What Destroys Calcium in the Body and How to Properly Care for Your Bones
What Causes Calcium Loss in the Body and How to Prevent It?
Calcium is one of the most important minerals in the human body. It's not just a building block of our bones and teeth—it also plays a key role in muscle contraction, nerve signal transmission, blood clotting, and proper heart function. Yet, most people only recognize its importance when issues begin to arise, such as bone thinning, brittle teeth, or frequent muscle cramps.
When it comes to bone health, there is often talk about how much calcium we should be consuming. However, the other side of the coin—what depletes or destroys calcium in the body—is discussed far less. This can be even more crucial for health than calcium intake alone. We can eat yogurts, almonds, and green vegetables daily, but if we simultaneously harm our body with other habits, the effect will be minimal.
Acid-Forming Diet and Excessive Salt Consumption
One of the main "enemies" of calcium is excessive salt consumption. The body tries to maintain a stable blood pH. If we consume a lot of salt (especially in the form of industrially processed foods), the body must neutralize the resulting acidity. To do this, it often uses its calcium reserves—drawing it from the bones to balance the acid-base equilibrium.
Similarly, an acid-forming diet rich in refined sugars, red meat, coffee, alcohol, or sweet sodas works the same way. As some nutritional studies indicate, a diet dominated by acid-forming foods increases calcium excretion in urine, with the body once again compensating for the imbalance by using calcium from the bones.
Interestingly, this doesn't only affect the elderly. Even young women have been shown to experience bone mass loss due to high protein intake from animal sources if their diet lacks sufficient alkaline components like fruits and vegetables.
Caffeine and Alcohol
Daily coffee consumption is a routine for millions of people. Yet, few know that caffeine increases calcium excretion in urine. It's not that coffee is inherently harmful—it's more about its quantity and combination with other factors.
When someone drinks coffee in the morning, cola at noon, and a glass of wine in the evening, they unknowingly create an environment that leads to calcium loss. Moreover, alcohol reduces the body's ability to absorb calcium and simultaneously inhibits vitamin D production, which is essential for calcium absorption in the small intestine. Long-term excessive alcohol consumption can lead not only to bone mass loss but also to a higher risk of fractures.
Lack of Vitamin D and Magnesium
Calcium in the body does not work alone—it functions in a team with several other nutrients, especially vitamin D and magnesium. Without sufficient vitamin D, calcium from food is absorbed only very limitedly, which can lead to its deficiency even with adequate intake. Sunlight is a natural source of vitamin D, but in our geographical latitudes, its production is very limited, especially in winter months.
Magnesium regulates the level of parathyroid hormone, which maintains the balance between calcium in the blood and bones. If magnesium is lacking, the body may start releasing calcium from the bones to be available for other processes. Furthermore, without magnesium, calcium can deposit in soft tissues, causing vascular calcification or kidney stones.
In practice, this means that even if a person takes calcium supplements but has low levels of vitamin D or magnesium, their body will not benefit much—and could even be harmed.
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Stress, Hormones, and Chronic Diseases
Chronic stress has consequences not only on the psyche but also on the body's mineral management. Long-term elevated cortisol levels (stress hormone) can slow down the formation of bone mass and simultaneously promote its breakdown. Additionally, stress often leads to bad habits—such as skipping meals, overeating, excessive coffee or alcohol consumption—which, as we know, are not conducive to calcium.
In women, the decline in estrogen during menopause also plays a significant role, as it naturally protects bone mass. After menopause, it's important to focus not only on calcium intake but also on overall lifestyle and possibly consider consulting a specialist about hormone replacement therapy.
Certain chronic diseases also come into play, such as kidney diseases, thyroid disorders, or celiac disease, which can significantly affect calcium absorption or excretion. For example, in patients with chronic kidney disease, the balance between calcium and phosphorus is often disrupted, which can support bone demineralization.
Medications That May Lower Calcium Levels
Few people realize that even commonly prescribed medications can negatively affect calcium. These include, for example, long-term use of corticosteroids, some antiepileptics, proton pump inhibitors (stomach acid medications), or diuretics. These drugs can either reduce calcium absorption from the intestines or increase its excretion in urine.
A typical example might be an older woman with osteoporosis who has been taking prednisone for a rheumatic disease for a long time. Despite taking calcium tablets, her bone mass continues to decrease—precisely because of the drug's side effects.
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How to Protect Calcium in the Body Naturally?
Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent calcium loss—and many of them are surprisingly simple. The foundation is a balanced diet that combines alkaline foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains with quality calcium sources—dairy products, poppy seeds, broccoli, almond butter, or sardines.
Sufficient exposure to sunlight is extremely important, and in winter months, vitamin D supplementation may be necessary. In everyday life, reducing salt, coffee, and alcohol is helpful, as is regular exercise, which stimulates the formation of new bone mass.
From a mental hygiene perspective, it's worth reducing chronic stress levels—perhaps through meditation, breathing exercises, or regular time in nature. Surprisingly effective can also be simply slowing down the pace of life and focusing on what truly brings joy.
"Health is not everything, but without health, everything is nothing." – Arthur Schopenhauer
In everyday life, we often don't notice how our small habits affect health at the cellular level. But it's these details—like whether we add a few almonds to a salad, take a walk outside, or opt for herbal tea instead of a third coffee—that create the mosaic that forms the quality of our life. And calcium plays one of the main roles.
