AT RISK OF CALCIUM DEFICIENCY

Calcium Deficiency: Inadequate intakes of dietary calcium from food and supplements produce no obvious symptoms in the short term. Circulating blood levels of calcium are tightly regulated. Hypocalcemia results primarily from medical problems or treatments, including renal failure, surgical removal of the stomach, and use of certain medications such as diuretics. Symptoms of hypocalcemia include numbness and tingling in the fingers, muscle cramps, convulsions, lethargy, poor appetite, and abnormal heart rhythms. If left untreated, calcium deficiency leads to death. THE NATURE CALCIUM 1000 Calcium Deficiency: Menopause leads to bone loss because decreases in estrogen production both increase bone resorption and decrease calcium absorption. Annual decreases in bone mass of 3%–5% per year frequently occur in the first years of menopause, but the decreases are typically less than 1% per year after age 65. Increased calcium intakes during menopause do not completely ...