There are many different ways to increase height for children, in which nutrition plays the most important role. And to ensure enough nutrients to help children develop well, calcium is always the first priority mineral. So how does Calcium help to grow taller? Let’s find the answer through the information below of growtallerstrategy.com
Why do we need calcium supplements?
Calcium ( Calcium ) is an important mineral for the body, a component of bones, teeth, cardiovascular system, nerves…. With a normal human body, calcium accounts for 99% of bones and teeth, 1% of blood vessels, muscles, tissues and other organs.
Without this 1% calcium, your muscles can’t contract properly, your blood won’t thicken, and your nervous system won’t transmit messages properly. Therefore, calcium can also maintain nerve and muscle activity, as well as maintain the normal physiological function of cells in the body.
Normally, through daily activities, the body sweats and excretes continuously, calcium will gradually be lost. If there is not enough calcium, the body will have to “borrow” calcium from the bones into the blood to ensure a steady state of calcium levels in the blood.
When calcium in bones is not guaranteed, it will greatly affect the development of bones and can cause many troublesome diseases. Specifically, adults will have to “face” with osteoporosis, an increased risk of fractures, poor memory, neurasthenia, headaches, etc. For children, it will be difficult to avoid bone condition. weak, small bones, easily deformed… leading to stunting.
It can be seen that Calcium contributes significantly to the existence and activities of both children and adults. These are the reasons the body needs to be sure to supplement and maintain an adequate amount of calcium every day.
Functions and roles of calcium
Calcium in bones is an integral part of bone structure and a place for calcium to be stored. Bone formation begins early in fetal development, by forming a strong, yet soft and flexible matrix that is the embryo of the body’s bones. The matrix is a third of the bone consisting of fibers made of collagen covered with gelatin.
During growth, calcification continues rapidly so that when the baby is ready to walk, the bones can support the body’s weight. At the end of long bones are spongy sections called trabeculae, which provide ready-to-use calcium to maintain normal blood calcium levels. Throughout life, bones continually undergo changes, both in shape and density, with age and weight gain.
Bone is a connective tissue with a very special shape. Bone is formed in two distinct processes, the formation of the matrix and the placement of minerals into that matrix.
Three types of cellular components are involved in different functions, namely, osteoblasts in osteoclastogenesis, osteoclasts in bone maintenance, and osteoclasts during bone resorption.
Sun exposure can stimulate the body to produce vitamin D. This vitamin is supposed to help calcium get into the bloodstream, until it is eventually incorporated in the bones.
How to supplement calcium to increase height
Because it is a mineral that the body cannot produce on its own, calcium needs to be supplied from outside. To help the body not be deficient in Calcium, we can supplement in the following ways:
Supplement Calcium through food:
This is the simplest and safest supplement method that you can apply through a diet of calcium-rich foods, specifically, for every 100g, the following foods contain a rich mg of Calcium: Abundant foods such as: Prawns (1,120mg), crabs (5,040mg), fresh straw (3,520mg), rock snails (1,660mg), egg yolks (134mg) or vegetables that often contain more than 100mg of Calcium found in 100g of food such as: Kale, bean sprouts, bok choy, celery, sweet potato, pumpkin, nuts…
According to the recommendations of medical experts, the amount of calcium that the body needs each day is divided by age:
- Children under 6 months need 300mg of Calcium /day
- From 7 to 12 months need 400mg of Calcium /day
- From 1-3 years old need 500mg of Calcium /day
- From 4-6 years old need 600mg of Calcium /day
- From 7 to 9 years old need 700mg of Calcium/day
- From 10 years old need 1,000mg of Calcium /day
- From 11 to 24 years old need 1,200 mg of calcium / day
- From 24 – 50 years old need 800 – 1,000 mg of calcium / day.
Therefore, children need to meet this standard of calcium content for the body to help develop effective height.
Supplement calcium through milk:
The source of calcium in milk is an important ingredient for strong bones and teeth, and at the same time limiting the risk of osteoporosis later in life. Not only that, milk is also rich in vitamin D, which helps calcium absorb into bones easier and contains abundant protein and calories content, supports increased resistance, improves muscles, very necessary for children of growing age. develop. So, if you are in the habit of drinking milk every day, continue to maintain it to help your height grow better.
