For anyone who has been shopping around for the best calcium supplements, you will know that there are an awful lot of brands, an awful lot of variations. Calcium, calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium with magnesium, calcium with folic acid – the list goes on.
One of the biggest additives to these products is vitamin D, take a walk around any health food shop, and these will be the main ingredient by far. So, if you’re choosing what type of supplements to take, what are the calcium supplements with vitamin D benefits?
First of all, calcium and vitamin D are pals. They get on very well in the body, and with a lot of things, one won’t work without the other.
First of all, the body finds calcium difficult to absorb without the help of vitamin D. Magnesium also helps, so if you are choosing a supplement, get one with vitamin D or magnesium in.
Secondly, the partnership between calcium and vitamin D helps build strong bones. This reduces the risk of osteoporosis, rickets and other bone weakening conditions.
With a deficiency of vitamin D, the body cannot form enough of calcitrol, the hormone which also known as ‘active vitamin D’. This hormone regulates levels of calcium in the body and bone growth. Calcitriol facilitates the absorption of calcium from the intestines. It also decreases the rate at which calcium is excreted in urine, thus helping raise calcium levels in the body.
This means that the body has to get calcium from somewhere, and the skeleton is the obvious place. Calcium is taken from the bones in order to make more cells, and this weakens the bones.
Vitamin D and calcium also work to develop muscles, with vitamin D helping to build muscle strength and balance which in turn avoids bones fracturing and breaking.
A combined supplement like calcium and vitamin D is especially recommended for older people.