Essential Vitamins for Bone Health and Strength

Our bodies require a diverse medley of vitamins to function properly. They play a role in boosting immune function, healing wounds, regulating hormones and maintaining bone strength.

To the latter point, maintaining bone health is crucial to maintaining movement, preventing bone fractures and injuries, and protecting our essential organs. As such, it’s critical to bolster our diets with plenty of bone-strengthening vitamins to ensure our bodies remain resilient and strong.

The Best Vitamins for Bone Health

As we age, it’s normal for our bones to weaken. Fortunately, a nutrient-rich diet that incorporates vitamins for bone health can help maintain bone strength and minimize the risk of injury. Here are the best vitamins you can consider incorporating into your diet.

#1 Calcium 

Calcium is an abundant mineral in the body that’s stored in the bones and teeth. In fact, it’s essential to their structure. The other 1% of calcium found in the body is located in the blood, muscles and other tissues. 

The body requires calcium to: 

• Maintain healthy bones
• Move the muscles
• Assist blood vessels in circulating blood
• Release hormones

While the body does produce calcium of its own, it’s also critical to bolster your diet with calcium-rich foods or a calcium supplement to maintain optimal bone density and health. A lack of calcium intake can be detrimental to bone health as the body will begin to leach calcium from the bones to ensure there’s enough in the bloodstream to facilitate the aforementioned processes. 

All that said, the recommended daily allowance for women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) aged 19 to 50 is 1,000 mg daily. Conversely, women and people AFAB over the age of 50 should consume at least 1,200 mg daily. For men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) aged 19 to 70, the recommended daily calcium intake is 1,000 mg. Alternatively, men and people AMAB over the age of 70 should consume at least 1,2000 mg of calcium daily. 

You can acquire calcium from such food sources as:

• Dairy and plant-based milks
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Winter squash
• Edamame
• Tofu
• Canned sardines
• Boned salmon
• Almonds
• Green veggies, such as kale, spinach, bok choy and turnip

#2 Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that we can get from our diets; it’s also a hormone made organically in the body. 

That said, calcium and vitamin D actually work together to support bone health. Specifically, vitamin D helps regulate calcium levels in the body. Without adequate vitamin D levels, calcium absorption by the body is impacted, even if we eat enough of it in our diets. 

Vitamin D also helps to support:

• Immune health
• Heart health
• Mood
• Weight loss
• Muscle recovery

To obtain an adequate amount of vitamin D — also called the “sunshine vitamin” — it’s critical to gain exposure to the sun’s UVB rays. Sunshine triggers the production of two naturally occurring types of vitamin D in the body — vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. You can also take vitamin D supplements to help support your body's levels.

That said, very few foods contain adequate amounts of vitamin D. Instead, you can find vitamin D-fortified foods, such as fortified milks, cereals and orange juice. Vitamin D is also found naturally in:

• Cod liver oil
• Salmon
• Swordfish
• Tuna fish
• Sardines
• Beef liver
• Egg yolk

For adults aged 19 to 70, the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 15 mcg. Adults older than 70 need at least 20 mcg daily. 

#3 Vitamin K

Vitamin K is another fat-soluble vitamin that helps maintain the production of proteins that play a role in blood clotting and increasing bone mass. Further, some studies suggest that a higher vitamin K intake is associated with a lower risk of bone fractures in adults. Similarly, low vitamin K levels are associated with low bone density.

Fortunately, vitamin K is found in many natural and supplemental food sources, including:

• Green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts
• Soybean and canola oil
• Fermented soy beans
• Meats
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Fortified meal replacement shakes

For women and people AFAB aged 19 and older, the recommended daily intake for vitamin K is 90 mcg. For men and people AMAB aged 19 and older, it’s recommended to consume 120 mcg daily.

#4 Magnesium

Sixty percent of magnesium in the body can be found in the bones. The mineral plays essential roles in regulating blood sugar and blood pressure; building proteins; supporting muscle and nerve functions; and maintaining strong bones by way of regulating calcium and vitamin D levels. 

Specifically, magnesium plays a vital role in bone mass and health by assisting in the absorption and metabolism of calcium and vitamin D. Additionally, magnesium helps regulate the levels of calcium within bones and influences the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts — the cells responsible for bone formation and breakdown.

Studies also show that individuals with higher magnesium levels in their diets have greater bone mineral density, meaning they may have stronger bones and a reduced risk of fractures.

Men and people AMAB aged 19 to 51 should consume 400 to 420 mcg of magnesium a day. Alternatively, women and people AFAB aged 19 to 51 are recommended to eat 310 to 320 mcg daily. 

To fortify your diet with enough magnesium, consider incorporating:

• Almonds, peanuts and cashews
• Pumpkin seeds
• Peanut butter
• Black and kidney beans
• Soybeans and/or soymilk
• Cooked spinach
• Swiss chard
• White potatoes with skin
• Brown rice
• Oatmeal
• Salmon
• Beef 
• Poultry
• Banana
• Raisins
• 70% dark chocolate
• Milk and yogurt

With all of these food sources in mind for all of the different vitamins, discovering how to eat healthy on a budget can provide key tips to make sure you’re providing your body with consistent nutrition without any roadblocks.

Support Your Overall Health With INVIGOR8

Fostering adequate bone health and density can help you maintain free movement and reduce your risk of bone injury. Fortunately, there are several vitamins that you can consume through your diet to support strong bones, including calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K and magnesium.

To fortify your diet further, there’s the INVIGOR8 All-in-One Organic Superfoods Powder. This supplement will not only support a healthy diet, but satisfy your cravings in the process with our five flavor favorites, including our salted caramel protein flavor and our naturalstrawberry protein powder.

This high-protein meal replacement shake is nutrient-rich to support overall health and wellness, with 168 mg of calcium in every serving. We also craft its formula with a green veggie complex that incorporates essential vitamins and minerals from spinach leaf powder, broccoli head powder, kale leaf powder and more for an additional dose of calcium and vitamin K.  If you’re specifically seeking weight loss support, discover our weight loss kit which includes our organic superfoods powder, natural appetite control support, and unflavored collagen peptides.  

Explore our delicious flavors and experience healthy bones with INVIGOR8 for yourself.

Sources:

1. Forbes. 3 Vitamins And Supplements For Bone Health
2. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Calcium
3. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Vitamin D
4. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Vitamin K
5. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Magnesium