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A Division of Watertown Area Health Services

Training Tip of the Month

Calcium For A Healthy Body
It seems easy. Consume enough calcium and you’ll have strong bones, which will lead to a healthy and less injury-prone body. Yet many athletes and physically active people are at risk for poor bone health. Studies have shown that athletes struggle to get enough calcium in their diets, even those athletes who fully understand the health effects of low calcium intake. To add to this problem, calcium is not the only nutrient essential for strong bones, and getting athletes and physically active people to maintain a diet that encourages strong bones is easier said than done. This month’s training tip will discuss calcium’s role in promoting bone health, dietary issues and how to address them, and other positives that calcium provides to athletes and the active population.

Calcium is the primary nutrient that contributes to bone generation, but calcium is also needed for other functions. These functions include blood coagulation, cellular adhesiveness, and transmission of nerve impulses. The body’s priority is to maintain blood calcium levels over bone tissue generation and remodeling. So if an a person does not get enough calcium to fully provide what is needed in the bloodstream there is none left over for bone growth and remodeling, resulting in a loss a of bone mass. This in turn can lead to an increase risk of stress fracture in the short term and osteoporosis later on in life. However, prevention of bone loss is not the only benefit of calcium for athletes and physically active people.

Calcium rich drinks such as milk provide the ideal post activity recovery drink. Milk provides the ideal combination of carbohydrate and protein to allow for an athlete to fully recover from exercise. In addition to this, adequate dietary calcium intake on a regular basis has been shown to reduce the incidence of stress fractures during a sporting season. Finally, proper calcium intake has been shown to reduce the number of incidence of muscular cramping during activities.

Adolescent males and females require 1300 milligrams of calcium per day, (about 4 cups of milk). For ages 18 to 50, calcium requirements are 1000 milligrams a day. Dairy foods are the most concentrated source of calcium, and they also supply other bone-supporting nutrients, such as vitamin D and protein. Athletes and physically active people should strive to eat three to four dairy products a day in order to maintain proper calcium levels in the body. A slice of cheese with a sandwich at lunch, yogurt for an afternoon snack, and a glass of milk at dinner would be an easy way to get three servings of dairy products in during a day. For people who have issues with dairy products, there are alternatives.

For people who are vegetarians or simply dislike dairy foods, calcium can be found in dry beans, almonds, and leafy green vegetables. It should be noted, however, that the body does not absorb calcium from the above-mentioned foods as well as it does from dairy. Fortunately there are now many foods and beverages fortified with calcium to choose from on the market, like fortified orange juice, silk soy milk, total cereal, and slim fast. Athletes who avoid dairy should be encouraged to consume fortified soy and/or rice milks, fortified soy foods, beans, almonds, and calcium fortified cereals and juices.

Many physically active people shun dairy foods because they are stigmatized as high in fats and calories, and athletes who consume low-carb diets often eliminate milk and yogurt due to the carbohydrate content. These people should be encouraged to drink skim milk and take in low-fat cheese, both of which have the same calcium content as their high fat source alternatives.

Calcium supplements can provide an adequate boost of calcium for people who find themselves able to manage only two or three servings of dairy a day. However, calcium supplements should not be used as a person’s only source of calcium. Healthy bones require various vitamins and minerals that are found in calcium rich foods. Calcium supplements do not contain these vitamins and minerals. Also, calcium supplements are not absorbed as efficiently in the body as calcium rich foods.

In conclusion, calcium provides athletes and physically active people with the nutrients needed for bone loss prevention, exercise recovery, and injury prevention. For those athletes who have issues with dairy products there are safe and effective alternatives, such as soy, green leafy vegetables, and fortified foods. It is essential to an athlete’s performance to incorporate adequate calcium intake into their regular diet.

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