Bunions are a painful foot condition that disfigures toes and makes walking difficult. Bunions are much more common in women and can make many self-conscious about how their feet look. Bunions grow over time due to calcification, but the process is not correlated to how much calcium you ingest from food or supplements. Consult with your doctor or podiatrist if either of your big toes is chronically inflamed or painful.
Importance of Calcium
Calcium is an essential macronutrient, meaning that it is needed in relatively large amounts each day. The dietary reference intake for adults is between 1,000 and 1,300 milligrams of calcium daily, depending on age and gender, according to “Contemporary Nutrition: Functional Approach.” Calcium is used by your body for bone strength, electrical conductance, muscle contraction and numerous biochemical reactions. The typical American diet usually provides adequate amounts of calcium, due in part to fortified foods, so deficiency is relatively rare. However, many Americans are deficient in magnesium and vitamin D, which impact how calcium is used by the body.
Types of Supplements
Calcium is widespread in a variety of foods, including dairy products, meats, vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts. Consequently, calcium supplementation is often not needed if your diet is relatively balanced. Calcium supplements can be purchased in numerous formulations, some of which are better absorbed than others. For example, calcium carbonate is the most popular and least expensive supplement, but it’s poorly absorbed, according to the “PDR for Nutritional Supplements.” Calcium citrate is better absorbed because of its higher acidity, but the tablets often contain less elemental calcium. Other forms of supplementation include coral calcium, calcium gluconate, calcium lactate and calcium phosphate. Taking more than 500 milligrams of elemental calcium at a time is not recommended because your body cannot absorb much more than that at once.
Bunions
A bunion is a noticeable bump or callus that forms over the distal joint of your big toe when the toe is continually forced to point towards the second toe. Bunions are characterized by a crooked big toe, inflammation, redness and pain, especially with weight-bearing or joint pressure. Bunions are much more common in women and are usually caused by wearing shoes that are too narrow in the toe box. Consequently, most bunions are best considered as chronic joint sprains. With time, bunions calcify due to the chronic inflammation. If not corrected in the early stages, a surgical procedure that breaks the joint, shaves off unwanted bone and resets the big toe may be needed.
Recommendations
Bunions are not caused by ingesting too much calcium or by taking too many calcium supplements. As noted, your body can only absorb so much calcium at a time, and it excretes what it can’t use. Having too much calcium in your bloodstream due to hormonal imbalance or too much acidity may lead to calcification of soft tissues and bone spur formation over time, but these issues cause leaching of calcium from your bones and are not impacted much by dietary calcium, according to “Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism.” If you want to reduce your risk of bunion formation, wear shoes that are supportive and have plenty of room for your toes.
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