Too much of a good thing.Rising consumer fears about osteoporosis have led food marketers to introduce hundreds of "calcium-enriched" products. Shoppers find calcium-fortified orange juice, chocolate chews, margarine--even ice cream--waiting on the shelves. Several brands of antacids an·ti·ac·id (  n t -s promote their calcium content as well. While many fall short of the 1,000 to 1,300 milligrams milligram /mil·li·gram/ (mg) (mil´i-gram) one thousandth (10-3) of a gram. mil·li·gram (m  l of calcium needed in the daily diet, nutritionists nu·tri·tion·ist (n -trsh -n are becoming concerned about people consuming too much. An upper limit of 2,500 milligrams per day has now been established. Excess calcium can lead to headaches and irritability myotatic irritability the ability of a muscle to contract in response to stretching. ir·ri·ta·bil·i·ty ( r, soft tissue calcification dystrophic calcification the deposition of calcium in abnormal tissue, such as scar tissue or atherosclerotic plaques, without abnormalities of blood calcium. eggshell calcification deposition of a thin layer of calcium around a thoracic lymph node, often seen in silicosis. Mönckeberg's calcification see under arteriosclerosis. , and even kidney failure. It can also inhibit your body's ability to absorb iron and zinc. Wall Street Journal |
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