How Genes Influence Your Risk For Calcium Deficiency

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Description Summary
👉 Calcium plays an important role in maintaining bone health and regulating cell signaling.
👉 Calcium levels in the body are regulated by two hormones - parathyroid (PTH) hormone and calcitriol hormone.
👉 PTH regulated calcium levels in bone and calcitriol regulate calcium excretion from the body.
👉 Certain changes in the CASR or calcium-sensing receptor gene can make these hormones less or more sensitive to calcium in the body.
👉 CASR gene changes can thus increase your risk for calcium deficiency.
👉 You can use your 23andMe DNA raw data to learn about your calcium regulating genes.

Detailed Description
Calcium is the most abundant and one of the most important minerals in the body. Calcium is crucial for the maintenance of strong, healthy bones and teeth. It is also essential for cell signaling, or cell to cell communication, and the proper functioning of muscles, nerves, and the heart.

The amount of calcium in the body is regulated by two hormones: parathyroid hormone or PTH and calcitriol. The parathyroid gland, located in the throat region, produces the parathyroid hormone. Calcitriol is made in the kidney. When calcium levels are low, the parathyroid hormone triggers the release of calcium from bones and reduces calcium loss through urine. At the same time, calcitriol promotes the absorption of calcium in the small intestine and its reabsorption in the kidney.

The CASR gene contains instructions for the production of calcium-sensing receptors. Certain changes in the CASR gene make the receptors more sensitive to calcium levels. When this happens, more calcium is excreted from the body, putting you at risk for calcium deficiency or hypocalcemia. There are also some changes in the CASR gene that make the receptors less sensitive. So, the receptors will only be activated when the calcium level in the blood is abnormally high. This results in a condition called hypercalcemia.