With the number of vitamin and mineral supplements available, it can be confusing to figure out what to take and how much. Additionally, supplements have various combinations and trying to determine what you need and what is safe is hard. Calcium is an important nutrient you must get from your diet or supplements, as your body cannot make it. Calcium is essential for strong bones and also plays a role in blood clotting, nerve impulses and controlling heartbeat. Calcium supplements may be taken individually or in combination with vitamin D.
Availability
Your body needs vitamin D to properly use calcium. The recommended dietary allowance of calcium for adults is 1,000 to 1,300 mg each day. Because vitamin D is necessary for calcium use, many supplements provide both nutrients. You may take calcium and vitamin D together in a supplement, but it is not a requirement. You may consider taking supplements separately, or if your diet contains plenty of vitamin D and you get enough sunlight, you may not need to take the two together.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a type of fat-soluble vitamin that the body can store; the body also creates vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunshine. Vitamin D must be changed to an active form once it enters the body. The kidneys take extra vitamin D and convert it into calcitriol, which is responsible for gene regulation and normalizing calcium levels to prevent bone loss. Without enough vitamin D, the body cannot use calcium and it takes it from the bones, causing them to become more porous and potentially leading to osteoporosis. The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin D each day is 600 IU for children and adults up to the age of 70. Vitamin D supplements alone typically provide approximately 400 IU of the vitamin, although it is commonly combined with calcium. You can get vitamin D from sunlight as well as through your diet, which may eliminate the need for taking it alongside calcium supplements. Common foods that contain vitamin D include salmon, egg yolks, sardines, fortified soy milk and fortified cereals.
Urinary Stones
Although many supplements offer calcium and vitamin D to be absorbed together, taking these types of supplements long-term could cause problems for the urinary tract. In a study published in the July 2011 issue of "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," researchers found that women who used a supplement of calcium and vitamin D together for seven years had a 17 percent increased risk of developing urinary tract stones. This study suggests that negative events are still being identified from the long-term use of some types of supplements. If you must take calcium supplements, check with your doctor about which types to use and whether they should include vitamin D.
Hip Fractures
Vitamin D and calcium, together in a supplement can also reduce the risk of fractures in general. A study published in the "British Medical Journal" in January 2011 confirms that calcium and vitamin D, when taken together in supplement form, can better reduce the risk of fractures associated with osteoporosis than by taking vitamin D supplements alone. Additionally, low doses of vitamin D, when combined with calcium, reduced the incidence of hip fractures, specifically. The actual dose of each type of nutrient within the supplement may vary, so read labels carefully before purchasing if you want to take a supplement to reduce your chances of fracture.
References
- NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center: Calcium Supplements: What to Look For
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Urinary Tract Stone Occurrence in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Randomized Clinical Trial of Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements; Robert B. Wallace, et al.; July 2011
- "British Medical Journal"; Reducing the Risk of Fractures with Calcium and Vitamin D; Opinder Sahota; January 2010
- Linus Pauling Institute; Vitamin D; Jane Higdon; March 2004
Member Comments