BONE HEALTH: Are Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements Needed?

Going out, basking yourself under the early sun, and eating a balanced diet are practices in taking care of our bones.

Hormone Health Network defined the bones as a living tissue that constantly breaks down and is replaced by our body. They furthered that at the age of 30, a human reaches the highest bone mass.

In the age of technology, medicines and supplements are developed to suffice the health requirements or daily nutritional intakes of human beings.

National Osteoporosis Foundation or NFO said that calcium is essential in building bones in our body and keeping them healthy.

On the other hand, Vitamin D according to the National Institute of Health or NIH, Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in few foods just like Calcium.

Apart from foods, Vitamin D is synthesized when the Ultraviolet Rays or UV Rays strike the skin.

Both compounds are not produced by our body which is why it is important to incorporate the two as a staple in your diet.

Requirements for Calcium and Vitamin D Daily Intake

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, men and women have different calcium and vitamin d requirements.

Women ranging from 50 years old and younger need 1000 Milligrams (mg) and women ranging from 51 years old and above need 1200 Mg of calcium daily. Men aging from 70 and younger, and 71 and older need 1000 Mg and 1200 Mg respectively.

On the other hand, men and women under the age of 50 need 400-800 International Units (IU) daily. Men and women aging 50 years and older need 800-1000 IU daily.

You may include these calcium-rich foods in your diet to heighten your mineral intake:

Dairy
Green leafy vegetables
Soya drinks with added calcium
Products made from Fortified Flour
Sardines, pilchards, and other fishes wherein bones can be eaten.

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion or ODPHP released food sources that are rich in Vitamin D such as fishes milk and mushrooms.

Calcium and Vitamin D Benefits

Vitamin D does not only help our bones in keeping them healthy. According to Cleveland Clinic, Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium in the bones.

Preventing it from having osteoporosis and bone fractures.

Cleveland Clinic also emphasized the importance of Vitamin D working with parathyroid glands in balancing the calcium in the blood and put to good use throughout the body.

Calcium on the other hand is important in our bones. According to NIH, the human body needs calcium to maintain strong bones which are usually stored in the bones and teeth. NIH also highlights another role of calcium which helps the muscles move and for nerves to carry messages between the brain and the body parts. Blood vessels also use calcium in moving blood throughout the body.

ALSO READ: What Caused This Man's Bladder to be Encased Calcium?

What Happens when your intake of Vitamin D and Calcium is too much?

Since Vitamin D affects the absorption of Calcium in our body, according to Mayo Clinic, Vitamin D toxicity can occur when you take too much supplement and is caused by large doses of the vitamin supplement, not by sun exposure or diet. The toxicity causes hypercalcemia or a build-up of calcium in the blood that can cause vomiting, weakness, and frequent urination.

Vitamin D deficiency is another story. Medline Plus emphasized that deficiency in this aspect can cause loss of bone density which leads to osteoporosis and heightens the risk of bone fractures. They also warned that in children, Vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets or disease that causes the bone to become soft and bend.

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