Supplement Calcium through supplement products:
In fact, calcium in the diet only meets an average amount of about 400mg, which is too much of a difference from the recommended standard of 800-1000mg.
As for milk, not everyone likes the taste of milk and has a lactose-tolerant body, is not allergic to cow’s milk protein… Those are the reasons why we drink a lot of milk and still don’t meet the required amount of calcium. essential for the body.
Therefore, the only way to overcome this is to use a supplement containing Nano Calcium, which is a form of Calcium prepared through Nano technology, with a super small size, allowing Calcium to penetrate. quickly into the body, so it will not cause excess conditions leading to kidney stones, constipation.
Besides, do not forget the combined nutrients such as: Collagen Type II Hydrolyzed, Deer Velvet, Hai Sam, Do Trong…. to both supplement calcium and stimulate the pituitary gland to produce growth hormone to promote better height growth.
Along with that, you should also note that choosing height-increasing support products must be licensed by the US FDA for free circulation in the US and certified for nationwide circulation by the State Agency in Vietnam to ensure Safe and effective during use.
When to start needing calcium supplements?
If the child does not meet the daily requirement of calcium and is at risk of calcium deficiency, it is necessary to add more calcium, specifically, in the following cases, we need to supplement calcium immediately:
When the diet is not guaranteed
In the daily diet, children often do not like to eat foods rich in calcium such as: shrimp, fish, seafood, or because children are anorexic, they do not provide enough calcium for the body. At this time, giving children calcium supplements is essential that parents should pay attention to.
When children are at risk of calcium deficiency
For many reasons, children are at risk of calcium deficiency such as in infancy, mothers abstain from excessive calcium, milk does not have enough calcium, in the first years of life children often have problems with micronutrient deficiencies due to poor digestion … .
These are the reasons why children are at risk of calcium deficiency, so calcium supplements should be given as soon as the child has the following signs: Difficulty sleeping, or startled, fussy, night sweats, slow walking, weak bones, slow teeth, or hiccups, spitting up milk, anorexia, or getting sick, height lower than age and genetics…
When children are in the age of development
This is also the golden period when the child’s body develops the strongest, so it needs a large amount of calcium to nourish the bones and joints, helping children to break through both physically and in height. Therefore, parents should not miss this stage to ensure adequate calcium for the body, helping children develop comprehensive height.
The main causes of poor absorption of calcium in the body
Do you know what causes the body to poorly absorb calcium?
Here are some reasons that the body does not absorb calcium
Due to vitamin D deficiency : Vitamin D is a micronutrient that plays a very important role in helping the body absorb all the calcium in the intestines. Therefore, vitamin D deficiency will lead to a significant reduction in calcium absorption.
Vitamin D deficiency often occurs in people with little exposure to sunlight, people with naturally dark skin, obesity … and occurs mainly in people who eat less foods containing vitamin D.
Due to disease : The disease is also the cause of calcium absorption disorder, causing the level of calcium in the body to decrease. Not only kidney and digestive tract diseases, but also many other diseases that can interfere with calcium absorption, such as celiac disease, colitis, pancreatitis, Crohn’s disease, etc.
Eat foods containing phytic acid and oxalic acid : If phytic acid is found abundantly in whole grains and beans, oxalic acid is abundant in vegetables such as cabbage, chives, spinach, beets, etc.
Calcium ions combine with acids such as phytic acid and oxalic acid to form insoluble calcium salts, preventing the body from absorbing calcium. Also, it’s important to note that phytic acid and oxalic acid will have a more severe effect on calcium absorption if taken with milk.
Habits of eating foods that are too salty : According to the recommendations of the American Institute of Medicine, people should only eat about 1,500 mg of salt per day. Eating too much salt will cause high blood pressure, promoting the excretion of minerals, especially calcium, through the urinary tract. Therefore, the amount of calcium in the body is gradually lost, leading to calcium deficiency.
