7 Calcium Deficiency Symptoms You Should Not Ignore and How to Treat Them

Biggs June 13, 2025
An image of a woman not feeling well in bed
Calcium deficiency occurs when your body doesn’t absorb enough calcium. Kseniya Ovchinnikova / Getty Images

Calcium keeps your bones, muscles, heart, and nerves working properly, but many adults do not get enough. If you are low on calcium, you might notice things like muscle cramps, tingling, or mood changes, but the good news is it's usually easy to treat.1,2

1. Muscle Aches and Cramps

Aching muscles are a common symptom of calcium deficiency.3 The mineral supports proper muscle movement and function, helping the muscles contract and relax.1 When you are low in calcium, you could experience:4

2. Fatigue and Sluggishness

As calcium supports the body's muscular and nervous systems, not getting adequate amounts of this mineral can lead to weakness or fatigue.5 Fatigue can set in as your body adjusts to low calcium levels.

However, fatigue is a nonspecific symptom, meaning it can be due to many causes, with lack of calcium being just one of them.

3. Numbness and Tingling in Extremities

Being calcium deficient can impact nerves, especially those in your hands and feet. This can result in numbness or tingling in areas such as the fingers and toes.6

As a key symptom of calcium deficiency, tingling may be one of the first noticeable signs that manifests.6

4. Osteopenia and Osteoporosis

Calcium is an important mineral for bone health, helping to maintain bone structure and strength.1 While bones naturally start to lose calcium around age 30, being calcium deficient can make you more likely to experience osteopenia (the onset of low bone mass) or osteoporosis (when osteopenia progresses, causing a loss of bone mass and bone mineral density).78

Most people do not realize they have osteopenia or osteoporosis due to a calcium deficiency or other reasons until they experience a bone fracture, or break.7

5. Dental Issues

The body stores most of its calcium in the teeth and bones.5 Because a calcium deficiency can cause your bones to become more brittle, it's no surprise that dental problems can occur.

Not getting enough calcium can weaken tooth enamel and lead to a higher risk of developing cavities.9 More severe complications could also include tooth loss. These dental issues can take years to surface.10

6. Cataracts and Vision Changes

Some research suggests that low calcium levels can lead to eye and vision changes like cataracts, which cause blurry vision, and other age-related eye conditions.11 Other studies show that insufficient calcium in your diet is linked to a higher risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which causes blurry or distorted central vision.12

With calcium deficiency, research indicates that vision changes may develop relatively slowly.13

7. Mental Health Impacts

Calcium may support certain neurotransmitters (chemical messengers between nerves) in the brain that impact mood.14 Evidence shows that a calcium imbalance may affect mental health and manifest as symptoms of depression or anxiety, along with irritability and confusion.15,16

These signs develop gradually and can resolve as calcium levels are restored.4

Causes and Risk Factors

Calcium deficiency happens when your body doesn't take in or absorb enough calcium through your diet or supplements. This can be triggered by a variety of causes, such as:17,4

Hypocalcemia (Low level of calcium in the blood) - hormonal and metabolic disorders. Merck Manual Consumer Version.

Some people are at a higher risk of experiencing calcium deficiency, particularly those who are postmenopausal (whose menstrual cycle has completely stopped). This is due to a loss of the hormone estrogen, which can decrease calcium absorption in the body. Also, if you avoid dairy products because of a lactose intolerance or personal preference, you may be at a higher risk, as dairy is a primary source of calcium.5

When to See a Healthcare Provider

See a healthcare provider if you think you may have a calcium deficiency. While some people may not experience many (or any) noticeable symptoms, keep an eye out for the following:18

  • Consistently dry skin and hair, along with nails that break easily over time
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Seizures (in severe cases where calcium levels are extremely low)
  • Tingling sensations, especially in the feet, hands, lips, or tongue
  • Unusual muscle cramps, stiffness, or spasms

Getting medical attention can help prevent the likelihood of experiencing severe symptoms and developing complications.

