Dairy products, and especially milk, are the most consumed foods in the world. By excellence, calcium is its star mineral, but how much do we really need and through what route does it reach us?
Calcium is an extremely important mineral, without which the maintenance of health would be impossible. Its drastic decline is incompatible with life. Among its functions are the organic structure, muscle growth and strength, activation of metabolism and the development of strong bones and teeth.
But it also intervenes in cell repair and division, anti-aging and anti-osteoporosis processes, blood clotting, muscle contraction and relaxation, the secretion of hormones and the maintenance of a normal heart rhythm.
Daily calcium needs are minimal. To maintain its functions, the body needs a supply of 2,500 to 3,000 milligrams of calcium per day for growing children. In adults they would be somewhat lower doses, from 2,000 to 2,500 milligrams per day.
Calcium can come from different dietary sources or supplements. Its levels are very easy to reach with a discreet supply of dairy products. That is, a glass of yogurt or a small piece of fresh cheese. If you are vegan, you could use green leafy vegetables that are usually rich in bioactive calcium, physiologically speaking.
For these reasons, the artificial fortification of milk with calcium would not be entirely necessary, since “giving more of something” is not always better. The ideal would also be to provide magnesium, so that these elements are compensated.
Calcium works in balance with magnesium. If we enrich the milk with calcium, without compensating it with magnesium and vitamin D, this would be lost through renal excretion or deposited in the form of sediment in our arteries.
My advice is to take fermented dairy products, such as plain yogurt, kefir, tofu, fresh cheese, and green leafy vegetables. All provide calcium and magnesium, but in natural balance. In this way we will be able to strengthen the intestinal flora and the immune system.
In short, the added calcium will be expelled in the urine if it is not accompanied by magnesium and vitamin D. Do not let them sell you a hare. And, if you have any doubts, consult your personal doctor.
www.DrLuisMontel.com
