Kenapa perlu Kalsium dan berapa banyak patut diambil?

Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body, is found in some foods, added to others, available as a dietary supplement, and present in some medicines (such as antacids). Calcium is required for vascular contraction and vasodilation, muscle function, nerve transmission, intracellular signaling and hormonal secretion, though less than 1% of total body calcium is needed to support these critical metabolic functions [1]. Serum calcium is very tightly regulated and does not fluctuate with changes in dietary intakes; the body uses bone tissue as a reservoir for, and source of calcium, to maintain constant concentrations of calcium in blood, muscle, and intercellular fluids [1].

The remaining 99% of the body's calcium supply is stored in the bones and teeth where it supports their structure and function [1]. Bone itself undergoes continuous remodeling, with constant resorption and deposition of calcium into new bone. The balance between bone resorption and deposition changes with age. Bone formation exceeds resorption in periods of growth in children and adolescents, whereas in early and middle adulthood both processes are relatively equal. In aging adults, particularly among postmenopausal women, bone breakdown exceeds formation, resulting in bone loss that increases the risk of osteoporosis over time [1].

Recommended Intakes

Intake recommendations for calcium and other nutrients are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) developed by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (formerly National Academy of Sciences) [1]. DRI is the general term for a set of reference values used for planning and assessing the nutrient intakes of healthy people. These values, which vary by age and gender, include:

• Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy individuals.
• Adequate Intake (AI): established when evidence is insufficient to develop an RDA and is set at a level assumed to ensure nutritional adequacy.
• Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): maximum daily intake unlikely to cause adverse health effects [1].

The FNB established RDAs for the amounts of calcium required for bone health and to maintain adequate rates of calcium retention in healthy people. They are listed in Table 1 in milligrams (mg) per day.

Table 1: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Calcium [1]                           

Age                     Male         Female      Pregnant   Lactating                                                         

0–6 months*      200 mg    200 mg                                                                                             

7–12 months*    260 mg    260 mg                                                                                              

1–3 years           700 mg    700 mg                                                                                                

4–8 years           1,000 mg 1,000 mg                                                                                          

9–13 years         1,300 mg 1,300 mg                                                                                        

14–18 years       1,300 mg 1,300 mg    1,300 mg 1,300 mg                                                     

19–50 years       1,000 mg 1,000 mg    1,000 mg 1,000 mg                                                     

51–70 years       1,000 mg 1,200 mg   

71+ years          1,200 mg 1,200 mg    

* Adequate Intake (AI)


Di Shaklee ada menyedikan supplement kalsium yang diberi nama Ostematrix