Health tips: "a cup of milk makes a nation strong". Almost everyone knows the truth. But for the elderly, it is far from enough to supplement calcium only by drinking milk. Calcium should play a leading role in the life of the elderly. However, now there are so many kinds of calcium agents, how to choose them is difficult. How to choose calcium tablets for the elderly?
Almost every old man needs calcium
Experts say that old age is a period of high demand for calcium. It is not only related to bone health, but also plays an important role in cardiovascular system, endocrine system, nervous system, muscle system, etc. Women after the age of 40, as well as the elderly with backache, shorter height, hunchback and fracture, should consider whether they need calcium supplement.
For the high-risk groups of osteoporosis, such as the elderly who are prone to fracture due to minor trauma; five years after menopause, especially the elderly women whose mothers and sisters have a history of fracture; the elderly who have long-term excessive high-intensity exercise or serious lack of exercise; hyperthyroidism patients, experts suggest that they should go to the hospital for bone mineral density examination and reasonable treatment according to the doctor's advice.
Three major indexes for selecting calcium agents
Calcium supplement for the elderly can start from food supplement and calcium supplement.
In terms of diet, Chinese people's consistent dietary pattern is mainly cereal food with low calcium content and high phytic acid content, and the food contains too much oxalic acid (such as spinach and bamboo shoots). In addition, many elderly people have the habit of drinking too much tea, which can easily lead to excessive intake of tannic acid and caffeine and affect the absorption of calcium. Therefore, the elderly should first change their diet structure and eat more calcium rich foods, including milk and other dairy products, dark green vegetables, beans and seafood. Especially dairy products, rich in calcium, and easy to absorb, especially suitable for the elderly.
Appropriate supplement of calcium preparation is also an important method of calcium supplement. The calcium content, absorption rate and composition should be considered in the selection of calcium preparation. At present, calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, calcium citrate, calcium lactate and calcium gluconate are available in the market. Their calcium contents are 40%, 27%, 21%, 13% and 9% respectively. Among them, calcium lactate and calcium gluconate are more soluble, which is relatively more conducive to absorption; calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium lactate and calcium phosphate all have definite effect on reducing bone loss.
In terms of calcium composition, it is an important principle to contain an appropriate amount of vitamin D. As the ability of the elderly to synthesize vitamin D is only 1 / 3 of that of the young, it is very necessary to supplement vitamin D when taking calcium supplements. In addition, we should also pay attention to the low content of heavy metals (lead, mercury, etc.) in calcium.
How and when to take it
Compared with the content and composition of calcium, the absorption rate is influenced by many factors. The first is the way you take it. When a large dose of calcium (such as 1000 mg) is added every day, the absorption effect is better when taking it in batches than when taking it at one time. The second is taking time. When the body contains more gastric acid (such as after meals), the absorption rate will be higher. However, too much calcium may affect the absorption of iron and zinc by the human body. Therefore, it is generally recommended that people with low gastric acid secretion should take it immediately after meals; while people with normal gastric acid can eat two biscuits before taking it between meals. Before going to bed is also the right time to supplement calcium. Due to the need to maintain the normal level of blood calcium content in the human body, the intestinal tract can transfer the calcium absorbed from the diet to the blood during the day. After 12 pm, the blood calcium content gradually decreases, and the human body will automatically release bone calcium to the blood to maintain the blood calcium level, resulting in more bone calcium loss. Therefore, at this time calcium, better absorption.
Of course, in calcium at the same time, the elderly should also pay attention to more sun and moderate exercise. The elderly should be exposed to the sun for an average of 30 minutes a day, and maintain moderate and regular exercise.
Experts stressed that calcium can not be fast, long-term adherence to calcium tablets is the preferred way to fight osteoporosis. As for the rapid way of intravenous injection, it is usually only considered when there are severe cases such as hand and foot convulsions, and intravenous injection has many contraindications for the elderly, so it needs to be cautious.