Treatment and Prevention

Treatment options are recommended once a calcium deficiency is diagnosed from a calcium blood test.18 A healthcare provider may suggest:

  • Calcium supplements, given orally (by mouth) or intravenously (through an IV)
  • Changing medications that could lead to calcium deficiency
  • Treating underlying conditions that may cause low calcium levels, like hypoparathyroidism
  • Vitamin D supplements help the body absorb calcium more efficiently

Experts often recommend incorporating more calcium into your diet to prevent a calcium deficiency. Some calcium-rich foods include:19

  • Almonds
  • Cheese
  • Chia seeds
  • Leafy green vegetables (e.g., kale, spinach)
  • Milk
  • Salmon
  • Soybeans
  • Yogurt

Too much calcium can lead to too high levels (hypercalcemia). If calcium levels are not balanced, serious complications related to digestive, kidney, and bone health can result.20 Talk to a healthcare provider about the best ways to safely add more calcium to your diet.

Key Takeaways

  • Calcium deficiency (hypocalcemia) occurs when your body doesn’t absorb enough calcium.
  • It can cause symptoms affecting muscles, nerves, vision, and mental health. A blood test can diagnose the deficiency, which is treatable through diet or supplements.
  • Consult a healthcare provider to find the best way to maintain healthy calcium levels.

Sources:

  1. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Calcium: Fact sheet for consumers.
  2. Yu Z, Li Y, Ba DM, et al. Trends in calcium intake among the US population: Results from the NHANES (1999-2018). Nutrients. 2024;16(5):726. doi:10.3390/nu16050726
  3. Society for Endocrinology: You and Your Hormones. Hypocalcaemia.
  4. Hypocalcemia (Low level of calcium in the blood) - hormonal and metabolic disorders. Merck Manual Consumer Version.
  5. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Calcium: Fact sheet for health professionals.
  6. Schafer AL, Shoback DM. Hypocalcemia: diagnosis and treatment. In: Feingold KR, Ahmed SF, Anawalt B, et al., eds. Endotext. MDText.com, Inc.; 2016.
  7. MedlinePlus. Osteoporosis.
  8. American Academy of Family Physicians. Osteopenia.
  9. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The tooth decay process: How to reverse it and avoid a cavity.
  10. Intercare. How calcium deficiency affects your teeth.
  11. Jafari R, Kamali M, Rad MM. A new pattern of bilateral cataracts associated with hypocalcemia secondary to uncontrolled hypoparathyroidism. Oman J Ophthalmol. 2022;15(3):389-392. doi:10.4103/ojo.ojo_238_21
  12. Chen YY, Chen YJ. The relationship between dietary calcium and age-related macular degeneration. Nutrients. 2023;15(3):671. doi:10.3390/nu15030671
  13. Zhang H, Yang L, Xie J, et al. Hypocalcemic cataract secondary to idiopathic hypoparathyroidism in an adolescent. J Int Med Res. 2023;51(8):3000605231193820. doi:10.1177/03000605231193820
  14. Du C, Hsiao PY, Ludy MJ, et al. Relationships between dairy and calcium Intake and mental health measures of higher education students in the United States: Outcomes from moderation analyses. Nutrients. 2022;14(4):775. doi:10.3390/nu14040775
  15. Goltzman G. Clinical manifestations of hypocalcemia. In: Rosen CJ, Mulder JE, eds. UpToDate. UpToDate; 2022.
  16. Arab A, Rafie N, Askari G, et al. Beneficial role of calcium in premenstrual syndrome: A systematic review of current literature. Int J Prev Med. 2020;11:156. doi:10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_243_19
  17. Saint John's Physician Partners. Calcium disorders, high or low symptoms.
  18. MedlinePlus. Calcium blood test.
  19. MedlinePlus. Calcium in diet.
  20. MedlinePlus. Hypercalcemia.
Important Notice: This article was originally published at www.verywellhealth.com by Cristina Mutchler, where all credits are due. Medically reviewed by Qin Rao, MD

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