What role do calcium and vitamin D play in osteoporosis prevention?
Calcium and vitamin D help maintain the bone density that you have, and there are some studies that show that full calcium and vitamin D supplementation can even cause a small increase in bone density. Certainly, if you do not have enough calcium and vitamin D, then you are assured of bone loss. Q: How common are calcium and vitamin D deficiencies? Actually, it’s quite prevalent. The average American male or female only gets about 700 mg of calcium in their diet. Depending on your age, an appropriate calcium intake falls between 1000 and 1300 mg a day, so calcium deficiency is quite common. Vitamin D deficiency in young people is less common because we only need about fifteen minutes of sun exposure for the active form of vitamin D to get into our circulation. When we’re older, beyond fifty-five years of age, that’s when vitamin D deficiency becomes more of a problem. Q: With all the calcium-fortified foods on the market, why aren’t people getting enough calcium in their diet? I think
