This blog will give you an overview of importance of Calcium, Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 supplements in maintaining bone health. I think it is the most undervalued topic in everyone’s life. Whether it is obesity or a skinny person, most of the people repeatedly worry about their weight. Many think that they will look much better after losing or gaining weight. But in this process, they often forget to take care of the bone health. The tendency of getting bone diseases is more in females as compared to males.
In my last blog, “Healthy diet plan for weight loss and fat loss”, I explained the difference between “weight loss” and “fat loss”. I also said that you would never want to lose the weight of your precious muscles, bones, organs etc. instead it is the extra fat in your body which you want to get rid of. So, the correct term is “fat loss”. You should never aim for weight gain or weight loss instead look for gaining muscles and losing unnecessary fat. Females get scared when it comes to muscle gain because they think that they will look bulky like a man. But it is not so!
Bone disease and Fractures
Muscle has a tone and occupies less space. It is functional and metabolically active but if someone is high in fat mass then that person carries unnecessary load on his or her body. This further leads to degradation of joints and undue pressure on skeletal muscles to carry useless extra load.
Imagine that everyday you tend to carry heavy weighted bag on your back. How would you feel? Obviously not good. Same thing happens in case of unnecessary fat. It puts undue pressure on your bones and joints in order to maintain a particular posture. Wear and tear of your skeletal system start taking place. You tend to get stress fractures in your bones which are tiny cracks within your bones. Such fractures generally heal on their own.
Have you ever thought why is arthritis common in people nowadays? It has many reasons like sedentary lifestyle, bad nutrition, poor body composition and nevertheless, lack of knowledge. The way people are concerned about their weight, they forget to consider the health of their bones and joints. Not eating food to lose weight or eating poor quality food to increase weight will surely be a threat to your bone’s health.
Importance of Vitamins and Minerals in Bone Health
Many advertisements show a message that you should start taking care of your bones after 30 years of age but such definition of keeping your bones healthy does not exist. Being fit and healthy must be practised since childhood and yes, knowledge of parents does play an important role in it. Do your research and find what all things your bones contain?
Today I will focus on the importance of some of the vitamins and minerals responsible for strong and healthy bones. Your bones store minerals like calcium and phosphorus. They even contain fats and proteins. It may surprise you that a bone is the storehouse of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Unfortunately, people are less aware about vitamins and minerals which are essential to keep bones free from diseases. It is just like people tell you that soyabean contains good amount of protein and that you should have it. But in actuality, soybean cannot give you protein and in actuality, it inhibits the absorption of protein in your body. I have already explained soybean in my blog, “Soybean- Benefits & Drawbacks”.
Calcium Carbonate vs Calcium Citrate Malate
Most of the doctors recommend calcium if you lack in it. Bone holds 99% of calcium hence making calcium an integral part of the bone health. But you must know that most of the brands have less bioavailability. It means if you are consuming 100 mg of calcium, may be 30 gm of it gets consumed by the body, rest all goes in waste. This gives “No Result”. We all need to focus on increasing the bone density. This you can do by increasing the deposition of minerals and required raw material into the bone.
Start making a habit of reading salts mentioned on the strips of the medicine or supplements. You may be consuming calcium carbonate which is a form of calcium. Calcium carbonate is less bio available which means the absorption rate of calcium is too poor. Very less amount of calcium reaches your bones and the problem remains the same. So it is always better to consume a salt which with high bioavailability such as Calcium Citrate Malate also known CCM. The recommended dosage of elemental calcium is 1000 mg or 1 gram per day.
Elemental Calcium
Elemental calcium helps in determining how much calcium is there in one serving. There is extremely less amount of elemental calcium present in calcium carbonate salt as compared to calcium citrate malate. You can also say that Elemental calcium is the amount of calcium that is actually used by the body. I will advise you to look for the amount of elemental calcium in each tablet in a supplement.
Vitamin D3 and Calcium
Upon consuming CCM, how will you make it sure that it is definitely going to reach your bones? Well, the answer is Vitamin D3. Yes, Vitamin D3 is critical for calcium absorption. The best form available is Cholecalciferol. If Vitamin D3 levels are low in your body, calcium absorption will not take place. Its dosage plays a very important role and you can consume 10,000 IU of Vitamin D3 per day.
Vitamin K2 and Calcium
Now, Calcium gets absorbed by small intestine and is thrown into the blood with the help of Vitamin D3. But now, which vitamin takes the responsibility that the absorbed calcium will definitely enter the bones? It is Vitamin K2. There are different forms of Vitamin K2 but you should consume MK7 that is Menaquinone 7. If you are vitamin K2 deficient, chances are higher that the absorbed calcium may get deposited within your arteries giving rise to kidney or gall bladder stones. The recommended dosages for Vitamin K2 is 400 micrograms per day.
There is one more mineral having an important role in making your bones strong. Magnesium is the one which helps in maintaining the bone density. It also acts as a muscle relaxant and that’s why suggested during bed time.
If you want to enhance your knowledge and guide others, become a Sports Nutritionist. Join Fitness Cravers Academy in Delhi and learn more than needed.
