First of all, it is a protein, a lot of microelements, vitamins and biologically active substances. Reducing the amount of a component or disrupting the relationship between them leads to a loss of integrity of the body's structure, and hence of health in general. One such important substance is calcium. Every mother knows that calcium is the basis of bone tissue. Its shortage can lead to increased fragility of bones, their deformation due to rickets, and also negatively affect the condition of the teeth. In recent years, the topic of calcium is paid close attention. Experts actively discuss calcium diets, enriched with this element preparations and schemes of their reception. And in pharmacies there are new medicinal forms of calcium - an important microelement for the health of the baby. However, the number of questions does not decrease. How to make a menu for crumbs with enough micronutrients for the baby's health? When to sound an alarm when there is a shortage? Whether to give calcium for the prevention of various diseases and at what age?
Calcium is an important microelement for the health of the baby , it is needed only for the formation of bone tissue and teeth. Up to 90% of calcium is really concentrated in the bone system. Thanks to this substance, the strength and firmness of the musculoskeletal system of the child and adult is ensured. However, the useful functions of calcium do not end there. With the participation of calcium complex reactions of blood coagulation are carried out, muscles contract and pulse transfer through the nerve fiber occurs, some hormones are released and exerted. Calcium is an element without which human life is impossible.
The amount of calcium in the mother's milk is constant and does not depend on her diet. The calcium content is a certain constant. Scientists have examined the composition of milk with a nourishing woman from 600 to 2,400 mg of calcium per day - it did not change significantly. But this is not an excuse to disregard your diet: the mother's body will be squeezed like a lemon. The consequences in the form of spoiled teeth and hair, muscle weakness and poor health will not slow down.
Getting into the children's body , calcium first rushes into the bones. First of all, the calcium gets blood, and the hematopoietic system first reacts to its lack. Regulation of calcium metabolism is as complex as its function. The content of this microelement in the blood corresponds to a number of endocrine organs, digestive organs and kidneys. With a shortage of calcium, especially chronic, various pathological conditions develop, often requiring long-term treatment. With the help of the endocrine glands, calcium can be "washed out" of the bones to replenish its stores in the blood. If the level of calcium is high and held for a long time, certain hormones stimulate its deposition in bone tissue, as well as in the soft tissues of the body.
In the first year of life, the child's body uses calcium, received from the mother during pregnancy.
According to some reports, the "well-being" of calcium, the nursing mother provides the child up to three years of age. However, there are many nuances. So, small children, premature babies and toddlers from twins have lesser calcium stores and especially need his regular receipts. In the risk group are also babies with limited mobility due to various causes, babies born after a short time after a previous pregnancy, babies with birth trauma.
The main thing is not the amount of "eaten" calcium, and the degree of its assimilation (depends on the age, health of the crumbs). A balanced diet is important: in some compounds calcium is absorbed better, in others it is worse. The main source of calcium - an important microelement for the health of the baby, is breast milk. In it, the amount of calcium and its form are optimal for assimilation. But vitamin D in human milk is not enough, that's why in the autumn-winter period, an additional introduction is recommended. If the baby is an artificial person, it is important to use age-adapted mixtures. They account for and balance the basic microelements. Feeding children with various dilutions of cow's milk (unadapted mixtures), early or, conversely, too late introduction of complementary foods may subsequently provoke a shortage of calcium.
Preterm and small babies are more likely to suffer from calcium deficiency. The most active transplacental transfer of calcium and its deposition in the fetal skeleton occur in the last trimester of pregnancy. Accordingly, babies born before the term lose their share of the substance. The higher the degree of prematurity, the greater the calcium deficit will be in a child. That's why these babies are prescribed vitamin D (calcium conductor) earlier than others (from the second-third week of life).
The appointment of calcium to children under 12 years should only take place on the instructions of a doctor, and in the "correct" instructions to calcium preparations this is indicated! Note, not even all complex vitamins contain calcium.
There are a number of diseases in which it is necessary to prescribe calcium preparations. These include: rickets, osteopenia (osteoporosis) in premature and small children, severe kidney and endocrine gland diseases (thyroid, parathyroid). Need extra sources of calcium crumbs with allergic reactions and forced restriction of certain products - provided that there are clinical manifestations of a shortage of this element (later teething, thinning of the tooth enamel, deformation of bones). Taking certain medications (for example, anticonvulsant drugs) helps to remove calcium from the body. Undoubtedly, giving a pill is easier than feeding a baby properly. However, whether the pill will benefit health is another matter.