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Calcium, also called calcite, is a soft grey metallic element in group 2 of the periodic table. It is used in shells and bones, and is an important component of blood clotting.
It is an essential mineral for good health, and a dietary deficiency can lead to osteoporosis. It is found mainly in dairy foods and some vegetables.
Intakes of calcium are associated with the prevention of bone loss in older women. Several randomized, controlled trials have studied the effect of calcium on bone density in postmenopausal women (Aloia et al., 1994; Dawson-Hughes et al., 1990; Elders et al., 1991; Prince et al., 1995; Reid et al., 1995).
Studies of pregnant women have also shown that calcium supplementation reduces the risk of preeclampsia and preterm birth in pregnancy. The risk of these conditions is higher in pregnant women who don’t consume enough dietary calcium, or whose diets contain high amounts of fat and sodium.
Calcium also helps prevent the development of colorectal adenomas, which are precancerous polyps in the colon. In a 16-year follow-up study of 41,403 women (ages 26-46 years at inclusion), those who consumed the highest total calcium intake had a 76% lower risk of developing advanced colorectal adenomas than those who consumed the lowest dietary calcium.
Calcium is absorbed through active transport of calcium into the intestinal mucosa, and passive diffusion of calcium from the enterocytes into the serosal tissue. Generally, higher calcium intakes increase the absorption of calcium through both mechanisms.