The Importance of Calcium and Vitamin D for Bone Health

In almost every country, mothers have been forcing their kids to drink their milk on time to get calcium and vitamin D. Likewise, we've been taught since childhood that calcium and vitamin D support bone growth.

However, the benefits of calcium and vitamin D are not just limited to that. These two essential nutrients offer numerous other benefits. Let's find out how do they support your overall health?

Why Bone Health Matters?

Bones comprise hard tissues, which are constantly growing and evolving to give your body its shape and structure. Apart from this, they also play a crucial role in other bodily functions like—

Protecting Your Internal Organs: Bones form a protective shield around your important internal organs, including the heart and the brain. This shield prevents the soft internal organs from getting easily injured by external trauma.
Making Movement Possible: Bones and muscles work together to support body movement.
Formation of Blood Cells: Certain bones in your body have bone marrow, the birthplace of new blood cells.

Energy Storage: Your body has some bones (for example, leg bones) that store fats and energy, which the body uses when needed.

Nutrient Storage: Calcium and Vitamin D are essential for bone health and can be derived from the bones themselves. This is because, similar to energy, your bones can also store these nutrients along with phosphorus and release them when required. ⁴

Therefore, bones are not just about forming a skeleton; they are also vital for the smooth overall functioning of your body. You can maintain good bone health and support their growth by consuming foods high in calcium and vitamin D.

Importance of Calcium for Bone Health

Along with vitamins, our body requires essential minerals, including calcium, to function properly. Bone health and calcium are directly interconnected, as bone is considered the storage house of calcium. Almost 99% of the total calcium in your body resides in your bones, providing rigidity and structure.

Moreover, since calcium phosphate makes our bones, consuming adequate calcium is very important for bone strength. ⁵ It protects your bones from breakage and fractures from minor trauma.

However, your body does not have the capability to produce its own calcium. So, to protect your body from signs of calcium deficiency, you must intake adequate calcium from external sources such as dairy foods, leafy vegetables, etc., and calcium and vitamin D supplements.

The Role of Vitamin D in Bone Health

Like calcium, vitamin D is another nutrient your body needs to support the proper growth, development, and functioning of your bones. To comprehend the importance of vitamin D for bone health, it is crucial to know how vitamin D helps calcium absorption in the body. When your body has enough vitamin D, whether it comes from sun exposure, foods high in calcium and vitamin D, or calcium and vitamin D supplements, your intestines are able to absorb calcium more efficiently. Without enough vitamin D, your body won’t be able to absorb more than 10%-15% of dietary calcium. ⁶

Similar to calcium, bone density and Vitamin D are also interrelated. Vitamin D is responsible for the mineralisation of bones, which ultimately helps them maintain their density and strength.

If you are suffering from vitamin D deficiency, your bones will weaken over time, and the chances of fractures will also increase. Low bone density is also responsible for osteoporosis, a condition that results in weak and fragile bones that break easily, even with minor injuries.

Hence, eating foods high in calcium and vitamin D, along with calcium and vitamin D supplements, can help improve bone density and accelerate calcium absorption.

Vitamin D Deficiency

When your calcium and vitamin D intake is inefficient, you are at high risk of developing vitamin D deficiency symptoms. Especially when it comes to people above the age of 65 and individuals with dark skin colour, vitamin D deficiency symptoms are very common. ⁷

However, it is possible to increase vitamin D levels using calcium and vitamin D supplements and eating foods high in calcium and vitamin D.

But before we discuss how to increase vitamin D levels and manage vitamin D deficiency symptoms, let's first have a quick overview of what these symptoms look like.

Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

In children: Rickets is a type of condition that results from severe vitamin D deficiency in children, causing—

In Adults: It is not easy to identify vitamin D deficiency symptoms in adults. This is because the symptoms are often misunderstood as a part of common day-to-day problems and not something to be concerned about.

But here are some of the vitamin D deficiency symptoms in adults that you must watch out for—

Calcium and Vitamin D For Bone Health: How Much Do You Need?

The above sections have already explained how vitamin D helps calcium absorption. But you might be wondering how much calcium I need, along with vitamin D, for good bone health. Here is a quick and short answer:

How Much Calcium Do I Need?

The amount of calcium your body needs to prevent the signs of calcium deficiency depends on several factors, including your age and gender.

Generally, adult men and women aged between 19 years to 50 years must take at least 1,000 mg of calcium through diet every day. This amount increases to 1,200 mg for men aged above 71 and for women aged above 51 years. ⁸

How Much Vitamin D Do I Need?

Young adults and people who are below the age of 70 require only 600 IU (15 mcg) of vitamin D daily to keep vitamin D deficiency symptoms at bay. For older adults, that is, people above the age of 70 years, the ideal recommended daily intake of Vitamin D is 800 UI (20 mcg). ⁹

Foods High in Calcium and Vitamin D

Foods high in calcium and vitamin D are essential for preventing deficiencies and supporting bone health. To help you take full advantage of these nutrients, here’s a list of the best sources of calcium and vitamin D.

Foods High In Calcium

Foods High In Vitamin D

Sun exposure is believed to be one of the most efficient sources for vitamin D. But in today's fast-paced world with people having busy lifestyles, the sun alone might not be able to fulfil your vitamin D requirements.

So, keeping the importance of sun exposure for vitamin D in mind, you should also incorporate the following foods into your diet to avoid vitamin D deficiency symptoms—

Apart from these, packaged foods with added vitamin D can also help to increase vitamin D levels. Some examples include—

Even though calcium and vitamin D supplements may not be the only best sources of calcium and vitamin D, if you take them along with your diet, they can help you combat vitamin D deficiency symptoms and the signs of calcium deficiency.

However, the type of calcium and vitamin D supplements you need depends on your situation, and you must consult an expert before taking them.

Lifestyle Factors Affecting Bone Health

Foods high in calcium and vitamin D are indeed essential to maintain bone health. However, along with a balanced diet, you must also adopt healthy habits that can support your diet to keep your bones healthy in the long run.

Therefore, here are two lifestyle habits that can help you deal with vitamin D deficiency symptoms and eliminate the chances of developing the signs of calcium deficiency efficiently.

Exercise

Keeping your body physically active and performing exercises not only helps strengthen your bones but also waves off the risk of developing bone disorders over time. Two of the best exercises that are good for your bones include—

Body Weight

Your total body mass plays a crucial role in deciding your bone health. Studies suggest that if a person is overweight, then they are more likely to have poor bone quality and an increased risk of fractures. On the other hand, low body weight translates to lesser bone density and faster bone loss. That is why being both underweight and overweight is dangerous for your bones.

Special Considerations for Different Age Groups

We all require calcium and vitamin D for bone health, regardless of age and gender. Although vitamin D helps calcium absorption, the amount needed for each nutrient varies from person to person based on age.

Ideal calcium requirements (dietary) for both males and females based on age are as follows —

Ideal vitamin D requirements (dietary) for both males and females based on age are as follows—

Consequences of Long-Term Calcium and Vitamin D Deficiency

The signs of calcium deficiency must be addressed on time to avoid the following long-term consequences—

Likewise, you should also recognise and address vitamin D deficiency symptoms on time to avoid the risk of the following long-term consequences—

Conclusion

All in all, whether it is the prevention of long-term severe bone-related disorders or the occurrence of minor fractures, you must consider foods high in calcium and vitamin D and start taking calcium and vitamin D supplements. Along with maintaining your bones' strength and structure, these vital nutrients enable you to lead a fit and disease-free life.