Calcium is micronutrient that is an essential mineral for health. I’m sure many of you will be aware that calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth, but it also plays many other roles in the body that make it an important consideration, especially for bodybuilders.
Lifting weights not only stimulates adaptations that cause increases in muscle size, but also increases in bone mineral density. If we think about the fact that our bones are primarily responsible for supporting our muscles and transmitting the forces they produce into movement, it wouldn’t be of much benefit if our muscles got stronger and our bones (ligaments and tendons) didn’t increase in their capacity to deal with load as well.
Although calcium is regulated tightly in the body, it can release calcium from its main storage form, calcium phosphate in bones, to help maintain our blood PH levels and keep us healthy, especially if we have a high dietary acid load. If we consume a lot of foods that contain acidic compounds (meats and grains for example), this has the potential to affect our blood PH and make it more acidic which could potentially be dangerous. However, thanks to this ‘buffering system’ (and a couple of others), our blood PH is very tightly controlled (between 7.35 and 7.45) and diet has no major impact on our blood PH for this reason.
This may seem like it might have the potential to cause bone loss, but again our bodies adapt by reabsorbing calcium back into the body and in turn the bones to prevent excessive bone mineral loss. However, if we consider the increased dietary acid load from the foods bodybuilders typically eat and the fact that we will need to develop new bone tissue, it is sensible to ensure that they are getting adequate calcium in the diet, or through supplementation to meet this demand alongside lots of greens and vegetables, that contain organic phosphates, which also help to buffer acid load.
Assuming there is plenty of dairy and calcium-rich food (green leafy vegetables, nuts, fortified cereals) in the diet, then calcium supplementation is not often required for bodybuilders to maintain bone health, but if calcium supplementation is used, it is important to consume it with vitamin D3. This helps the bones utilise calcium more effectively, and research actually shows that vitamin D3 is arguably more important for maintaining bone health for this reason. Many athletes have been noted with calcium and Vitamin D deficiency, so for those who don’t get enough sunlight then calcium and vitamin D might be advantageous to support bone health and performance.
Outside of its structural roles in bone and acting to buffer any acidic load in the body, calcium also plays an essential role in the movement of muscles, acting as a secondary messengers that transmit our nerve impulses into the muscles and enable our muscles to contract, including the heart. Therefore we need to ensure that enough calcium is present in the diet in order to make sure we can perform at our very best.
Recommended amounts of calcium in the diet is around 700mg-1000mg per day, this is usually easily attainable from a balanced diet, and increased amounts are not required typically for athletes due to the body’s capacity to well regulate its calcium levels. As an example, 250ml of milk contains around 250mg of calcium, 100g of broccoli contains 50mg of calcium, 100g of peanuts contains around 100mg and whey protein contains up to 100mg per 30g serving.
Calcium supplements are typically provided in the form of coral calcium (calcium carbonate), although calcium citrate, phosphate and gluconate are also available. Calcium carbonate is generally well tolerated and well absorbed in doses < 500mg, with higher doses suggested to be split over the day to enhance absorption. Taking calcium supplements with meals is also recommended to slow digestive transit, allowing a greater opportunity for full absorption to take place.
For those who may not be getting enough calcium in their diet and are looking to boost their calcium intake, supplementation normally comes in 250-1000mg capsules but is also available in powder form and is often combined with vitamin D, zinc, magnesium and other essential nutrients which are also important for bone health, such as found in Garden of Life’s RAW Calcium supplement.
Paul Rimmer (BSc, MSc, PhD).
