From childhood to adulthood, infancy, teenage growth and development, pregnancy and into middle and old age, it seems that every age group needs a constant calcium supplement.

Have you ever wondered, if you have been taking calcium supplements, which symptoms indicate that our body is deficient in calcium? And how do we take calcium supplements? Let's share them together today!

Calcium deficiency symptoms by age group

Calcium is an essential mineral that is involved in the entire life process of the human body and is the basis of human life. Whether it is the formation of bones, the beating of the heart, or the growth and development of the human body, all movements of life are inseparable from calcium.

Many people feel that if they are young, they do not need calcium. In fact, bone density reaches its peak at around 25 years of age and begins to decline slowly in our 30s. If we don't take care of our calcium intake and don't exercise, our bone mass will be poorer and we will be at greater risk of developing 'osteoporosis'.
The signs of calcium deficiency vary from age to age, so if you have any of the following symptoms, you may need a calcium supplement!

★ Signs of calcium deficiency in children
Calcium deficiency in children is usually characterised by difficulty falling asleep, difficulty falling into a deep sleep, crying and waking up easily after falling asleep, excessive sweating after falling asleep, bouts of abdominal pain, diarrhoea, cramps, sternal pain, 'X'-shaped legs, 'O'-shaped legs, chicken breasts, grey nails or white marks, anorexia, paranoid eating, daytime sickness, and a lack of calcium. The symptoms of calcium deficiency include: anorexia, paranoia, restlessness during the day, delayed mental development, late speech, late toddler, starting to walk after 13 months of age, late teething, teething after 10 months of age, sparse, uneven and uneven teeth, black-tipped or jagged teeth, thinning hair, poor health, easily catching colds, etc.

★ Signs of calcium deficiency in adolescents
Adolescents with calcium deficiency may feel obvious growing pains, weak legs, cramps, poor performance in physical education classes; weakness, irritability, lack of energy and easy fatigue; partial eating, anorexia; tooth decay, poorly developed teeth; easy allergy, easy to catch cold, etc.

Calcium deficiency in pregnant and lactating women
Calcium deficiency is more common among women in extraordinary periods. When they feel loose teeth; weakness in limbs, frequent cramps and numbness; back pain, joint pain, rheumatic pain; dizziness and suffer from anaemia, prenatal hypertension syndrome, oedema and insufficient lactation, they are signs of calcium deficiency.

★ Calcium deficiency in the elderly
After adulthood, the body slowly enters a period of negative calcium homeostasis, where calcium absorption decreases and excretion increases.

Calcium deficiency in the elderly is mostly caused by the loss of calcium. These include itchy skin; heel pain, lumbar and cervical pain; loose teeth and loss of teeth; pronounced hunchback and reduced height; loss of appetite, peptic ulcers and constipation; excessive dreaming, insomnia, irritability and irritability.

If you have any of the above conditions, you should seek medical advice and further examination to see if the symptoms are caused by calcium deficiency.

How to take the right calcium supplements

1. Milk is the first choice for calcium supplementation
Milk is the king of calcium supplements. It is rich in calcium, with 100ml of milk containing more than 100mg of calcium, and the calcium in milk is particularly well absorbed, making it the ideal 'food calcium tablet'. For those who do not like milk or are lactose intolerant, you can drink yoghurt instead.

2. Leafy greens
Of the common leafy greens, chard, beans and capers are high in calcium. They contain 108mg, 135mg and 294mg of calcium per 100g of greens, which is higher than milk.

Although leafy greens contain more calcium, they are not as efficiently absorbed as milk, so they take a back seat to milk.

3. Soy products
Not all soya products are 'calcium-rich'. For calcium supplements, choose marinated tofu (northern tofu), which contains 138 mg/100 g of calcium, or plastered tofu (southern tofu), which contains 116 mg/100 g of calcium and is prepared with the addition of marinade or plaster to increase the calcium content.

4. Vitamin D
Calcium is not only consumed but also absorbed. Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium. Sun exposure helps the skin to synthesise vitamin D. However, the sun's ultraviolet rays can also damage the skin.

If you don't get much sun, you can eat foods fortified with vitamin D (for example, some milk has extra vitamin D, which is usually indicated on the packaging) or take a vitamin D supplement. 

5. Calcium tablets
Calcium tablets are an additional supplement that can be considered if you are not getting enough milk and dark green vegetables in your diet.

When choosing calcium tablets, pay attention to the calcium content of each tablet and check the package insert carefully, preferring smaller doses (100-300 mg) and taking as many as you need.

The best time to take calcium supplements

The best time to take calcium supplements is usually early in the morning, just before bedtime or 2 hours after a meal.

The best time to take calcium is early in the morning and just before bedtime because calcium levels are lowest in the latter part of the night and early in the morning, so if calcium is needed and there is no calcium available to regulate it, you will need to use calcium in your bones to supplement it.

This is because phytic and oxalic acid are present in food and form insoluble salts with calcium, preventing its absorption.

Note:

If you have a pathological calcium deficiency, or if you are taking certain medications that cause calcium deficiency, you will need to ask your doctor to determine how to supplement your calcium according to your health condition.