Calcium body content

Some medical researchers claim in vivo activation analysis is an excellent nondestructive method that can be used to either (a) measure the total-body content of trace elements considered important to man s health or (b) determine the total amount of a particular element in an organ. Studies carried out by Anderson et al. (23,24), Battye et al, (60) and Newton (645) have measured the total sodium, calcium and chlorine contents of the whole body. In similar studies Chamberlain et al. (168) and Palmer et al. (680,681) have demonstrated the feasibility of the method for total body sodium and calcium. Chamberlain et al. (167) have used living subjects to develop further evidence for nonexchangeable sodium pools in the body. 

Bomb calorimetry and biochemical analysis of holothunan (sea-cucumber) body tissues showed significant differences in the caloric contents of testis, gut, and body wall [112] which may be partly due to the calcium-carbonate content of the tissues (specially of the body wall). Holothurians with an average energy content of about 25 kJ/g afdw represent an important store of energy in the deep sea. 

The egg shell is 94% calcium carbonate [471-34-17, CaCO, 1% calcium phosphate [7758-23-8] and a small amount of magnesium carbonate [546-93-0]. A water-insoluble keratin-type protein is found within the shell and in the outer cuticle coating. The pores of the shell allow carbon dioxide and water to escape during storage. The shell is separated from the egg contents by two protein membranes. The air cell formed by separation of these membranes increases in size because of water loss. The air cell originally forms because of the contraction of the Hquid within the egg shell when the temperature changes from the body temperature of the hen at 41.6°C to a storage temperature of the egg at 7.2°C. 

Elevated whole-body calcium content after 48 h LC50 (48 h) range for water hardnesses between 6 and 309 mg CaC03/L, or between 4.2 and 13.6°/oo salinity LC100 (96 h)... 

Prior analyses (1-2) of the mineral content of ashed fetuses, still-borns and infant cadavers showed that the rate of calcium and phosphate accretion is highest at the end of pregnancy and that approximately half of the calcium and phosphate in the infant s body at term birth is accumulated in the last eight weeks of pregnancy -Figure 1. Consequently infants who are born prematurely start life with much lower stores of calcium and phosphate than if they had remained in the uterus for the full 40 weeks of gestation. 

Although there was decreased retention of body calcium when oxalic acid was added to the diet, the effect was not as drastic as when spinach was fed. The authors concluded that this adverse effect of spinach was at least partly due to its oxalic acid content. 

Spiers (18) reported that the feeding of 14% dried New England spinach in the diet resulted in decreased growth and less calcium retention, as determined by body calcium content (Figure 3). Rats 28 days old were fed until 60 days of age. All diets contained about 0.3% calcium, and in the control diet practically all of the calcium was from skim milk. In the other diets, one-half of the skim milk was replaced by turnip greens, tendergreens, collards, kale, or New Zealand spinach to furnish an equal amount of calcium. Spinach was the only one of the greens fed which contained considerable oxalic acid. The calcium of the spinach appeared not only to be utilized poorly, but spinach also impaired utilization of the milk calcium. Food intake of the rats on the spinach diet was also lower. 

Most of the forementioned studies which examined the influence of various dietary fiber on the bioavailability of calcium by human subjects have depended upon the comparative measurements of calcium content of diets and calcium contents of stools and urine. As reviewed by Allen (3), calcium balance studies have distinct limitations relative to accuracy and precision. However, their ease of application and cost, laboratory equipment requirements, and real (or perceived) safety in comparison to available radioactive or stable isotope methods continue to make their use popular. In calcium balance studies, calcium absorption is assumed to be the difference between calcium excretion in the feces and calcium intake. Usually this is expressed as a percent of the calcium intake. This method assumes that all fecal calcium loss is unabsorbed dietary calcium which is, of course, untrue since appreciable amounts of calcium from the body are lost via the intestinal route through the biliary tract. Hence, calcium absorption by this method may underestimate absorption of dietary calcium but is useful for comparative purposes. It has been estimated that bile salts may contribute about 100 g calcium/day to the intestinal calcium contents. Bile salt calcium has been found to be more efficiently absorbed through the intestinal mucosa than is dietary calcium (20) but less so by other investigators (21). 

Lawrence et al. (1984) suggested that all types of cheese can be best classified by their calcium content and pH. According to this classification scheme, the extent of acid production at various stages of cheese manufacture ultimately influences the body and texture of cheese. Cheeses can, therefore, be classified by manufacturing procedure rather than by flavor. 

Although bone is not considered a major calcium sensing organ in humans, the cells of bone tissue control over 99% of the human body s calcium content. The principal calcium sensors that regulate bone calcium uptake and release are in the parathyroid glands. Bone function is also modified by vitamin D and by calcium transport in the kidney and intestine. These indirect mechanisms of controlling bone calcium metabolism are beyond the scope of our considerations here. In spite of processing... 

Sodium, potassium and chloride are the primary dietary ions that influence the electrolytic balance and acid-base status, and the proper dietary balance of sodium, potassium and chloride is necessary for growth, bone development, eggshell quality and AA utilization. Potassium is the third most abundant mineral in the body after calcium and phosphorus, and is the most abundant mineral in muscle tissue. It is involved in electrolyte balance and neuromuscular function. The content of potassium in poultry diets is usually adequate. Chloride is present in gastric juice and chlorine is part of the HC1 molecule which assists in the breakdown of feed in the proventriculus. Sodium is essential for nerve membrane stimulation and ionic transport across cell membranes. Signs of sodium, potassium or chloride deficiency include reduced appetite, poor growth, dehydration and increased mortality. 

In order to neutralize a negative physical reaction, you can use tri-salts. This is a combination of calcium (carbonate), magnesium (carbonate) and potassium (bicarbonate). Tri-salts lower the acid content in the body so that chemical substances can be removed more effectively and the physical reaction to chemical substances will thus not last as long. 

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