Calcium & Vitamin D Deficiency & World Osteoporosis Day

Did you know that October 20 is World Osteoporosis Day?

Did you know that poor vitamin & mineral absorption from conditions like celiac disease can lead to osteoporosis and lots of other preventable health conditions?

Did you know that calcium and vitamin D are important for good bone health, and to prevent osteoporosis?

In fact, calcium also contributes to normal heart rhythms, muscle function, and blood pressure. Without adequate amounts of vitamin D, however, the intestine absorbs only 10-15% of dietary calcium.

Vitamin D deficiency itself can lead to bone problems, muscle weakness, poor immune function and contributes to a higher risk of diseases like colon cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, pulmonary disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and even chronic pain, depression and daytime sleepiness.

(To learn more, listen to the free podcast of my radio interview with Dr. Christine Doherty)

So how do you get enough calcium and vitamin D3 to prevent these serious health problems?

Aside from measured does of exposure to the sun without sunscreen (the best way to get active vitamin D) and proper nutrition (leafy greens, wild salmon, tuna, okra, milk, free-range eggs and certain mushrooms) supplements are often necessary to reach optimum levels of vitamin D and calcium.

What are the ideal daily amounts of calcium and vitamin D? The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has issued these recommendations:

If you suspect that you are calcium or vitamin D deficient, raise your concerns with your doctor and ask to be tested (I am not a physician, and information in this article should not take the place of your doctor's medical opinion.)

Supplements are a good idea for many of us, and one that I personally love (I wrote about it for Prevention.com) is Adora® Calcium Supplements.*

Gluten-free, corn syrup-free and trans-fat-free, Adora® supplements are actually delicious 30 calorie chocolates (dark or milk) which contain up to 50% of the recommended daily intake of calcium and vitamin D3 and magnesium for optimal absorption (500 mg of calcium, 250 IU of vitamin D3, 40 mg magnesium).

Adora wants to give one of my lucky readers a chance to try their Chocolate calcium supplements, too. OUR CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. Congrats to Vunda, our winner!

Thanks for spreading the health!

*Adora supplied me with samples of their calcium supplements; I have not been compensated in any other way, and my opinions, as always, are my own.