While calcium is most often thought of in the context of building strong bones and teeth, its role in the body extends far beyond that. Likewise, the sneaky signs of calcium deficiency involve changes that have nothing to do with your bones.
“In addition to providing rigidity and strength for the skeletal system, calcium is also essential for the contraction and relaxation of muscles, including the heart, nerve signaling between the brain and the rest of the body, blood clotting, the contraction and dilation of blood vessels to help blood move through the body, and the release of enzymes and hormones,” explains Brynna Connor, M.D., a family medicine physician in Austin and a healthcare ambassador at NorthwestPharmacy.com.
Meet the experts: Brynna Connor, M.D., a family medicine physician in Austin and a healthcare ambassador at NorthwestPharmacy.com; Gbolahan Okubadejo, M.D., a spine surgeon and head of The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care in the New York City area.
Read on to discover everything you should know about calcium deficiency, including who is at risk, the most common signs, and when you should give your doctor a call.
How common is calcium deficiency?
“Calcium deficiency is a major problem as it affects up to 3.5 billion people in the world. Almost half of the U.S. population doesn’t get enough calcium from their diet alone,” says Gbolahan Okubadejo, M.D., a spine surgeon and head of The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care in the New York City area. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the recommended daily intake of calcium is 1,000 milligrams (mg) for adults up to age 50 and 1,200 mg for women over 50 and men over 70.
“The major factor that contributes to calcium deficiency is inadequate calcium consumption in our diet,” Dr. Okubadejo says. Calcium must be ingested, so not eating enough calcium-rich foods like dairy and leafy greens can contribute to a deficiency. “People who are lactose intolerant, have milk or dairy allergies, or are vegan are also at an increased risk,” notes Dr. Connor. “A calcium deficiency can also be a result of malabsorption, caused by gastrointestinal issues such as celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in which the body isn’t able to adequately absorb calcium.” Dr. Okubadejo adds that overconsumption of caffeine, sodium, or alcohol may also reduce the body’s ability to absorb calcium from food, as can simply getting older, which is why older adults (especially postmenopausal women) have a higher risk of calcium deficiency.
Finally, vitamin D deficiency and hypoparathyroidism can also contribute to calcium deficiency. “Vitamin D improves absorption of calcium in the small intestine,” explains Dr. Connor, so not having enough of it can prevent adequate amounts of calcium from being taken up by the body. Hypoparathyroidism, meanwhile, is an endocrine disorder that affects the parathyroid glands and causes abnormally low blood calcium levels, Dr. Connor says.
Sneaky signs of calcium deficiency
While calcium deficiency can present as issues with your bones, there are other ways it can manifest. Here are the most common ones.
Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
Dr. Okubadejo says that feelings of numbness or tingling in your hands and feet is actually the most common sign of calcium deficiency. According to the Journal of Contemporary Medical Education, adequate levels of calcium block the sodium channels in the body that prompt nerve impulses like numbness and tingling. When you don’t have enough calcium, these impulses can be sent more frequently than they should be. Tingling may also be experienced around the mouth.
Muscle aches or twitching
“Some patients complain of muscle aches and cramps or muscle twitching, especially in the face,” says Dr. Okubadejo. These symptoms are caused by the same mechanism that results in numbness and tingling.
Weakened and/or brittle bones
Yes, prolonged calcium deficiency can affect your bone health. “In severe cases, some patients may have brittle bone manifesting as osteopenia or osteoporosis,” Dr. Okubadejo says. However, there are other factors that contribute to osteoporosis, including age, sex assigned at birth, family history, hormone levels, medication use, and other health conditions, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Dry, scaly skin or brittle nails
In addition to dry skin and brittle nails, fragile skin that tears easily and slower wound healing may also be signs of calcium deficiency, says Dr. Connor. Research shows that calcium plays a key role in maintaining a healthy skin barrier and renewing new, healthy skin cells, so a deficiency may contribute to thinner or rougher skin.
Irregular heartbeat
Calcium deficiency can cause abnormal cardiac rhythms, says Dr. Okubadejo. That said, the NIH notes that hypercalcemia, or excessive calcium levels, may also cause heart arrhythmias, so it’s important to consider this symptom in the context of others you are experiencing.
Neurologic symptoms
Dr. Okubadejo and Dr. Connor say that because of calcium’s role in nerve signaling, a deficiency may also contribute to neurologic symptoms, including confusion, depression, memory loss, irritability, and trouble concentrating.
When to call your doctor
If you start to develop numbness in your fingers and toes or frequent muscle cramps, you should give your doctor a call with the suspicion of a calcium deficiency, says Dr. Okubadejo. But ultimately, if you experience any of the above symptoms or just know that something isn’t right, there’s no harm in making an appointment. Your doctor can run a blood test to check your calcium levels and proceed with treatment from there.
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