Vitamin D & Bone Health

As you age, your bones can become more brittle, which may lead to a condition known as osteoporosis. Brittle bones can set you up for fracture and a decreased quality of life. Adequate intake of vitamins and minerals such as calcium and vitamin D can help slow or even reverse bone loss.

Bone Growth and Maintenance

Your bones are grown and maintained by two cellular mechanisms, osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Osteoblasts build up bone while osteoclasts absorb bone minerals. These two cells generally work together, reforming bone on an as-needed basis. However, your peak bone mass occurs around the age of 35. After that, the activity of the osteoclasts exceeds the osteoblasts, and your bones begin to lose density.

Vitamin D and Osteoblasts

Vitamin D promotes bone growth by influencing osteoblast cells. It does this by stimulating the production of osteocalcin and osteopentin. These two proteins are essential for bone reformation as well as stimulating osteoblastic cells. Maintaining an increase in obsteoblast activity can help prevent bone loss due to aging.

Vitamin D and Calcium

Calcium is a necessary mineral for bone growth and formation. The calcium in your diet needs to be accompanied by vitamin D. Vitamin D aids your body in absorption of calcium from your digestive tract. It also works to maintain a balance of calcium levels in your body. Even if you get enough calcium in your diet, without adequate vitamin D, your bones may be compromised.

Sources of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a very unique vitamin. As soon as your body absorbs it, your liver converts it to an activated and usable form. What's more interesting is that your body is able to absorb vitamin D through sunlight. Just 30 minutes in the sun each week can give you enough vitamin D. If you prefer, vitamin D can be found in foods such as fish, cheese and eggs. Vitamin D can also be taken as a supplement; however, you should always check with your doctor before taking any supplements. The current recommendations for vitamin D intake are 600 international units (I.U.) per day for adults under 71 and 800 I.U. per day for those older than 71, according to the Institute of Medicine.