Word: calcium
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Dates: during 2000-2000
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HARD FACT You would think calcium supplements would strengthen nails, but don't bet on it. Doctors compared the toenails and fingernails of postmenopausal women who took the supplements with those who didn't. Result? There was no difference in nail strength, appearance or rate of growth between the groups. Turns out that nail quality has more to do with protein content and the arrangement of certain cells than the amount of calcium in the diet...
...women with an eating disorder will continue their unhealthy habits during pregnancy. Restricted food intake is associated with a higher rate of miscarriage and doubles the chances of birth defects. It also increases the mother's risk of osteoporosis later in life, as the nutrient-deprived fetus leeches calcium from her body during the pregnancy...
METAL MISCHIEF As if pregnant women don't have enough to worry about. Moms-to-be with low levels of calcium in their blood usually draw on reserves stored in bone. The problem? That's exactly where the body's excess lead is also locked away. Consequently, the heavy metal is also released into the bloodstream, where it can travel to the fetus and impair mental development. Older expectant moms face the biggest risk because they have that many more years of accumulated lead in their bones. What to do? Keep calcium levels high during pregnancy with dairy foods, leafy...
...whizziest new device, an ultrafast form of computer scanning called electron-beam computer tomography (EBCT), picks up the presence of tiny deposits of calcium in the heart. One study based on the scan showed that patients who build up 20% or more calcium each year have an 18-fold greater chance of suffering a heart attack than those with less calcium in their hearts...
Although it is not yet clear whether calcium deposits spotted by EBCT can accurately predict who will go on to have a heart attack, at the very least it's one more test that cardiologists can use to decide how aggressively to treat a patient who is at risk...