Relationship Between Calcium and Vitamin D3
Calcium cannot be absorbed completely without the presence of Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 enables the formation of calcitriol, a hormone that manages the levels of calcium in the body and bone enhancement.
Calcitriol eases the absorption of calcium from the intestines. It also reduces the rate at which calcium is excreted in urine, thus helping raise calcium levels in the body.
So now you know the reason why each and every calcium supplement has an added fat-soluble vitamin in it which is nothing but Vitamin D3.
Yes, your body needs vitamin D3 to absorb calcium effectively, so it should be taken together. To get the utmost benefit, it is recommended to take a natural supplement which is recognized as food by your body and hence absorbed much better.
It’s best to get your daily dosage of vitamin D3 from sunlight and your calcium from calcium-rich foods. If you’re worried that you’re not getting enough calcium from your diet, then taking calcium-vitamin D3 supplements is the best and easy way out.
Why Calcium & Vitamin D3 Should Be Consumed Together?
Calcium is a mineral that is found naturally in a few foods. Calcium is important for many normal functions of your body, especially bone formation and maintenance.
Vitamin D3 is important for the absorption of calcium and for the functioning of calcium in the body, which simply means that even if you have enough calcium through your diet or supplements but having a deficiency of Vitamin D3, this available calcium will not be absorbed by the body. This may result in
- Knee Pain
- Calf Pain
- Body weakness
- Tiredness throughout the day
- Breathing problems as the pumping of the heart are also affected.
What Precautions You Should Take While Consuming Calcium-Vitamin D3?
Calcium-Vitamin D3, being a very common supplement may be consumed at any random time along with any food. Due to this, you may experience no improvement in your serum calcium and d3 levels. You may happen to blame the supplement company for not serving good quality supplements. But, the fact is not the quality of supplement but consuming the supplement in the wrong way. Below are a few points which you should always keep in mind while consuming your Calcium-Vitamin D3 Supplement.- Do not take the tablet with milk, tea, coffee or any other beverage as it will hinder the calcium absorption.
- Whenever you plan to consume your calcium supplement you should avoid any food or supplement which is rich in iron as it hinders the iron absorption and makes you deficient in the same.
- It should ideally be not consumed at the same time you take your allopathy medicine as it may change the way your body absorbs medicines and antibiotics such as tetracycline.
- Always take the calcium supplements as per the timings that are given in your prescription or on the bottle label.
What Are The Food Sources Of Both Calcium And Vitamin D3?
Food Sources Of Calcium
Your body requires calcium and Vitamin D3 in a required amount. But are you getting enough? How can you be sure of it?
Best Sources of Calcium
The best way to get more amount of calcium are dairy products which are nothing but milk and milk products– such as milk, cheese, and yogurt — which are the richest sources of calcium.Rich Sources of Calcium
- Spinach- 1 cup of raw spinach, 29 milligrams of calcium
- Kale – It contains 90 mg of calcium per cup
- Collards – 1 cup of cooked collards contains 266mg of calcium
Moderately High Sources of Calcium
- Soybeans
- White beans
- Okra
- Some fishes, like sardines, salmon, perch, and rainbow trout
- Foods that are calcium-fortified, such as some orange juice, oatmeal, and breakfast cereal.
Foods That Supply Vitamin D3 Include
- Fatty fish, such as tuna, mackerel, and salmon
- Foods fortified with vitamin D3, like some dairy products, orange juice, soy milk, and cereals
- Beef Liver
- Egg yolks
- Cheese
- To obtain vitamin D3 from foods, fish is a good option. Three ounces of cooked salmon has more than 500 international units (IU).
Can’t find out If the D3 is actually consumed whilst helping calcium absorption, or does it still count towards the RDA for vitamin D3…..if it is depleted with calcium absorption, should extra D3 be taken ? Thanks
Hello Steve,It is as simple that one should take Vitamin D3 as per recommended dietary allowance only – When there is a D3 deficiency calcium absorption is hampered. But as such Vitamin D3 is not much depleted on daily bass for caclium absorption . But yes whenever we are taking vtamin D3 ina supplement form we should consider taken ore then RDA for simple reason its absoprtion is slow.