You can model a milk mustache till the cows come home, but if you're not getting enough vitamin D or magnesium, your efforts to consume enough dietary calcium may not pay off. These two nutrients aid in calcium absorption, whether the source is dietary calcium or calcium obtained from nutritional supplements.
Calcium
There's a lot of calcium in your body. More than any other mineral, in fact. The vast majority of calcium is found in your bones and teeth, with a tiny but crucial 1 percent circulating throughout your body to assist in muscle, nerve and heart function. Dietary sources of calcium are readily available -- dairy products are still the best source -- but even many foods that don't naturally contain calcium are fortified with this essential nutrient. Even so, the University of Maryland Medical Center states that a large number of Americans get less than half the daily recommended amount of calcium. Calcium supplements are a way of making up for the nutritional shortfall.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is crucial for absorbing calcium through your intestines, reabsorbing it through your kidneys before urinary excretion and transferring calcium from your bones to your bloodstream when serum calcium levels fall too low. The latter is the least desirable way of increasing serum calcium levels, because it depletes your skeletal system and may weaken bones. Getting enough calcium and vitamin D through dietary sources, or in the case of vitamin D, exposure to sunlight, is essential for preventing bone loss.
Magnesium
If you don't get enough magnesium, your body may not be able to adequately use the calcium. Nan Kathryn Fuchs, Ph.D., author of "The Nutrition Detective," explains that primitive diets were magnesium-rich and calcium-poor. This was due to the ready availability of nuts and seeds rich in magnesium, and the relative rarity of calcium-rich foods such as dairy products. Modern diets are often lacking in whole grains and, as a result, contain less magnesium. This nutrient is necessary for calcium absorption. If you are deficient in magnesium, calcium deposits may accumulate in your soft tissues, contributing to arthritis. Magnesium helps move calcium from the soft tissues and into your bones.
Recommendations
By obtaining the recommended daily amounts of calcium, vitamin D and magnesium, you can decrease your risk of bone loss due to inadequate calcium absorption. For most adults, the recommended daily amount of calcium is 1,000 mg. Past the age of 50, women should consume 1,200 mg daily, and past the age of 70 men should consume that same amount. The recommended dietary allowance for magnesium for women between 19 and 30 years of age is 310 mg per day, and for men is 400 mg per day. Past the age of 30 men should consume 420 mg of magnesium daily, and women should consume 320 mg. The recommended daily amount of vitamin D for those between the age of 19 and 70 is 600 IU.
References
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Calcium
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Magnesium
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin D
- Magnesium Online Library; Magnesium: A Key to Calcium Absorption; Nan Kathryn Fuchs; November 2002
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University; Vitamin D; Jane Higdon; March 2004
- Linus Pauling Institute; Calcium; Jane Higdon, et al.; August 2009
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