Nutrition (4) — Minerals: Calcium and Phosphorus

— 4 —

Minerals

Minerals form a part of every living cell in the human body; they are necessary for the growth, development, and activity of the cell and for the formation of hemoglobin. They play an important role in building the bones and in their strength and hardness. Minerals work to break down food, to regulate the body, and to supply it with the acids and alkalis necessary for its secretions and excretions. They also preserve the balance in the blood and the tissues, and they are able to carry the nutritive elements to all the organs of the body.

Calcium and Phosphorus

Calcium's task in the body is to build the skeleton and the teeth — indeed, 90% of it goes to this purpose. It assists in the clotting of the blood and regulates the working of the heart muscles. In the tissues it forms part of the gummy substance that binds the cells to one another. It regulates the process of muscular contraction and eases the passage of fluids through the membranes of the cells. Calcium is necessary for maintaining the responsiveness of the nerves. As for phosphorus, it plays a fundamental role in the functions of the tissues and the processes of metabolism, and it is found in the bones, the tissues, and the muscles. Moreover, 90% of the phosphorus in the adult human body is found in the skeleton. The breakdown of calcium and phosphorus, and the benefit drawn from them, are increased by means of vitamin D.

Likewise, the presence of a moderate quantity of fat in the food has a great effect on the absorption of these two minerals. It is worth mentioning that the presence of a large quantity of magnesium in the food disturbs the breakdown of calcium and causes its deficiency in the body.

Taking a sufficient quantity of calcium promotes the growth of the bones, preserves the body's health, and prolongs life. The average human need of calcium is two cups of milk daily, together with food rich in calcium. This amount is increased in the stages of childhood, pregnancy, and nursing to 3–4 glasses. As for the average need of phosphorus, it is half the amount of calcium in the ordinary case, and the same amount in the stages of childhood, pregnancy, and nursing. We must not forget that the body has to maintain the balance between calcium and phosphorus to ensure steady growth and lasting health.

Among the good sources of calcium are fresh leafy vegetables — turnip greens, cress, green mustard, green fava beans, endive, and chard. Potatoes, cabbage, and carrots contain moderate quantities. Nutrition scientists stress the importance of the calcium in bones, and they say that in certain circumstances small bones — and even large ones — can be chewed if they are cooked well with an acid. Some foods are rich in both calcium and phosphorus together, among them milk products, cheese, cereals, nuts, raisins, and dibs. In animal foods and legumes there is phosphorus enough, if one takes them daily.

The most dangerous of the diseases arising from a deficiency of these two minerals is rickets. There are also the symptoms of retarded growth, deformity, decay of the teeth, softening of the bones, and irritation of the nerves and tissues. Among its other symptoms are "hemorrhage" and cramping of the muscles of the leg. Insomnia is sometimes the result of calcium deficiency. And a woman may, after childbirth, be stricken with bone disease from the same deficiency.