best to take multiple small doses of calcium, as absorption is inversely related to intake.120
Calcium and Magnesium
Published in Luke R. Bucci, Nutrition Applied to Injury Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, 2020
Food sources richest in calcium are calcium supplements; bone meal; egg shells; multiple vitamin/mineral products with calcium; milk and milk products; dairy products (yogurt, cheese, ice cream); canned salmon, sardines, or anchovies with bones; tofu; green leafy vegetables, and fortified foods. Perhaps of equal or more importance than dietary intake of calcium are the factors that influence calcium uptake and absorption. Table 2 lists some dietary factors that either enhance or diminish calcium absorption, as well as other nondietary factors that alter calcium excretion or metabolism to produce a deficient state or increased dietary requirement.402,705
Disentanglement among vitamins D
Published in Gynecological Endocrinology, 2022
Salvatore Minisola, Viviana De Martino
Vitamin D is essential for intestinal calcium absorption and therefore crucial for skeletal health. In addition, its beneficial effects extend outside bone tissue. The list of putative non-skeletal effects for which vitamin D adequacy is needed ranges from diseases at birth to those causing death. Associations between a poor vitamin D status and endometriosis, uterine myoma, dysmenorrhea, abnormal PAP smear results, and high-risk HPV infection of the cervix have also been described. Just to stay in our days, a possible favorable role of “vitamin D” in modulating SARS-COV-2 infection has been demonstrated by some [1] but not all researchers. However, hypovitaminosis D (a term we would prefer to indicate both deficiency and insufficiency, in analogy with other clinical conditions, i.e. hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia, hyposideremia) is highly prevalent in the world.
Bioavailability of Calcium from Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) in Ovariectomized Rats Fed a High Fat Diet
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2021
Marcella Duarte Villas Mishima, Bárbara Pereira da Silva, Renata Celi Lopes Toledo, Neuza Maria Brunoro Costa, Hércia Stampini Duarte Martino
With aging and post-menopause, the efficiency of calcium absorption is decreased. Low estrogen levels are known to induce bone remodeling and skeletal frailty, determinants of osteoporosis pathogenesis (1–3). Skeletal abnormalities such as bone loss occur when there is an imbalance in bone matrix synthesis and bone resorption, controlled by osteoblasts and osteoclasts, respectively. This imbalance is also caused by hormonal changes and inflammation (4). In this sense, bone resorption is affected by low estrogen in the postmenopausal period and inflammation induced by obesity. Consumption of a high fat diet increases inflammation (5), adipocyte hypertrophy stimulates the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. In turn, these cytokines stimulate the differentiation of osteoclasts and bone resorption (6, 7). Recommendation of calcium intake is based on bone health since calcium is one of the main strategies to ensure bone construction and maintenance (8), thus its adequate intake is important (9).
Bone mineral density and vitamin D levels in patients with group a COPD
Published in The Aging Male, 2020
Filiz Meryem Sertpoyraz, Sami Deniz
Vitamin D influences calcium absorption from the intestine, skeletal calcification, and muscle strength. Vitamin D has effects on the pulmonary system as well as on the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, it is of great importance for patients with COPD [30]. Vitamin D affects the pulmonary system through increasing the production of antimicrobial peptides, regulating the inflammatory response, and airway remodeling. It inhibits proinflammatory cytokine production and leads to the suppression of Th1 and Th17 responses that could play a role in the pathogenesis of COPD. Vitamin D deficiency may also contribute to chronic respiratory tract infections and airway colonization, thus optimizing the vitamin D levels in COPD patients may reduce bacterial load and concomitant exacerbations [30–32]. Vitamin D deficiency is a common global problem in all age groups. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency results in an increased risk of bone loss and fractures. It is also associated with muscle weakness and falls, which increase the risk of fractures [32]. Similar to our study, vitamin D deficiency has been reported to be quite common in patients with COPD.