You've probably heard that we should be eating lots of calcium in order to have strong bones, teeth and avoid osteoporosis - right? Well only partly right...
Did you know that calcium is only ONE of the players in this game of "build the bones" and in fact its often just a minor one compared to all the others in the team?
Having a diet full of calcium can be virtually useless and actually be quite harmful if you don't have enough of the OTHER factors that are needed to get the calcium where it needs to go.
The most important vitamin involved with calcium absorption and utilisation is Vitamin D (from sunshine and healthy fats).
But in addition to that you also need good amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, and boron in order to properly absorb and handle calcium and therefore increase bone mass.
Just think of all that "low fat - high calcium" milk you might be drinking - practically USELESS without the fat portion of the milk which contains the Vitamin D and K needed to help you ABSORB that calcium. You are better off drinking full fat milk if you want to actually ABSORB any of that calcium-same goes for all low fat dairy products actually!
Without the OTHER vitamins and Minerals needed to get calcium to where it is needed - it can be deposited in the wrong places leading to calcification where you don't want it! Not fun. So don't just think about calcium if you want to improve your bone strength or avoid osteoporosis - Calcium is just a team player and needs all the other nutrients in order to have any fun and keep your bones healthy and strong.
Just another health reason to avoid all the low fat dairy products and choose full fat instead.
Resources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/21/why-you-need-to-avoid-low-fat-milk-and-cheese.aspx
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/osteoporosis_and_calcium/page7_em.htm#what_assists_absorption_of_calcium
http://www.drfranklipman.com/5-reasons-to-skip-the-skim-milk/
http://authoritynutrition.com/is-dairy-good-for-your-bones/
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