Archive for category Calcium
Health Benefits of Calcium
You must have always been advised, since childhood, to have milk or eggs everyday. Your doctor, or more precisely, your dentist, must have advised to you have calcium rich foods everyday. Similarly, adults, and mostly women, are advised to include good amounts of calcium in their daily diet. Have you wondered why is the much hype created around calcium and calcium rich diet? This is because of the large number of health benefits of calcium. Here, we will take a look at the several calcium benefits for children and adults.
Calcium Benefits
Before taking a look at the calcium benefits, you should note that all the bones and teeth in the human body are made up of calcium. Therefore, one can get a hint of the uses and importance of calcium to human beings. The following are the important health benefits of calcium.
* One of the major calcium benefits is that it is essential for the proper growth and development of the human skeletal system. Therefore, right from babies to teenagers, all are advised to have calcium for proper growth.
* Uses of calcium also include its role in neuro-transmission. Calcium in the body helps in the release of neurotransmitters.
* Similarly, calcium is also required for maintenance of healthy teeth and gums. Calcium deficiency can lead to disorders of the teeth.
* Calcium deficiency is a condition that is caused when the body lacks the required amount of calcium. Osteoporosis is one of the diseases caused due to calcium deficiency.
* Conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis; and other deficiency diseases can be prevented and treated to a great extent if a person has a regular intake of high calcium foods in his diet.
* Interestingly, maintaining proper weight is also one of the major health benefits of calcium. If one has a proper intake of calcium, the body does not release the parathyroid hormone, which consequently prevents the production of fat.
* If you suffer from a chronic or on going back problem, you may be suffering from a calcium deficiency, or low levels of calcium. Proper levels of calcium in the body prevent back and joint pain.
* Some of the lesser known benefits of calcium include its use in having healthy nails and hair.
* One of the coral calcium health benefits is that it helps in enhancing the immune system.
* It is also believed that good or healthy levels of calcium in the body help in maintaining proper blood pressure and prevent hypertension (high blood pressure)
* If you are suffering from premenstrual difficulties or blues, you should check your body calcium levels. Having healthy levels of calcium help in prevention of these blues.
* Lastly, benefits of calcium supplements include treatment of headaches, muscle cramps, fatigue, depression, etc. Read the rest of this entry »
Calcium Deposits in Brain
Calcium deposits in brain, also termed as cranium calcification is a condition wherein small spots of calcium get accumulated in the brain. These abnormal calcium deposits which appear like tiny white flecks can occur in many places in the brain right from the basal ganglia, cerebral cortex, dentate nucleus, subthalamus to the red nucleus areas. This health syndrome occur when the mineral calcium in our body precipitate out of the blood and the central nervous system fluid. In simple words, calcium deposits in brain are caused when the calcium in our blood is not absorbed by the body. The condition is more common than one may think and prevails in both men and women equally. The medical significance of this disorder may vary from none to possibly severe with respect to the normal brain functioning, i.e. the condition may either cause no serious problem or can lead to chronic health problems.
Calcium Deposits in Brain: Causes
Though it is difficult to ascertain the actual cause of calcium deposits in brain stem, here are some of the probable factors that may lead to this health ailment.
Toxoplasmosis: Toxoplasmosis is a chronic parasitic infection caused by parasite Toxoplasma gondii which is found in cat feces. It is a rare infection that usually does not affect a normal healthy person, however, people with weak resistance or immune system, or even pregnant women are more prone to acquire it, especially while cleaning a cat’s litter box, which is the breeding place for this parasite. This infection can be one of the major causes for calcium deposits in brain which may potentially damage the brain and eyes. For more information, read the article toxoplasmosis: symptoms and treatment
Meningioma: Meningiomas are basically tumors that may develop on the outer lining of the brain called meninges. Meningiomas can be another probable cause for calcification, wherein the calcium deposits occur on these tumors. However, the good point is that most of these calcium deposits and brain tumors are benign, i.e. they are non cancerous and very rarely they can be malignant or cancerous.
Aneurysm: Aneurysm is another factor that may contribute to calcium deposits in the brain. It is a condition wherein an artery particularly in the brain develops a weak spot that causes a widening or enlarging of blood vessel which may eventually start showing calcifications. Though very rare to occur, these calcifications are usually arches or circle shaped and do not contribute to the severity of brain aneurysm. Read the rest of this entry »