Calcium and Vitamin D

Most people, when asked, KNOW that calcium is used for bones, hair, and teeth. Osteoporosis is a condition of bone thinning, attributed to lack of calcium in the diet, generally onsets with age.

However, the primary function of calcium in the body is not for bones. Our muscles use calcium to trigger their contractions, and the most important muscle in the body is the heart. Because calcium is critical to keep the heart pumping, the body uses calcium in a prioritized fashion, heart first, everything else last. In fact, it is because of this muscle function that the body will strip calcium from the skeletal system, meaning that osteoporosis is indeed a symptom of low calcium in the diet, but it is not the primary reason we need calcium.

The NY Times Health and Fitness section recently published a blog post about Vitamin D and Calcium, and how they interact with each other. Its worth a read! Pay special attention to the portions where they discuss the recent updates to the governmental recommendations for daily intake, and how it is nearly impossible for someone to consume enough of these nutrients in their diet. Supplementing the vitamins and minerals that our body uses for its critical functions is the only way to ensure you are getting the right mix.

In 1936, a study was presented to the US Senate about the mineral content of US farming soils, and it showed that almost every mineral critical to human nutrition is DEFICIENT and DEPELETED in our soil. If that was true 70 years ago, what could have possibly happened since then to make our farms produce the correct amount of mineral content in our vegetables and fruits?

The only mineral that is typically re-introduced to our soils is Phosphorus, because it is one of the primary ingredients in most fertilizers. So our bodies get enough phosphorus, but not nearly enough manganese, iron, zinc, and others. These minerals are required throughout our bodies for vital functions and systemic support.

Please make sure you are giving your body the correct building blocks for a healthy life, and eating a salad once a week just isn't going to cut it. Yes, I'm talking to you.

Give your body a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement daily, and make sure it's one that uses a mineral form that is highly bioavailable, not the completely synthetic form found in Centrum or One-A-Day, which have been proven to have as low as a 5% absorption rate. Unless you want to take 15 One-A-Day tablets each day... perhaps it should be called 15-A-Day?