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Essential mineral

Calcium

Calcium gives bones and teeth much of their structure. A smaller amount also acts in signals that nerves and muscles use to do their work.

Read Calcium in the Atlas explorer, with its charts

Measured in mg · Daily Value 1300 mg

What it does, and how

  • Give bones and teeth structure

    Calcium is part of the mineral material that makes bones and teeth strong. Bone is living tissue that is continually maintained and remodeled, not a fixed frame built once.

    Bone structure · Evidence

    Calcium contributes to bone and tooth structure.

    Normal physiological role only; does not establish an effect of eating Kale.

    • Read sourceIntroduction: bone/teeth structure and ionized calcium muscle function/nerve transmission paragraphs

    Sources for the explanation

  • Take part in the signal for movement

    Calcium in its charged form participates in muscle contraction. For example, calcium moving into heart-muscle cells helps trigger the contraction that produces a heartbeat.

    Muscle contraction · Evidence

    Calcium ions participate in muscle contraction.

    Normal physiological role only; does not establish an effect of eating Kale. ODS says muscle function; NIGMS supplies an explicit contraction example in cardiac muscle and describes muscle movement more generally. No skeletal-specific mechanistic claim is inferred.

    • Read sourceIntroduction: bone/teeth structure and ionized calcium muscle function/nerve transmission paragraphs
    • Read sourceChanneling Your Inner Calcium: ionized calcium muscle movement and cardiac calcium-channel contraction example

    Sources for the explanation

  • Help nerve signals pass along

    Beyond the calcium stored in bone, a small amount in body fluids and tissues helps nerve cells transmit signals. This is a signaling role, separate from building bone.

    Nerve transmission · Evidence

    Ionized calcium mediates nerve transmission.

    Normal physiological role only; does not establish an effect of eating Kale.

    • Read sourceIntroduction: bone/teeth structure and ionized calcium muscle function/nerve transmission paragraphs

    Sources for the explanation

Where it works in the body

A nutrient can take part in more than one body system. Follow a connection to see how its work fits together with other nutrients.

The body map groups established nutrient roles to help you explore; it does not predict a health outcome from eating a food. Evidence and mapping notes.

How does the body keep a supply? Learn about nutrient storage, depletion and replenishment.

Reference food in our crop catalog

Reference composition

Basis: raw edible food, per 100 g. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults and children 4+ where one exists; values above 100% are shown without capping. Reference amounts describe the USDA food, not a UCFarms harvest. “No DV” means there is no applicable Daily Value or conversion.

Sources & references (14)
  1. Spinach, raw, USDA FoodData Central 168462 · U.S. Department of AgricultureReference databaseSelected nutrient amounts per 100 g raw edible spinach. Reference food, not a UCFarms harvest measurement.Source details in the Atlas: Spinach, raw, USDA FoodData Central 168462Verified from the official SR Legacy JSON download. The exact food record and source calculation are available in the crop reference profiles below.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-datasets/FoodData_Central_sr_legacy_food_json_2018-04.zip
  2. Collards, raw, USDA FoodData Central 170406 · U.S. Department of AgricultureReference databaseSelected nutrient amounts per 100 g raw edible collard greens. Reference food, not a UCFarms harvest measurement.Source details in the Atlas: Collards, raw, USDA FoodData Central 170406Verified from the official SR Legacy JSON download. The exact food record and source calculation are available in the crop reference profiles below.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-datasets/FoodData_Central_sr_legacy_food_json_2018-04.zip
  3. Watercress, raw, USDA FoodData Central 170068 · U.S. Department of AgricultureReference databaseSelected nutrient amounts per 100 g raw edible watercress. Reference food, not a UCFarms harvest measurement.Source details in the Atlas: Watercress, raw, USDA FoodData Central 170068Verified from the official SR Legacy JSON download. The exact food record and source calculation are available in the crop reference profiles below.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-datasets/FoodData_Central_sr_legacy_food_json_2018-04.zip
  4. Basil, fresh, USDA FoodData Central 172232 · U.S. Department of AgricultureReference databaseSelected nutrient amounts per 100 g raw edible basil. Reference food, not a UCFarms harvest measurement.Source details in the Atlas: Basil, fresh, USDA FoodData Central 172232Verified from the official SR Legacy JSON download. The exact food record and source calculation are available in the crop reference profiles below.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-datasets/FoodData_Central_sr_legacy_food_json_2018-04.zip
  5. Strawberries, raw, USDA FoodData Central 167762 · U.S. Department of AgricultureReference databaseSelected nutrient amounts per 100 g raw edible strawberries. Reference food, not a UCFarms harvest measurement.Source details in the Atlas: Strawberries, raw, USDA FoodData Central 167762Verified from the official SR Legacy JSON download. The exact food record and source calculation are available in the crop reference profiles below.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-datasets/FoodData_Central_sr_legacy_food_json_2018-04.zip
  6. Mushrooms, oyster, raw, USDA FoodData Central 168580 · U.S. Department of AgricultureReference databaseSelected nutrient amounts per 100 g raw edible oyster mushroom. Reference food, not a UCFarms harvest measurement.Source details in the Atlas: Mushrooms, oyster, raw, USDA FoodData Central 168580Verified from the official SR Legacy JSON download. The exact food record and source calculation are available in the crop reference profiles below.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-datasets/FoodData_Central_sr_legacy_food_json_2018-04.zip
  7. Kale, raw: FoodData Central 323505 · USDA Agricultural Research ServiceReference databaseReference nutrient composition of raw kale, per 100 g edible portion.Source details in the Atlas: Kale, raw: FoodData Central 323505The audit used USDA’s Foundation Foods download. If this record link is unavailable, use the dataset or saved record below.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/323505/nutrients
  8. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels · U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationGovernmentFDA Daily Values (adults and children 4+) used to compute % DV.Source details in the Atlas: Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labelshttps://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels
  9. Calcium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary SupplementsGovernmentCalcium's role in bone structure, muscle function and nerve transmission.Source details in the Atlas: Calcium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionalshttps://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
  10. Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary SupplementsGovernmentMagnesium's role as an enzyme cofactor and in nerve, muscle and heart-rhythm function.Source details in the Atlas: Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionalshttps://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium-HealthProfessional/
  11. Potassium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary SupplementsGovernmentPotassium's role in electrochemical gradients, nerve transmission, muscle contraction and heart function.Source details in the Atlas: Potassium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionalshttps://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/
  12. Got Calcium? · U.S. government sourceGovernmentSource details in the Atlas: Got Calcium?https://www.nigms.nih.gov/biobeat/2023/02/got-calcium
  13. Foundation Foods JSON release 2026-04-30 · USDA Agricultural Research ServiceReference databaseSource details in the Atlas: Foundation Foods JSON release 2026-04-30https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-datasets/FoodData_Central_foundation_food_json_2026-04-30.zip
  14. Foundation Foods Documentation · USDA Agricultural Research ServiceReference databaseSource details in the Atlas: Foundation Foods Documentationhttps://fdc.nal.usda.gov/Foundation_Foods_Documentation/

The nutrition and biological information on this site is provided for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice.