Calcium and vitamin D are nutrients your body needs to function. Calcium is a mineral, and vitamin D is both a vitamin in foods you eat and a hormone that your body makes. Both nutrients help keep your bones and muscles healthy and help your nerves function.
Vitamin D also:
- Helps your body absorb calcium and another mineral called phosphorous
- Boosts your immune system
And calcium:
- Helps your blood flow through your blood vessels
- Helps hormones get into your bloodstream
If you have too little calcium, you could have weak bones (known as osteoporosis) or have a higher risk of fracturing your bones. If you don’t get enough calcium from what you eat or supplements, your body pulls calcium from your bones, which is how your bones can weaken over time.
Low vitamin D also increases your risk of osteoporosis, since it helps your body absorb calcium. Too little vitamin D can lead to another condition called osteomalacia, which causes pain and weak bones and muscles.
It’s rare, but if your child gets too little vitamin D, they could get a disease called rickets. Rickets causes bones to be weak, deformed, and painful.
Vitamin D is also essential for the health of your immune system, and low levels have been linked to:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Type 1 diabetes
- Cold and flu
- Autoimmune conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis
And research shows that low vitamin D might increase your risk of:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- Problems with thinking skills
- Cancer