Borderline High Calcium And Blood Sugar Levels

Calcium is necessary for good bone health. It is the mineral found most abundantly in the body. The food we eat contains calcium which is absorbed by the body and then excreted in feces, urine and sweat. While calcium is essential, an excess could result in kidney stones. Hence, before increasing calcium intake it is advisable to solicit the opinion of a physician or registered dietician.

It is believed that the amount of calcium absorbed by the body depends partly on the amount of dietary fiber consumed. Dietary fiber, sometimes called ‘roughage’, is the indigestible part of plant food that forces food through the digestive system in the course of which it absorbs water to aid in defecation. Research has shown that a high consumption of dietary fiber lowers levels of blood glucose and decreases levels of insulin in the blood as well as reducing concentrations of blood lipid. These changes occur in patients with type 2 diabetes; the most common type of diabetes. Fruits and vegetables are a rich source of dietary fiber.

The American Diabetes Association’s recommendation is a dietary fiber intake of 24 grams per day. As against this, the average American consumes only 14 to 15 grams. In the course of a study conducted it was observed that there was a reduction of urinary calcium excretion on very high fiber diets. This led scientists to conclude that fiber had a direct impact on calcium absorption. Furthermore, a high fiber diet caused less calcium to be excreted because the additional fiber caused less fiber to be absorbed. It would imply that there is an optimum limit of fiber intake related to calcium absorption beyond which further fiber has no beneficial effect.

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Borderline High Calcium And Blood Sugar Levels