Taking calcium supplements improves balance

A calcium-rich diet is recommended to everyone, especially older people who have an increased risk of osteoporosis. However, calcium is also used to protect the body from falls that could result in damage to bones.

The mineral is responsible from prevents falls by improving cognitive function.

There has been a lot of research carried out regarding the connection between gait, falls, and cognitive therapy among older adults. Researchers carrying out a review of the research discovered that cognitive therapy does indeed have the potential to reduce the risk of falls, and they noted that the evidence suggests “…not only is there an association between cognitive function, gait and falls, but that a cause and effect relationship may also exist.”

The authors of the review went on to note that “… cognitive deficits exacerbate and may even cause gait impairment and increase fall risk, especially during more challenging situations.” The report goes on to show that even a slight decline in cognitive function increases the risk of falls.

An impairment in balance can can occur as a result of age-related decline in brain function. The researchers in the above review noted a connection between calcium levels, memory decline, and the associated function of NMDA N-methyl-d-aspartate, a glutamate receptor.

When they looked at all these factors, they found a link between the brain’s compensatory mechanisms for regulating calcium levels and memory decline – as the brain makes neurological adjustments to make up for a lack of calcium, cells in the hippocampus (aka the frontal cortex) are compromised.² The hippocampus is the area of the brain responsible for balance, shedding light on calcium’s role in preventing balance disorder and subsequent falls.

Given calcium’s role in the central nervous system, a lack of this mineral can bring on the very “cognitive deficits” that the authors pointed out.

A team of experts reviewed research regarding the connection between gait, falls, and cognitive therapy among older adults. They discovered that cognitive therapy does indeed have the potential to reduce the risk of falls, and they noted that the evidence suggests “…not only is there an association between cognitive function, gait and falls, but that a cause and effect relationship may also exist.”²

The authors of the review went on to note that “… cognitive deficits exacerbate and may even cause gait impairment and increase fall risk, especially during more challenging situations.”² They went on to point out that even mild cognitive decline increases the risk of falls.