subject: The Calcium Question Resolved With Vitamin D [print this page] Calcium supplementation is no longer the first defense for preventing osteoporosis if someone does not have adequate vitamin D levels. Indeed, there is a growing consensus in the medical community that we need to increase the recommended daily intake of vitamin D as the premiere nutrient in the battle against osteoporosis.
Not too long ago the guidelines for calcium were that adults under age 50 need 1,000 mg of calcium daily and adults age 50 and over need 1,200 mg of calcium daily. For years, women have been hammered on that they are not getting enough calcium so it is not unusual for many to take 1500 mg or more a day just in supplement form. The problem is most women get about 600 to 750 mg of calcium in their diet. Doubling that amount is clearly overkill.
There is not much evidence that too much calcium does any good and, although it may not be harmful, it can be constipating. Part of the problem is that the science behind calcium supplementation is not simple. In fact, recent research seems to offer opposite answers about whether you should or should not take extra calcium. To get the most out of your bone and health efforts, it is important to understand that bone is not just calcium and that calcium does not function in isolation.
The research on vitamin D stating that calcium cannot be absorbed without an adequate amount of vitamin D in your body has been known for some time. Therefore, taking extra calcium with a low level of vitamin D makes the calcium almost useless.Vitamin D is produced in your body when sunlight is absorbed by your skin. Many people, especially in Northern areas, tend to have low levels of vitamin D because the sun is not available to them throughout the year. People who are bed ridden or work a full 12 hour day shift also have problems producing enough vitamin D because they also lack sun exposure.
This is where the importance of vitamin D supplements is evident. In fact, the scientific thinking is that it is first more important to know a person's vitamin D level before they automatically increase their calcium supplementation to prevent fractures and osteoporosis. The fact is if you have enough vitamin D in the first place, you naturally and automatically increase your calcium intake. The problem is food does not enable you to have a good vitamin D level. Fortified milk, for example, only provides 100 International Units of vitamin D per glass. This is why supplementation is very important especially for postmenopausal women and everyone over 60 years old. If you have enough vitamin D you may be good with 700 to 800 milligrams of calcium per day most of which you probably could get from food sources. If you do not have enough vitamin D you are not going to absorb much calcium no matter how many calcium supplements you take.
The added plus in all this is that vitamin D also improves muscle strength which also lends itself to preventing fractures and falls. You also need to be absorbing calcium because it not only keeps your bones and teeth strong, it also helps muscles and blood vessels contract and expand, it helps to secrete hormones and enzymes and to send messages throughout the nervous system. Since the calcium won't work without the vitamin D, my goal is to raise those D levels.
