What’s required for our body to absorb Calcium? And what’s the link with Vitamin D?

Getting enough calcium in the diet is important for healthy bones and teeth, as well as helping regulate blood pressure, nerve function and muscle contraction. Too little calcium in the diet can lead to osteoporosis in later life, a chronic disease leading to weakening of the bones, resulting in bone fracture. Worldwide it is estimated that 1 in 3 women aged over 50 will experience osteoporotic fractures, while 1 in 5 men will be affected.

Adults need an estimated 700mg of calcium per day to help maintain the skeleton. This translates to one glass of milk (250mg), two sardines (91mg) and 100g of calcium set tofu (350mg) per day. The most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which looks at dietary intakes of the UK population, showed that most adults were hitting the 700mg nutrient target. If you have coeliac disease, osteoporosis, are breastfeeding, or post-menopause you may need up to 1000mg or 1500mg. The British Dietetic Association have a useful tool for assessing how much calcium you get in your diet as well as tips and tricks to improve dietary intakes.

Dairy products are the most common food sources for dietary calcium requirements. The bioavailability in milk is 30-35%, which appears to be low. Relatively speaking, that is much higher in comparison to spinach, where only around 5% of calcium can be absorbed. This is due to some plants like spinach containing inhibitory substances such as oxalates and phytates, which compete with uptake, meaning you would need to consume eight times the amount of spinach compared to milk to achieve that same uptake of calcium.

Fish like sardines, pilchard, white bait are highest on the list with up to 400mg of calcium per 100g of fish, if you eat the bones, providing a higher content than milk. For people with lactose intolerance or dietary restrictions there are other good sources of calcium, for example green leafy vegetables (e.g kale, spring green, parsley), almonds, sesame seeds, and soya protein (firm tofu). It is always advised to have a wide variety of sources for our dietary intake. Further sources of this vital mineral can be found at the National Osteoporosis Society.

Dietary sources of calcium

It is also important to point out that Vitamin D is required for the absorption of calcium, as well as aiding maintenance of bone health. See our recent blog on Vitamin D and the new government regulations due to latest research.

Combining dietary intakes of calcium with weight bearing exercise can also improve bone density, helping keep osteoporosis at bay. Weight bearing exercises include walking, running, boxing and high impact aerobics, and all help prevent bone loss by stimulating bone-strengthening processes.

If you are concerned about not achieving the right intake, speak to your GP or local pharmacist about supplementation.

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New proposed vitamin D requirements were introduced in the UK in 2016. How does this affect you?

Until 2016 there were no UK recommendations for vitamin D as it was assumed individuals will make enough from skin exposure to the sun during summer.
Vitamin D3 in particular is essential for bone health, with low levels linked to osteomalacia, the adult form of rickets where bones become soft and painful. This vitamin has also shown beneficial roles in other health outcomes, including reducing the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune diseases. It is estimated that 1 in 5 adults in the UK could be at risk of low vitamin D status.

In the UK we can only make vitamin D from skin exposure to sunlight between April and September, i.e. spring and summer months. Exposing our hands and face to sunlight for 15-20 minutes a day should be adequate. However, sunscreen with an SPF of 15 is estimated to block up to 93% to UVB rays, preventing the synthesis of this precious vitamin in the skin. During winter months in the UK, the sun doesn’t have enough UVB radiation for us to make vitamin D. Therefore, our body uses stores of this vitamin over the winter, which may need topping up.

The main source of vitamin D is skin exposure to sunlight

But what are the new vitamin D recommendations?

Since 2016 the proposed vitamin D intakes for UK individuals aged 4 years and over is set at 10 micrograms (mcg) per day. We should still get most of this vitamin from sunlight on our skin, but there are a small number of foods which are a good source. These include:

Oily fish e.g. salmon, mackerel and sardines (5-10mcg/100g)

Egg yolks (5mcg/100g)

And fortified foods like:

Fortified fat spreads e.g. margarine (5-10mcg/100g)

Fortified breakfast cereals (2.8-5mcg/100g)

Milk alternatives and powdered milks (0.75-1.5mcg/100ml)

As you can see, it is difficult to achieve the recommended intake from natural dietary sources alone, especially if you have dietary requirements e.g. vegetarian or vegan, so supplementation can be a useful way to reach this target. It is advised not to take more than 25mcg a day. There is no risk of your body making too much vitamin D from sun exposure, but always cover up or protect your skin before you start turning red or burn!

Speak to your GP or pharmacist if you are unsure of what supplement to take.

For more information about vitamin D visit The British Dietetic Association

For more information on how to stay safe in the sun visit Cancer Research UK. See also our blog on skin cancer awareness.

Since publishing this article the UK government has released it’s new advice on Vitamin D, and BBC news writes Vitamin D supplements ‘advised for everyone’.

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You may have read our previous blog warning about the dangers of skin cancer during yoga holidays in Europe, (if not it’s here) and while covering up is a must in the sun, we should also be mindful of the amount, or lack of, vitamin D we get.

Why is Vitamin D important?

Our body creates vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunshine, without it we can become ill. Vitamin D deficiency is a major problem, especially in the UK where sun exposure is rather limited to around two months of the year. In the past, vitamin D deficiency was linked with rickets, but recently it’s become evident that a number of other conditions can manifest including muscle weakness and osteoporosis.  Pregnant women are at risk of their babies being born with serious health conditions if they are vitamin D deficient.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include tiredness and a general feeling of being unwell, muscle weakness and pain when bones are under pressure. Sometimes there are no symptoms at all, which means that serious health conditions such as rickets can develop without warning. Evidence also suggest that those who live furthest from the equator are at higher risk of developing muscular sclerosis, due to lack of sun exposure. Scotland has the highest rates of MS in the world with around 10,000 sufferers.

So while on a yoga holiday in Europe, be sure to cover up in the sun to prevent burning and skin cancer, but make sure you do have some exposure in the mornings and evenings. It is also wise to eat plenty of oily fish. If you are vegetarian or vegan, you are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency and so a vitamin D supplement may be beneficial, in particular D3.

Yoga holidays in Europe

We have some yoga holidays in Europe that offer plenty of sun, such as this retreat in a quiet beach town in Fuerteventura. The beach is a short walk away and surfing is available.

There are many other sunny yoga holidays on offer on our website, so you can top up your vitamin D and stay healthy. Remember that sun exposure is necessary for our health but too much can also be detrimental. For more information about health risks due to lack of Vitamin D (and right dosage) you can listen to the BBC Radio 4 Food programme (25min).

Next time we’ll be blogging about yoga retreats for first-timers.

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