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Calcium

 Calcium is the most abundant among the minerals in the body. The total content of calcium in an adult man is about 1 to 1.5 kg. As much as 99% of it is present in the bones and teeth. A small fraction (1%) of the calcium, found outside the skeletal tissue, performs a wide variety of functions. 

Sources 

  • Best sources — Milk and milk products 
  • Good sources — Beans, leafy vegetables, fish, cabbage, egg yolk. 

Deficiency 

  • Hypocalcemia is a more serious and life threatening condition. It is characterized by a fall in the serum Ca to below 7 mg/dl, causing tetany. The symptoms of tetany include neuromuscular irritability, and convulsions 
  • Rickets is a disorder of defective calcification of bones. This may be due to a low levels of vitamin D in the body or due to a dietary deficiency of Ca and P —or both. 



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