Make no mistake, calcium is vital to health. As one of the buiding blocks of the human body, it has few rivals in importance. An article published by the Internet fitness and health magazine Phys (www.hpy.com), states :

"Calcium is critical to the functioning of just about every cell in your body. Without it, your heart couldn't think, your blood couldn't clot and your bones wouldn't even exist.

Truth is, calcium is so important to cellular health that your body will even steal to get it : when your calcium intake doesn't meet your daily requirement, your body pulls what it needs from your bones, weakening them in the process."

Just a couple of weeks ago, the New York Times carried a two-part series on calcium that began with these words on the front page of its Science Times section :

"Calcium is fast emerging as the nutrient of the decade, a substance with such diverse roles in our body that virtually no major organ system escapes its influence."

We know that the body uses calcium to make bones and teeth and to keep them healthy. The New York Times added a long list of other body functions that calcium is needed for : digestion, metabolism, blood-clotting , hormone production, nerve functions, and all kinds of cell activity.

Recent research suggests that calcium may help to control blood presure, ease premenstrual syndrome and prevent colon cancer. Deficiency in calcium has been linked to strokes and kidney stones. So we can't do without it.

Among the best are several staples of the local diet. These include oily fish like pla thu, soybeans, beancurd, seasame seeds, and certain kindds of greens : kale, bok choi, broccoli.

Pla thu also happens to be a good source of vitamin D, which the body needs to be able to absorb calcium from food. We can't take in calcium without it. Most of the vitamin D we need, however, we make ouselves-in our skin when we're out in the sun.

Calcium deficiency is a serious problem in the US, for instance. Certain things threaten the body's calcium balance : a high intake of protein or sodium, chemicals found in certain fizzy drinks, or high levels of caffeine-pretty much the staples of the American diet.

The situation there is so bad that some doctors are predicting an epidemic of osteoporosis, the brittle-bone disease that happens when the body is taking more calcium out of the bones than it is putting back.

A final note on calcium supplements. These can be very effective, but avoid those from natural sources such as bone meal or oyster shell, which may contain contaminants. And if you're the type who stays out of the sun, watch your vitamin D intake. You need 10 to 20 minutes in the sun, with at least some skin showing and no sunscreen, every day.

(Condensed from Nutrition by Weena Pratt, Bangkok Post 6.11.98)