Many people know that calcium is important for strong bones, but most are unaware of the benefits of vitamin D. Vitamin D, commonly known as the sunshine vitamin, is essential for the development, growth, and maintenance of healthy bones because it helps the body absorb calcium(1). Minute Maid® Calcium Rich Orange Juice from Concentrate with Added Vitamin D is a delicious and convenient way to add more vitamin D to your diet.
Vitamin D Plays the Following Roles in Your Body:
- Helps develop and maintain strong bones
- Increases absorption of dietary calcium
- Helps maintain normal calcium levels in the blood
Sources of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is present in the following foods: Fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, fortified milk, cod liver oil, fortified breakfast cereals, and calcium-fortified juices with vitamin D. Minute Maid® Calcium Rich Orange Juice from Concentrate with Added Vitamin D contains 30% the Daily Value (DV) for calcium and 45% the DV for vitamin D per 250 mL serving.
| Food and Beverage Sources (11), (12) | Calcium (mg) | Vitamin D (IU) |
| Minute Maid® chilled orange juices with calcium and vitamin D, 8 fl. oz. | 335 | 88 |
| Fortified milk, 2% fat, 8 fl. oz. | 297 | 100 |
| Salmon, cooked 3 1/2 oz. | 15 | 360 |
The Importance of Exercise
When children consume the recommended amounts of vitamin D and calcium, they build strong bones. Bone mass typically reaches its peak by one’s early 20s, and bone mass achieved early in life is likely the most important factor determining lifelong skeletal health(13).
Recommended Daily Intake
The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) recommended by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) varies with factors such as age and gender. As people age, the need for vitamin D increases significantly.
British Columbia Ministry of Health recommends the following adequate intakes as indicated by the Dietary Reference Intakes report(14):
| Group (Males and Females) | Age | Calcium DRI |
| Toddlers | 1 – 3 | 200 |
| Young Children | 4 – 8 years | 200 |
| Adolescents/Teens | 9 – 18 years | 200 |
| Adults | 19 – 50 years | 200 |
| Older Adults | 51 – 70 | 400 |
| Elderly Adults | Over 70 | 600 |
| Pregnant and Nursing Mothers | Under 19 | 200 |
| Pregnant and Nursing Mothers | 19 – 50 | 200 |
Your body absorbs vitamin D from the food you eat and makes vitamin D when skin is exposed to sunlight. In conjunction with calcium, vitamin D helps build strong bones.
(1) Holick MF. Vitamin D: The Underappreciated D-lightful Hormone that is Important for Skeletal and Cellular health. Current Opinion in Endocrinology and Diabetes. 2002. 9: 87-98.
(2) Moore C, Murphy MM, Keast DR, Holick MF. Vitamin D Intake in the United States. 2004, 104: 980 -983.
(3) Harman JJ. Vitamin D Deficiency Rickets in Children: Prevalence and Need for Community Education. Orthopedic Nursing. 2000, 19: 63-68.
(4) Biser-Rohrbaugh A , Hadley-Miller N. Vitamin D Deficiency in Breast-fed Toddlers. Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics. 2001, 21: 508-511.
(5) Abrams SA. Nutritional Rickets: An Old Disease Returns. Nutrition Reviews 2002, 60: 111-115.
(6) Holick M. Too Little Vitamin D in Premenopausal Women: Why Should We Care? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2002: 76: 3-4.
(7) Nesby-O’Dell S, Scanlon KS, Cogswell ME, et al. Hypovitaminosis D Prevalence and Determinants Among African American and White Women of Reproductive Age: Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. American Journal Clinical Nutrition 2002. 76: 187-92.
(8) Malabanan A., Veronikis IE, Holick MF. Redefining Vitamin D Insufficiency. Lancet. 1998, 351: 805-806.
(9) Glerup H. Mikkelsen K, Poulsen L, et al. Commonly Recommended Daily Intake of Vitamin D is Not Sufficient if Sunlight Exposure is Limited. Journal Internal Medicine. 2000, 247(2), 260-268.
(10) Holick MF. The Sunlight D’ilemma: Risk of Skin Cancer or Bone Disease and Muscle Weakness. Lancet. 2001, 357: 4-5.
(11) Bowes & Church’s Food Values of Portions Commonly Used (18th Ed., Lippencott Williams and Wilkins, 2001)
(12) NIH Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health. Facts about Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D. http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/supplements/vitd.html
(13) U.S. Department of Health and Human Service. Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Surgeon General, 2004.
(14) British Columbia Ministry of Health. BC Health File #68e. November 2005
