Bone Health

Bones. When we think of them we usually picture a skeleton like we see on Halloween. But bones are an organ. That is to say, they are a distinct collection of certain types of cells and tissues that perform specific functions in the body. The skeleton is responsible for many things, including

• Providing a frame for the body
• Movement
• Protection for internal organs
• Calcium and phosphorus storage

HOW DO I KEEP MY BONES HEALTHY?

The first and best thing to do is talk to your doctor. Your doctor knows what harms your bones and what helps your bones and how to balance bone health with other medical conditions. One way to keep your bones healthy is make sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D in your body.

CALCIUM:

When bones are strong, part of their strength comes from calcification, which is when calcium enters the bone tissues to make them hard and durable. But bones also give away their calcium when the levels are low in the blood. If bones give out more calcium than they take in, bone density will begin to drop, leading to osteopenia (like pre-osteoporosis) or osteoporosis.

They key is to put in enough calcium to stay ahead of how much the bones are giving away.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance for calcium in adults is

• Males and Females between 19 to 50 years: 1000 mg daily*
• Males 51 to 70 years: 1000 mg daily*
• Females 51 to 70 years: 1200 mg daily*
• Males and Females over 71 years: 1200 mg daily*

*It is important to note that adults can only absorb up to 500 mg of calcium at a time, so doses should be divided up over the day. If you take too much calcium at one time, most of it will end up in your kidneys which can cause damage to them over time.

VITAMIN D:

Our bodies need vitamin D to absorb calcium. We can get vitamin D from the sun, but most of us don't thanks to sunscreen, big hats, and winter! Taking vitamin D daily ensures that you are getting enough in every season. If you have not had it checked, ask your doctor about your vitamin D levels. A simple blood test can determine if you have enough vitamin D in your body or if you need more.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin D is

• Newborn to 12 months: 400 IU daily
• Everyone from 1 - 70 years: 600 IU daily
• Everyone over 70 years: 800 IU daily

Tolerable Upper Intake Levels of vitamin D are:

• Everyone over 9 years: 4000 IU daily, although healthcare providers can prescribe much higher doses to correct vitamin D deficiency. Do not take higher doses of vitamin D unless instructed to by your healthcare provider.

Vitamin D does not need to be taken several times a day, because it stores itself in our fat tissues. So if you had to stop taking your vitamin D for a while, you would just use what you have in storage.