Build Better Bones

When you read the title of this article, you likely thought it was going to be about the importance of calcium to build better bones.  Well, actually it’s about the importance of vitamin C for bone health!

Vitamin C and calcium work hand in hand.  Vitamin C helps increase collagen production, which in turn helps with the absorption of calcium.  Vitamin C is vitally important for maintaining the protein network of bone.  Citrus fruits, tropical fruits, peppers and strawberries are especially rich in vitamin C.  A vitamin C supplement provides you with insurance in case the fruits and vegetable you are eating are not as fresh and therefore aren’t as rich in vitamin C.

The structure of our bodies, the skin, bones, teeth blood vessels, cartilage, tendons and ligaments all depend on collagen. Therefore, our skin, teeth and bones benefit from vitamin C’s collagen forming abilities.  In a report called Vitamin Intake and Health1, the writers explain that collagen protein requires vitamin C for “hydroxylation”, a process that allows the molecule to achieve the best configuration and prevents collagen from becoming weak and susceptible to damage. 

Vitamin C helps your health in so many ways.  If you are concerned about your long term bone health and that you are not obtaining enough vitamin C from diet alone, consider taking a daily vitamin C supplement.  Vitamin C is available from your local health store or click here to purchase from Physician’s Preference to save 10-20%!

1. S.K. Gaby and V.N. Singh, “Vitamin C,” – Vitamin Intake and Health: A Scientific Review, S.K. Gaby, A. Bendich, V. Singh and L. Machlin (eds.) Marcel Dekker, N.Y. 1991 p. 103-1043.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 28th, 2006 at 9:00 pm and is filed under Health & Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.