While some doctors say that you can get what you need from antacid tablets, Dr. Schoenbeck notes that the calcium in antacids is less absorbable than calcium citrate. Another form you ll see on drugstore shelves is calcium carbonate, but that s the least absorbable, she says. Those other valuable nutrients include vitamin D, magnesium , vitamin K, and boron. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium . A deficiency of D can lead to soft bones, which in turn could lead to fractures.
Studies suggest that vitamin D is related to bone mineral density.
Researchers at the Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine in Amsterdam studied 81 women age 70 or older. Research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston showed that vitamin D enhances the effectiveness of supplemental calcium . This mineral is important because it transports calcium to the bones. It also helps convert vitamin D to its active form in the body. A study from Israel found that 22 of 31 postmenopausal women who were given anywhere from 250 to 750 milligrams of magnesium for 6 months, then 250 milligrams a day for 18 months, increased their bone density by 1 to 8 percent.