Many of us were taught growing up that calcium is the building block to healthy bones — drinking milk and eating dairy products will make us healthy and strong. This adage is undisputedly true, but what we didn’t know was that vitamin D is required for calcium to do its job.

If calcium is the building block to healthy bones, vitamin D is considered the cement. Without an adequate supply, calcium can not be utilized by our bodies to build strong bones and perform other vital physiological functions. Calcium is absorbed through the small intestine, and this process is not possible without ample amounts of vitamin D. The two work in unison to build a healthy body.

“Vitamin D’s role in keeping our bodies functioning properly has been underappreciated,” says Dr. Jan Cook, Medical Director of Medical Innovation and Leadership for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. “It plays an extremely important role in the body’s absorption of calcium and is vital to a person’s development, growth, and maintenance of a healthy body.”

A Powerhouse

Scientists are learning more every day about the important link between calcium and vitamin D. Researchers have discovered that vitamin D actually regulates the amount of calcium in our bodies. Vitamin D increases the rate at which calcium is reabsorbed from the food in the gastro-intestinal tract. Without adequate levels of vitamin D, a large percentage of dietary calcium is never absorbed by the intestine and instead is lost as waste products. Sounds scientific, but it is a very important fact to know!

Calcium is the most common mineral in the body and one of the most important for proper functioning. Although 99 percent of calcium is found in bones and teeth, it’s that 1 percent that’s the powerhouse of the body. Without calcium, muscles would not contract, nerve cells would not communicate with each other, the heart would not beat effectively. Blood clots because of calcium, and hormones, such as insulin — which regulates sugar in the blood — are secreted with calcium’s help.

So important are these functions to survival that, when levels of calcium fall below the required level, the body robs the vital mineral from the bones — the storehouse of calcium. So you can see why maintaining a good level of calcium and vitamin D is critical.

Calcium for life

It is clear then that too little calcium can result in bone loss, particularly in postmenopausal women. The National Institutes of Health has determined that women may lose as much as 5 percent of their bone mass every year after menopause. Men are not exempt. According to the website www.aboutcalcium.com, men are also vulnerable to bone loss and need to consume adequate calcium through their older years as a preventive measure, and in their younger years to achieve peak bone mass.

Children often don’t get enough calcium, which is essential to build their growing bones. A lack of calcium in childhood can also have a lasting health impact. In recognition of this fact, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has taken an active role in targeting youth for the prevention of adult bone loss. This action stems from research findings that suggest the most important period for adequate calcium and vitamin D absorption is during teenage years. Studies have shown that peak bone mass is reached around the age of 20. After adolescence, as the body ages, bones gradually deteriorate.

Your body needs more calcium as you age. The federal government’s recommended daily requirement for infants is 210 milligrams (mg), whereas adults 19 to 50 years should get a minimum of 1,000 mg per day. Over 50, you need at least 1,200 mg per day. Calcium intake above the recommended daily requirement is usually not a problem. However, over a long period of time, people ingesting large amounts of calcium (above 2,500 mg per day) can get kidney stones.

The good news is that it’s easy to get calcium. It’s found naturally in dairy products, leafy green vegetables and certain seafood, and is added to foods, such as cereals and orange juice. Supplements can help when diets are lacking.