Calcium

Overall Health Benefits

• Maintains healthy bones [1-18]
• Lowers blood pressure [19-30]
• Helps lose weight [31-53]
• Accelerates wound healing [55-60]
• Prevents cancer [61-63]
• Boosts brain power [64-66]
• Prevents age-related blindness [67-68]

Proven Health Benefits

Maintains Healthy Bones

A large number of studies support the primary health benefit of calcium:

1. Numerous studies suggest that higher calcium intake is associated with a lower risk of bone disorders. [1-9]
2. Several studies also found a link between calcium deficiency and a higher risk of fractures, osteoporosis, and other bone disorders. [10-15]
3. In postmenopausal women suffering from bone loss, calcium supplementation significantly increased bone mineral density. [16]
4. In women over 55 years old, calcium supplementation increased hip bone mineral density. [17]
5. A study reported that calcium supplementation in patients with osteoporosis prevented further bone breakdown. [18]

Lowers Blood Pressure

Studies show that calcium also has anti-hypertensive effects:

1. A study found that calcium supplementation may help control blood pressure by modifying the levels of calcium within the cells. [19]
2. In healthy men and women, calcium supplementation decreased diastolic blood pressure. [20]
3. In non-pregnant subjects, calcium supplementation reduced blood pressure. [21]
4. A study showed that regular consumption of calcium may help prevent and treat hypertension. [22]
5. In patients with essential hypertension, a calcium-rich diet decreased blood pressure. [23]
6. In young people with mild hypertension, calcium supplementation lowered blood pressure. [24]
7. A study showed that low blood levels of calcium were related with a higher incidence of hypertension. [25]
8. In 16 trials with 3048 participants, calcium intake reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. [26]
9. In children, calcium intake lowered blood pressure especially in subjects with low baseline calcium. [27]
10. In patients with essential hypertension, high calcium intake lowered blood pressure readings taken at home, in the office, and while walking. [28]
11. In men and women with essential hypertension, calcium supplementation significantly reduced blood pressure. [29]
12. A study showed that diets rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium can lower blood pressure. [30]

Helps Lose Weight

Studies also report that calcium can help promote weight loss:

1. A study showed that calcium intake may play a role in reducing obesity. [31]
2. In diabetic patients, supplementation with a diet rich in dairy calcium significantly reduced body weight. [32]
3. In obese adults, increased dietary calcium intake resulted in significant fat loss on the trunk region. [33]
4. A study reported that calcium promotes weight loss by regulating fat cell formation, fat metabolism, fat absorption, and fat excretion. [34]
5. A number of studies found that increased calcium intake was associated with a lower risk of obesity and increased fat loss. [35-46]
6. In obese African Americans, substitution of calcium-rich foods in isocaloric diets reduced fat mass and improved metabolic profiles. [47]
7. In postmenopausal women, consumption of higher dietary calcium improved body composition outcomes. [48]
8. In overweight and obese individuals, calcium supplementation produced small, statistically significant weight loss. [49]
9. A study found that chronic high calcium intake increased rates of fat oxidation. [50]
10. In overweight and obese women, calcium supplementation resulted in significant fat mass loss. [51]
11. In overweight or obese women with usual low daily calcium intake, consumption of calcium plus vitamin D during a weight-loss program produced significant weight loss. [52]
12. In type 2 diabetic patients, consumption of a diet rich in dairy calcium enhanced weight reduction. [53]

Accelerates Wound Healing

Evidence suggests that calcium can also help in faster wound healing:

1. A study showed that calcium-based nanoparticles decreased open wound size. [54]
2. A study demonstrated that calcium gluconate accelerated healing of Hydrofluoric acid burn. [55]
3. In one experiment, calcium had a therapeutic effect on diabetic wound. [56]
4. In an animal model, calcium enhanced wound healing. [57]
5. In patients with diabetic foot lesions, calcium supplementation produced better wound healing. [58]
6. A study showed that increased calcium concentration can help stimulate signals involved in the wound-healing process. [59]
7. A study showed that antibiotic-loaded calcium was more successful than wound irrigation-suction. [60]

Prevents Cancer

There are also studies supporting the anti-cancer properties of calcium:

1. In a study assessing several cancer cases, low calcium consumption was found to be associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer. [61]
2. In animal models, dietary calcium supplementation decreased breast and colon cancer cells. [62]
3. A study showed that higher intake of calcium lowered the risk of death among patients with colorectal cancer. [63]

Boosts Brain Power

Calcium has also been found to improve brain health through several mechanisms:

1. A study showed that calcium can help regulate the levels of dopamine, a brain chemical that plays a role in reward and movement regulation. [64]
2. A study reported that calcium can be a potential therapeutic option for Alzheimer’s disease. [65]
3. A study also showed that calcium is essential for regulating brain signals. [66]

Prevents Age-Related Blindness

Studies show that calcium is also essential for eye health:

1. In older patients, dietary calcium lowered the risk of age-related blindness. [67]
2. A study showed that calcium can help prevent age-related blindness through its antioxidant properties. [68]

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