title: Aging and calcium as an environmental factor.
abstract: Calcium deficiency is a constant menace to land-abiding animals, including mammals. Humans enjoying exceptional longevity on earth are especially susceptible to calcium deficiency in old age. Low calcium and vitamin D intake, short solar exposure, decreased intestinal absorption, and falling renal function with insufficient 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D biosynthesis all contribute to calcium deficiency, secondary hyperparathyroidism, bone loss and possibly calcium shift from the bone to soft tissue, and from the extracellular to the intracellular compartment, blunting the sharp concentration gap between these compartments. The consequences of calcium deficiency might thus include not only osteoporosis, but also arteriosclerosis and hypertension due to the increase of calcium in the vascular wall, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and senile dementia due to calcium deposition in the central nervous system, and a decrease in cellular function, because of blunting of the difference in extracellular-intracellular calcium, leading to diabetes mellitus, immune deficiency and others (Fig. 6).
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D001416:Back Pain; D001827:Body Height; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D002118:Calcium / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000502:physiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D004032:Diet; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007668:Kidney / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000209:etiology; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000502:physiology; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D014807:Vitamin D; D010758:Phosphorus; D002118:Calcium