Everyone knows how important calcium is in the long-term prevention of osteoporosis. By drinking dairy in your youth, you are building strong bones that will hold up longer against the disease in adulthood. However, few people understand how calcium is absorbed into the body. When you drink a glass of milk, the calcium doesn’t simply soak into your bones on the way down. It must interact with other molecules in your system and bond to them in a way that makes them part of your digestion. Without this bonding, the calcium will simply be flushed out. Unfortunately, many people who try to get enough calcium in their diet don’t get as much as they think they do because it is not properly absorbed. To absorb calcium, your body also needs vitamin D.
Think of vitamin D like the doorman. You can make sure calcium pays a visit to your body by eating an adequate amount, but it will be turned away if no one is there to let it in. To make sure your body actually absorbs calcium and transfers it into your bones, you need to also get enough vitamin D. Studies show that vitamin D and calcium on their own do not effectively prevent fractures in people with osteoporosis.
To learn how much vitamin D you should be getting at your age, make sure you talk to your doctor. He or she will perform tests to first find out whether or not you are deficient in the first place. You can get vitamin D from sun exposure, but you should be careful to avoid too many UV rays at a time. You can also get it from dietary supplements and certain foods such as egg yolks, liver, and fortified milk.
Calcium is certainly important in the prevention of osteoporosis, but vitamin D is equally so. Don’t assume that just because you are getting a lot of calcium, you are safe from weakened bone strength in old age. To prevent the pain and inconvenience of fractures later in your life, start increasing the amount of vitamin D you get today.
– Yvonne S. Thornton, M. D., M. P. H.