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Falls pose a serious risk to aged adults as they can cause fractures and serious injuries that lead to loss of independence and lower quality of life. This risk is even higher for diabetes patients and can affect them at a younger age because hypoglycaemia can trigger blurring of vision and loss of balance. Poor or inadequate calcium intake can increase the risk of osteoporosis and other bone disorders that make you more vulnerable to fractures. However, calcium’s importance in a diabetes diet extends beyond the prevention of osteoporosis or fractures.
The Importance Of Calcium For Diabetes Patients
Calcium is an essential mineral that is present in abundance throughout the body, playing a vital role in bone and teeth formation and maintenance. While your teeth and bones contain most of the calcium in your body, it’s not just your body’s skeletal structure that requires calcium. Nerve cells in the body, muscle tissue, blood, and other body fluids contain the rest of the calcium in your body.
Calcium is essential for healthy muscle function, proper blood circulation, and the transmission of messages through the body via nerve cells. Calcium is also needed for the maintenance of a healthy heartbeat, blood clotting, and the release of various hormones. What most people fail to recognize is that calcium also has a direct impact on diabetes management.
Research shows that calcium plays an essential role in insulin-mediated intracellular processes, including those in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Even moderate deficiency in calcium can affect these functions. Alterations in cellular calcium levels can also adversely impact insulin secretion as this is a calcium-dependent process.
Calcium’s importance in diabetes care has also been highlighted in studies which show that calcium repletion can help normalize glucose tolerance and insulin secretion in case of vitamin D deficiency and it can also augment glucose-induced insulin secretion.
While the recommended minimum calcium intake per day should be best determined for you by your doctor and dietitian, the general recommendations are:
- 1,000 mg per day for men aged 19 to 70 years old and for women aged 19 to 50 years old
- 1,200 mg per day for women aged 51 or over and for men over 70 years of age
The Best Calcium Rich Foods For Diabetes Patients
Although a diabetes diet can seem limiting, there are plenty of diabetes healthy foods that you can include in your diet to boost calcium intake.
Sardines and canned salmon – They pack roughly 17 to 19 percent of the daily calcium requirement respectively. Most of their calcium content is attributed to their edible bones. They are also extremely healthy because of their high omega-3 fatty acids content, which makes them heart healthy.
Low or non-fat dairy –
Yogurt or curd is one of the healthiest choices to boost calcium intake if you have diabetes. Yogurt is also rich in probiotics, which are shown to help control insulin resistance.
Leafy greens –
Spinach, kale, methi or fenugreek, and other dark green leafy vegetables are not just a good source of calcium, but they also contain phytochemicals that may help reduce inflammation and stabilize blood sugar levels.
Beans and legumes –
Kidney beans, chickpeas, and black beans are good sources of calcium, while also providing a variety of other nutrients that can help to control diabetes.
Papayas and oranges –
Both fruits have a rather high calcium content but have a low GI load, making them good calcium rich foods to add to a healthy diabetes diet.
Fortified foods – Many foods are fortified with calcium, including grains, cereals, and beverages. However, you’ll need to check food labels carefully to make sure that they contain no added sugar.
Make sure to speak to your doctors and dietitian before making any major changes to your diet. If required, your doctor could also prescribe calcium supplements.