Diet combined with Calcium helps to develop better height
In order to increase the absorption of calcium, the following combination nutrients should be ensured in the diet:
Vitamin D
This is an extremely necessary nutrient for the synthesis of protein (osteocalcin) that has the function of “transporting” calcium to the bones, helping to absorb calcium from the intestines into the blood, replenishing the bones, helping the bone system to develop healthy.
We can supplement vitamin D through chicken breastbone, fish oil, animal liver… However, to ensure an abundant amount of calcium, it is best to “enjoy” this source of nutrients from the sun before 8 o’clock. morning and after 4pm.
Vitamin C
Some citrus fruits such as oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, and lemons contain a lot of vitamin C, which also contributes to the elimination of toxins from the body, strengthens the immune system, helps calcium be better absorbed into the bones and protects the bones. strong and supple bones that we should not ignore.
Zinc
Zinc is a micro-mineral that plays an important role especially in the development of children’s height, muscles, nervous system, and immune system. This substance participates in most metabolic processes, cell development, if zinc deficiency the body will slow down growth.
On the contrary, if you combine zinc with a full range of other nutrients, typically calcium, it will be a premise for the body to grow healthy and grow well in height.
Magnesium (Mg)
In the body, about 60% of magnesium is located in bones, this substance plays a fundamental role in creating and implementing bone mineralization process, protects cartilage production well, and has the ability to convert vitamin D into an active form. Therefore, it will enhance the absorption of Calcium into the body, maintain healthy bones and develop well.
You can supplement magnesium content through foods such as almonds, sunflower seeds, chestnuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, tuna …
In addition to the above combined nutrients, in the diet, to avoid calcium being unaffected during absorption into the body, you also need to note a few things:
Should cut caffeine: Because if too much of this substance can increase the rate of calcium excretion, weakening the bone system.
Do not eat too salty to avoid increasing the excretion of calcium through the urine.
Limit the use of alcohol, beer, carbonated soft drinks, because these substances are also “enemies” that both make it difficult for the body to absorb Calcium and cause bone erosion, making it difficult to grow optimally.
Limit the use of typical oxalate-rich foods such as rhubarb, beets. Because this will also increase the risk of intestinal calcium excretion from the body through the urinary tract. If the amount of oxalate is too high, it can concentrate in the urine, leading to the risk of stone formation.
In addition to the problems of appropriate calcium supplementation through nutrition, do not forget to combine it with a reasonable exercise and rest regime to improve your ability to improve your physique as desired.
Should children take calcium or not?
Calcium deficiency is one of the causes of short stature and growth retardation in children. However, giving children calcium needs to consult a doctor, do not arbitrarily add calcium to children because an excess of calcium can cause children to become constipated, kidney failure, kidney stones, reduce iron absorption, zinc, magnesium…
Should children take calcium before or after eating?
Supplement calcium for children before or after meals to bring the best effect? One thing mothers should note is that calcium should not be given to children on an empty stomach because this can be harmful to the child’s kidneys, stomach, and urinary tract.
So when giving children calcium, please give them to children from 7-8 am, after they have had a full breakfast to support their best development.
Does excess calcium supplementation affect height or not?
Providing too much calcium for the body also causes bad effects on health.
When the body receives too much calcium, high levels of calcium in the blood can enter the bones, which can cause premature bone stiffness and limited bone growth.
Early ossification of bones will cause children to stop growing in height and become shorter than their peers. The premature aging of bones is responsible for the risk of a variety of bone diseases in children, such as scoliosis, hunchback, flat chest, bent legs, etc.
The increased amount of calcium causes the kidneys to work continuously to increase the excretion of calcium in the urine. If this condition persists, it can lead to diseases such as ureteral stones and kidney stones.
Having too much calcium interferes with the absorption of other micronutrients, especially iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus , etc. causing malnutrition or disease in children. Excess calcium also causes digestive disorders, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, frequent constipation.
Fatigue, dizziness, nausea, thirst and frequent urination… are the most obvious signs of calcium excess. However, to get accurate results, necessary tests should be performed if the child’s blood calcium level is high. At that time, the doctors will take appropriate measures.
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