Mineral trace elements and health - Calcium

9 important questions on Mineral trace elements and health - Calcium

What breaks bone down?

Bone is broken down by a cell type called osteoclast.

Osteoclasts basically eat away the bone, thereby releasing its constituents including the calcium.

What determons if a bone is being formed or degraded?

The relative activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts determines whether the bone is being actively formed or degraded.

What kind of reactions can be triggered by calcium?

  1. entry of calcium into muscle cells triggers contraction of the muscle
  2. entry of calcium into beta-cells in the pancreas causes the release of insulin
  3. Release of certain neurotransmitters by the nerve cells is also driven by calcium.
  4. Movement of cells can also be triggerd by calcium
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How are calcium levels in the blood increased?

  1. The first hormone is parathyroid hormone produced by the parathyroid gland.
  2. The parathyroid gland consists of clusters of cells located on top of the thyroid gland.Parathyroid hormone is released when the calcium concentration in the blood falls.
  3. It stimulates the osteoclasts to break down bone, resulting in the release of calcium.
  4. Calcium deposited in bone is thus not only important for conferring rigidity to bone, but it also serves as a reservoir for calcium in the body that can be recruited to maintain blood calcium levels.

How is the calcium level in the blood decreased?

  1. When the blood calcium level rises, another hormone called calcitonin is released.
  2. Calcitonin is produced in the thyroid gland and does the exact opposite of parathyroid hormone.
  3. It stimulates the osteoblasts to make bone, thereby lowering the calcium concentration in the blood.

What is the effect has the parathyroid hormone on the vitamin D level?

  • Parathyroid hormone activates vitamin D.
  • Activated vitamin D stimulates the absorption of calcium in the small intestine and the retention of calcium in the kidney.

What is the effect of the calcitonin hormone on the vitamin D level?

  • Calcitonin promotes the inactivation of vitamin D.
  • The opposing actions of parathyroid hormone and calcitonin guarantee that blood calcium levels remain within a very narrow range.

How is a bone build?

Calcium needs phosphorus to form the inorganic matrix of the bone called hydroxyapatite.
The calcium and phosphorus used to be make bone are acquired from the bloodstream.

What products contain a lot of calcium?

  • Cheese
  • nuts
  • kale
  • chineese cabbage
  • beans/legumes

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