Foods that block calcium absorption by the body

Calcium It’s one mineral most important in the body and probably the most abundant. In addition, it is essential for different functions of the body, such as the health of the bones, and muscle movement or help to better transmit the nervous messages from the brain to different parts of the body.

To increase the levels of calcium in the body it is important to consume foods rich in this mineral, such as milk, dairy products, fatty fish, green leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, seeds and whole grains.

In addition, having adequate vitamin D levels in the body is also beneficial for calcium levels. Specifically, the presence of vitamin D favors better absorption by the body.

Elements that intervene in the absorption of calcium

However, eating foods rich in calcium may not be enough to have adequate levels of this mineral, since we can make different errors that influence the correct absorption by the body.

As a general rule, the main factors that influence calcium absorption are age, the amount ingested, vitamin D levels and the overall state of calcium balance in the body.

However, there are a number of foods that can negatively influence calcium absorption. For example, coffee with milk or not soaking legumes before consumption cause alterations in this regard.

And it is that calcium is an essential mineral for the maintenance and / or performance of different specific functions in practically all the cells that make up the body. It is much more than a key nutrient for bone health.

Foods that ‘steal calcium’

Foods that block the absorption of this mineral are known as ‘calcium thieves’ or antinutrients. Specifically, these are compounds present in certain foods that affect the absorption of some nutrients, such as calcium.

These substances bind to calcium and produce insoluble compounds, which causes poor or no absorption of this mineral by the digestive system.

These are some of the ‘calcium thief’ nutrients and the main foods where we can find them:

• Phytic acid: They are found in foods such as nuts or legumes.
• Oxalates: They are mainly present in green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, chard and also in other products such as celery, nuts, cocoa or beets.
• Tannins: They are a type of polyphenols present in such recognized foods as coffee, tea, legumes or red wine.

In any case, these ‘antinutrients’ do not ‘steal’ so high as to cause a calcium deficiency in the body.

In this sense, the lack of calcium is generally produced by a deficiency of vitamin C, insufficient consumption of this mineral through the diet or other organic problems.

However, this fact is also influenced by other factors such as age, the absence of physical exercise or the decrease in the estrogen / androgen ratio.

According to different studies, regular physical exercise throughout life considerably reduces the loss of calcium from the skeletal bone structure. A sedentary life can lead to accelerated bone demineralization.