Your body needs vitamin D to help it absorb the calcium that strengthens bones. When days are shorter in the winter, and there's less exposure to sunlight, you have less vitamin D. That can lead to bone loss, because the body takes calcium from bone to make up for what it's not getting from the diet. A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that taking 1,000 milligrams of extra calcium, whether in supplements or food, during the winter helps prevent bone loss in postmenopausal women. Doctors recommend that people get at least 1,500 milligrams of calcium a day under normal circumstances, but few people do. If you can't tolerate dairy foods, try calcium-fortified orange juice.
Calcium citrate is one of the most readily absorbed form of calcium supplement.
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