Your bones are active tissue that undergo constant remodeling by breaking down and building bone tissue. Your bones contain specialized cells called osteoblasts and osteoclasts that deposit and remove calcium from the bone or collagen matrix. Certain vitamins participate in maintaining your bone health and can help prevent osteoporosis when taken correctly.
Calcium Absorption
Vitamin D aids in increasing calcium absorption from your intestines and reabsorption from your kidneys. Your body can make vitamin D from sun exposure to unprotected skin. Recommended intake for vitamin D is 400 IUs per day, with some recommendations up to 1,000 IUs per day for cancer prevention. Carmia Boreck, Ph.D., research professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, states taking more than 800 IUs of vitamin D per day could increase your risk of developing kidney stones.
Bone Remodeling
Vitamin K increases the activity of osteoclacin, which is a protein involved in bone remodeling or breakdown and rebuilding. Phylloquinone, or vitamin K1 from vegetables, is converted into menaquinone, or vitamin K2, by the good bacteria in your intestines. Vitamin K2 increases osteoclacin protein to promote more calcium being deposited into your bones. Vitamin K2 deficiencies have been linked with higher hip fracture rates, especially for persons taking blood thinners, such as Warfarin and Coumadin, according to Boreck. Maximum daily limit of vitamin K is 90 mcg per day for adults over the age of 19, as stated by the Office of Dietary Supplements. This amount is considered safe for most adults.
Collagen Formation
Collagen provides the matrix for calcium to anchor to in order to grow strong and dense bones. Vitamin C builds the collagen for the bone matrix and structure. According to Baylor College of Medicine, higher intakes of vitamin C could mean denser bones and fewer fractures. The cells of your bones are stimulated by vitamin C to form new bone. Vitamin C also has the ability to stop your bones from breaking down and releasing calcium into your bloodstream.
Bone Building
Osteoblasts are the bone-forming cells that require calcium and attach it to the collage matrix. Vitamin A in the form of retinol is involved in bone turnover. According to author Sara Gropper in "Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism," it is unclear how vitamin A participates in bone maintenance, but deficiencies of vitamin A result in excessive calcium buildup in the bones. Part of bone maintenance is the proper balance of bone formation and breakdown to keep a healthy level of calcium inside the bone. When too much vitamin A is present, your bones can become brittle because your osteoclasts break the bone down faster than it can be built. The Office of Dietary Supplements states that daily values for vitamin A is 5,000 IUs.
Trabecular Bone
Vitamin E may play a role in increasing bone density and preventing osteoporosis. Vitamin E increases the spongy-looking bone called trabecular bone, prevents bone calcium loss by neutralizing antioxidants and decreases bone loss of calcium in rats without ovaries, according to researchers M. Norazlina and colleagues in their research on nicotine-treated rats. More research is needed to evaluate vitamin E's role in preventing bone calcium loss in humans.
References
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Nutrient Recommendations - Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI)
- Carmia Boreck: Bone Up On Osteoporosis
- "Effects of Vitamin E Supplementation on Bone Metabolism in Nicotine-Treated Rats"; M. Norazlina, P. Lee, H. Lukman, A. Nazrum, S. Ima-Nirwana; 2007
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