Which vitamin enables the body to properly absorb and use calcium?

Which vitamin enables the body to properly absorb and use calcium?

• A. Vitamin A
• B. Vitamin C
• C. Vitamin D
• D. Vitamin E

Answer: (C)

Calcium absorption is controlled by vitamin D. The active form of this vitamin, calcitriol, signals intestinal cells to produce calcium-binding proteins that actively transport calcium from the gut into the bloodstream. This vitamin makes the gut more efficient at absorbing calcium, which is essential for bone mineralization and maintaining normal blood calcium levels. Vitamin D also works with parathyroid hormone to balance calcium in the body, mobilizing it from bone when needed but aiming to keep enough in the bloodstream for bones and other functions. Without sufficient vitamin D, even a diet adequate in calcium won’t be fully utilized, leading to weaker bones over time. You can obtain vitamin D from sun exposure, certain foods like fatty fish and fortified products, and it’s activated first in the liver and then in the kidneys. Deficiency can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. The other vitamins listed do not have this direct role in calcium absorption.

Calcium absorption is controlled by vitamin D. The active form of this vitamin, calcitriol, signals intestinal cells to produce calcium-binding proteins that actively transport calcium from the gut into the bloodstream. This vitamin makes the gut more efficient at absorbing calcium, which is essential for bone mineralization and maintaining normal blood calcium levels. Vitamin D also works with parathyroid hormone to balance calcium in the body, mobilizing it from bone when needed but aiming to keep enough in the bloodstream for bones and other functions. Without sufficient vitamin D, even a diet adequate in calcium won’t be fully utilized, leading to weaker bones over time. You can obtain vitamin D from sun exposure, certain foods like fatty fish and fortified products, and it’s activated first in the liver and then in the kidneys. Deficiency can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. The other vitamins listed do not have this direct role in calcium absorption.