How Vitamin D & Calcium Work Together
Many of us know that getting enough calcium is important for our bone health. But vitamin D also plays a key role. Without it, our bodies cannot effectively absorb the calcium needed to maintain our bone strength. This means deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D can lead to conditions like osteoporosis, which causes weak and fragile bones in later life.
In this article, we will explore the vital link between calcium and vitamin D, including how they work together, the recommended daily intake, and how to ensure you’re meeting this recommendation.
How do calcium and vitamin D work together?
Without vitamin D, calcium cannot function properly in your body. That’s because vitamin D is essential for getting calcium in your bloodstream and helps your gut and kidneys absorb calcium.
This means even if you are consuming adequate levels of calcium in the foods you eat but are deficient in vitamin D, you can develop a calcium deficiency as your body is simply unable to use the calcium.
Why is it important to get enough calcium and vitamin D?
Getting enough calcium and vitamin D is important to prevent deficiencies, which can increase the risk of having thin, fragile bones (osteoporosis) in later life.
Although we may think of our bones as fixed, in reality, they are constantly regenerating, slowly releasing minerals, and rebuilding themselves. Calcium plays a key role in this regeneration process, ensuring that strong, healthy bones are formed. A deficiency, whether caused by not getting enough calcium or by a vitamin D deficiency, preventing your body from absorbing and using calcium effectively can result in weaker bone reformation.
Over time, this can lead to osteoporosis, a condition that results in very fragile bones that break easily.
What is the recommended daily amount of vitamin D and calcium?
To ensure that your body can access all the calcium it needs you must aim to get the recommended daily amount (RDA) of both vitamin D and calcium for your age/life stage:
| Age | Calcium mg RDA | Vitamin D IU RDA |
|---|---|---|
| 19-30 years | 1,000 | 600 |
| 31-50 years | 1,000 | 600 |
| 51-70 years male | 1,000 | 600 |
| 51-70 years female | 1,200 | 600 |
| 70+ years | 1,200 | 800 |
| 18 or under and pregnant/lactating | 1,300 | 600 |
| 19-50 and pregnant/lactating | 1,000 | 600 |
Who is most at risk of not getting enough vitamin D and calcium?
Calcium and vitamin D deficiencies are not uncommon. People who consume little dairy or follow a restricted diet, like veganism, may struggle to get all the calcium they need from the food they eat.
When it comes to vitamin D, as the best source comes from exposure to sunlight, in the UK, it is only possible to get enough vitamin D to meet your daily requirement from the beginning of April to the end of September. During the rest of the year, taking a vitamin D supplement is recommended to ensure you are getting adequate amounts.
In addition, certain circumstances can mean people have a higher risk of vitamin D and calcium deficiencies, like:
- Bariatric surgery – this surgery can alter the anatomy of the digestive system and reduce the body’s ability to effectively absorb the nutrients (like calcium and vitamin D) it needs from food.
- Menopause/ lack of menstruation – the hormones involved in menstruation can affect bone health as oestrogen helps the body absorb calcium. In postmenopausal women and women who have stopped menstruating, oestrogen levels drop, so these women may find it harder to maintain their calcium levels.
- Food intolerance – people with a dairy allergy or lactose intolerance may find it hard to get all the calcium they need from foods alone.
- Certain diseases that affect the digestive tract, like Crohn’s disease, can affect calcium and vitamin D absorption. E- lderly people – as we age our bodies naturally start to find it harder to absorb essential nutrients from our food.
How can you check your calcium and vitamin D levels?
It’s easy to check your calcium and vitamin D levels with a simple blood test. A trained Health Assessment Specialist will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm using a small needle. Once the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood is collected into a test tube, which is then sent to a lab for testing.
At Bluecrest Wellness, our vitamin D and calcium blood tests are a quick, easy, and accurate way to gain insights into your blood vitamin D and calcium status. The tests can be added to any of our full-body health assessment packages to give you comprehensive insights into your general health.
How can you increase your calcium and vitamin D levels?
It is possible to meet your recommended daily intake of calcium and vitamin D by ensuring you eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and get regular short bursts of exposure to direct sunlight. However, if you are finding it hard to reach these levels, below are some top tips to help you increase your levels:
Calcium
To boost your calcium levels consider increasing your daily intake of calcium-rich foods like:
- Milk
- Yoghurt
- Cheese
- Fortified fruit juice
- Fortified cereals
- Tofu or other soya bean products
- Sardines and canned salmon
- Beans and lentils
- Leafy greens
- Nuts and seeds
If you find it difficult to eat many of these foods or have an existing condition that affects your body’s ability to absorb calcium, you may benefit from taking a daily calcium supplement.
Vitamin D
The best source of vitamin D is by exposing your skin to direct sunlight. This should only be done for short bursts of around 10 minutes once or twice per day. You can also help boost your levels by eating a range of foods that contain vitamin D, including:
- Eggs
- Red meat
- Oily fish – like salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
- Liver
- Fortified foods - like some breakfast cereals
In the UK, as sunlight is limited from the end of September to the beginning of April, it is recommended that everyone takes a vitamin D supplement to ensure they are getting adequate levels.
Can you take vitamin D and calcium together
You can take calcium and vitamin D together. It is possible to buy over-the-counter combined calcium and vitamin D supplements if you feel you would benefit from supplementation.
You should bear in mind that too much of either nutrient can have negative effects:
- Some instances of kidney stones have been associated with too much calcium from supplements
- Kidney and tissue damage can be caused by very high levels of vitamin D (above 10,000 IUs per day)
Take an active approach to maintaining your bone health
The best way to maintain your bone health is by having regular vitamin D and calcium blood tests. Regularly checking your levels enables you to take a proactive approach to managing the health of your bones, enabling you to take steps to increase your levels with diet or supplementation as and when needed.
At Bluecrest Wellness, we offer private bone profile and vitamin D blood tests to give you vital insights into your current calcium and vitamin D levels.
Both tests can be added to any of our Health MOTs to provide you with more comprehensive insights into your overall health and wellbeing. Our full body health checks include key metrics like your blood pressure and weight as well as your risk of some common medical conditions like high cholesterol or diabetes, to give you a better picture of your general health.
With all our tests, we use the latest technologies to provide accurate results and provide a comprehensive Results Report and free access to a 24/7 GP helpline for a year for complete peace of mind following your health assessment.
With testing locations nationwide, it is easy to find a convenient location near you.
BOOK A PRIVATE HEALTH MOT TODAY
