How much calcium is appropriate for pregnant women to take in a day? What are the effects on the fetus if pregnant women take too much calcium?

Pregnant women drink milk powder during pregnancy to provide the baby with the nutritional needs for growth and development. Some pregnant mothers think that the more calcium they give their babies, the better. In fact, this is a very wrong idea. Pregnant women also need to take calcium in moderation.

The calcium requirements for early, mid and late pregnancy are different. The Chinese Nutrition Society's 2000 "Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake for Chinese Residents" recommends that the appropriate calcium intake for early, mid and late pregnancy is 800 mg, 1000 mg and 1200 mg respectively. In traditional diets, pregnant mothers only take 400-700 mg of calcium, which is far from the recommended amount, so they need to take calcium tablets to supplement calcium.

Calcium supplementation during pregnancy helps the development of fetal bones and teeth, but excessive calcium supplementation will affect the premature ossification of fetal bones, restrict brain development, and affect the intellectual development of the baby; even after the baby is born, excessive calcium in the body will affect the baby's health and development, such as premature closure of epiphyseal affecting the baby's growth, and excessive calcium inhibiting the absorption of other nutrients, leading to decreased immunity, anemia, slow growth, etc. Therefore, the more calcium supplemented, the better.

1 Considering the taste is also one of the important conditions for pregnant women to choose calcium tablets. If you have a poor appetite and have high requirements for taste, it is particularly important to choose calcium tablets with good taste and flavor.

2 Consider safety. Active calcium tablets are generally made from natural calcium-rich raw materials, such as shells, calcined at high temperatures. They are highly ionized and easily absorbed by the body. However, some biological calcium preparations contain elements that are harmful to pregnant women, such as cadmium, bismuth, and lead. Therefore, long-term use of such calcium tablets for pregnant women may pose a potential risk of heavy metal poisoning and should be used with caution.

3 Consider the cost-effectiveness. Calcium supplementation is a long-term behavior for some pregnant women, so pregnant women should also pay attention to the cost-effectiveness when choosing calcium tablets, especially pregnant women with poor economic conditions. It is not necessary to choose high-priced calcium tablets, but they should choose calcium tablets according to their own economic conditions.

Pregnant women do not need to take calcium supplements until nine months at most to avoid premature calcification of the fetal skull, which will cause the baby's head to be too hard. During natural delivery, it will prolong the labor process and threaten the baby's health. Therefore, pregnant women should supplement calcium scientifically and not too blindly.