The Top Essential Nutrients Your Body Needs For Bone Building

Your body comprises millions of cells that all need nutrients to function correctly. Some of these nutrients are vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. These micronutrients are also called “essential nutrients.”

Your body needs all essential nutrients for good health. But some are more important for building strong bones than others.

The following nutrients play vital roles in building strong bones:

• Phosphorus.

This mineral helps your body store and use energy from protein and carbohydrate foods you eat every day. It also forms a significant part of your bones and teeth structure. It is essential for normal muscle function and energy production. Phosphorus regulates the amount of calcium in your blood, which is necessary for bone health.

• Calcium.

Calcium is an integral part of bone structure, helping to make them strong and healthy so they can support your body weight. But it can’t do its job without phosphorus or vitamin D! It helps maintain bone density by depositing minerals into your skeletal structure. Calcium also plays an essential role in blood coagulation and muscle contraction.

• Vitamin D

Also known as calcitriol, this vitamin helps to absorb calcium from the food you eat, so it can be used for building strong bones. If you don’t get enough vitamin D from sunlight or supplements, you could develop weak or brittle bones (osteomalacia). Vitamin D isn’t stored in your body like other vitamins, so you need regular exposure to sunlight or supplements to keep your levels high enough for good bone health.

• Folate

Folate is another B vitamin that plays a role in bone health by helping your body break down homocysteine — an amino acid linked to heart disease. Folate is essential for DNA synthesis and repair, cell growth, and division — all processes that affect bone health.

• Zinc

The mineral zinc plays a vital role in the development of bone. It is essential for forming new bone cells and the maintenance of existing bone tissue. Zinc is also thought to help prevent osteoporosis by helping to regulate calcium absorption from the intestine.

The mineral works with calcium to keep your bones strong and healthy. It also helps your body use the vitamin B6 you get from food. Zinc also helps your body make estrogen and testosterone, hormones that play a role in bone growth and strength.

• Magnesium

Magnesium plays a vital role in the formation of bones. It helps keep calcium in bone and out of soft tissues by facilitating calcium absorption from the gut. Magnesium also regulates the activity of vitamin D receptors in bone cells, which are essential for maintaining healthy bone density.

• Boron

Boron helps your body use calcium and magnesium. The human body needs these minerals to build strong bones and teeth. Boron also helps regulate hormones that control the growth of bones and muscles in children.

Boron helps form bones in two ways:

It promotes calcium absorption from the gut, so more calcium gets into your bloodstream and can be deposited in bone tissue. The RDA for boron has not been established because little is known about how much boron people need optimal health. However, some research suggests that a daily intake of 20 mg/day may help maintain bone strength and reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

It keeps your parathyroid glands working correctly, producing just enough parathyroid hormone to maintain calcium levels stable in your blood and prevent them from becoming too high or too low. Parathyroid hormone also helps regulate bone remodeling (the breaking down and rebuilding old bone).

• Vitamin K

Vitamin K is essential for bone health as it helps form calcium-binding proteins. It’s also needed to activate osteocalcin, which promotes the formation of new bone tissue and increases bone mineral density.

The body’s natural processes for building strong bones may be complicated and somewhat mysterious. Still, with a bit of knowledge about the essential nutrients you need, you can help support your body’s natural efforts to build a foundation for lifelong health. Your run-of-the-mill diet might not have the bones you’re looking for, but with these essential nutrients, you can be sure that your body knows what it needs to build up your skeletal structure and maintain it over time.