Calcium-The Vital Mineral

"Our bodies need enough calcium to maintain our blood and muscles, and it is usually done by storing a high concentration of calcium in our bone tissue."

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, calcium is important to keep our bones denser and stronger throughout our life. Apart from helping to keep our bones and teeth stronger, calcium plays a pivotal role in vascular contractions, secretion of hormones and enzymes, muscle function, intracellular signaling, and in performing critical metabolic functions. In order to perform these critical functions, our body needs to maintain enough calcium in our blood and muscles, which is usually done by storing a high concentration of calcium in our bone tissue.

Food Security

Jamaicans are struggling to come to grips with dramatic increases in the price of food. What is actually causing these increases?

There is a large consensus that this is due to the advent of the biofuel industry. It is believed that there is now competition between the consumers of food and consumers of fuel.   

At the beginning of 2006, there were the so-called “tortilla riots” in Mexico that were caused by ridiculous increases in the cost of cornflower. These increases were caused by a large-scale switch in the United States from using maize for food and instead for fuel- production. This of course meant the Mexicans were receiving less corn from their neighbors.