Bone Health and Calcium Articles
Take an active role in your bone health. Tap into a hub of information on calcium and other bone-essential nutrients, plus guidance on how to help reduce the risk of osteoporosis at any age, and much more.
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New research shows calcium supplements are safe in helping you to meet your nutritional needs when you aren't getting what you need via diet.
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Think you know everything there is about your bones and joints? Take our quiz to show off and determine how bone savvy you really are.
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You probably know that calcium is important to your bone health. But did you know that vitamin D plays a crucial role, too? In fact, not getting enough vitamin D may reduce the calcium absorbed from food alone.
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Not all calcium forms are the same. Calcium supplements are generally made from two sources of elemental calcium.
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Find out how much calcium your body needs based on your age, gender, and other factors. Then calculate whether you’re getting enough from diet alone.
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Bone Health and Osteoporosis:
A Report of the Surgeon General (PDF 1.5MB) -
What is Vitamin D?
As nutrients go, Vitamin D is in a class by itself. That's because vitamin D is actually a hormone that the body produces in response to direct exposure of skin to direct Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from the sun. Vitamin D is classified as a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that vitamin D you make and what you consume from foods and dietary supplements is stored in fat tissue for later use.
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Vitamin D deficiency is far more common in the U.S. than many people realize.
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Vitamin D helps maximize your body’s ability to absorb calcium you take in from foods and supplements. It also regulates calcium’s movement into, and out of, your bones in order to maintain calcium levels throughout the body. Without enough vitamin D circulating in your bloodstream, absorption of adequate calcium is difficult.