The power of key vitamins in the maintenance of healthy bones and calcium absorption.
Our bones are continuously changing — new bone is made and old bone is broken down, this is called bone ‘remodelling’. Most people reach their peak bone mass around age 30. After that, bone remodelling continues, but you lose slightly more bone mass then you gain.
Diet, physical activity, and other lifestyle factors can affect our bone mass at different stages of our lives too. We need to educate ourselves on the factors which may help us to slow this deterioration down. Include plenty of calcium in your diet – women aged 51 and older need to increase their calcium levels, due to menopause and hormonal changes that can affect bone matrix. For men, increasing calcium should be adopted from age 71 and older.
Good sources of calcium include dairy products, but also not forgetting other non-dairy sources such as almonds, broccoli, kale, canned salmon with bones, sardines, and soy products, such as tofu. Calcium does not work on its own, your body needs vitamin D to absorb it, vitamin D supports the maintenance of normal bones, muscle function and the immune system.
It can be difficult to get enough vitamin D and vitamin K through our diet. Consider a new supplement in the ever growing One Nutrition Irish range of food supplements. One Nutrition D3+K2 contains vegetarian vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and vitamin K2 (MK-7 K2VITALR) in a highly absorbable spray form designed to support bone health. This handy spray with a natural orange flavour absorbs straight under the tongue into the bloodstream. Six sprays delivers 3000IU vitamin D and 100μg of K2 and allows for dose modulation. One 30ml bottle provides 1 month’s supply, which makes it great for travelling. Find it in your local health food store or pharmacy.