That’s right: The number-one sign of calcium deficiency is not a symptom of poor bone health. While it’s true that weakened or brittle bones can be a sign of calcium deficiency in the long term, the mineral plays a key role in many other bodily systems that would likely be affected sooner by a drop in your calcium levels.
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.
“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,” Brynna Connor, M.D., a family medicine physician in Austin and a healthcare ambassador at NorthwestPharmacy.com, previously told Prevention.
So how can you tell if you may have a calcium deficiency? According to Gbolahan Okubadejo, M.D., a spine surgeon and head of The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care in the New York City area, feelings of numbness or tingling in your hands and feet are actually the most common sign of calcium deficiency. According to the Journal of Contemporary Medical Education, having enough calcium in the body blocks the sodium channels that initiate the nerve impulses that cause numbness and tingling. When your calcium levels are low, these impulses can be sent more frequently than they should be. Tingling may also be experienced around the mouth, Dr. Connor added.
If you ever experience unusual numbness or tingling, you should give your doctor a call as there’s a good chance that calcium deficiency is the culprit. “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,” said Dr. Okubadejo. Your physician can run a blood test to check your calcium levels and then proceed with any necessary treatment from there.
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