Calcium and Folic Acid. In a culture replete with highly processed foods and fad diets, vitamins seem harder to acquire than ever. While there are many vitamins and minerals that we should be consuming on a daily basis, Ruth Bindler, associate professor at the Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing, is concerned that Americans are not getting enough calcium and folate for healthy lifestyles. Many people are unaware of how important calcium and folic acid are to one’s overall health, says Bindler, a nutrition author and nurse researcher.
Calcium consumption inadequate — Everyone needs calcium throughout their lifetime to compensate for the continual formation and breakdown of bones. A higher intake of calcium for children is associated with higher peak bone mass in adulthood, which directly lowers the rate of osteoporosis. However, most adolescents do not get the recommended amount of calcium.
To ensure healthy bones as an adult, the adequate amount of daily calcium consumed should be 1300 mg., but most adolescents fall short. According to Bindler, males age 9-13 years consume an average 1025 mg. each day, and males 14-18 consumer an average 1169 mg. Females age 9-13 years consume an average 918 mg. each day, and females age 14-18 consumer just 752 mg. of calcium each day.
Many people are under the impression that calcium has to come from dairy products. Not exclusively, Bindler said. Cereals, soy in the form of tofu or beverages, fish, spinach and other dark green vegetables, oatmeal and a variety of beans are also rich in calcium. At least two servings of dairy products or other sources of calcium each day is recommended.
Folate practical for pregnant women — Americans need to be more aware of another nutrient, folate or folic acid, Bindler said. Folate is a B-vitamin that is active in many metabolic activities in the body. Folic acid is the form of folate that is produced synthetically and available in vitamin preparations, and is the term most read on food and vitamin labels. Low levels of folate in the body are associated with a decrease in red blood cells, increased rates of certain birth defects and an increase in homocysteine, a substance linked to heart disease.
Unfortunately, said Bindler, with the popularity of low-carb diets, many people are not getting nearly as much folic acid as they need to maintain healthy blood cells. In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration required folic acid be added to enriched breads, cereals, flours, pastas, rice and other grain products in order to increase the amount of synthetic folic acid in the diet of the general population. Due to the decreased intake of these foods by those on low-carb diets, it is essential to consider taking daily supplements. In order to lower the incidence of birth defects, researchers recommend that women of childbearing age be targeted for special attention. According to the
Established in 1968, the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing is fully-accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and is the largest college of nursing in
