Vitamin C and calcium are both essential nutrients that serve many roles in the body. Taking vitamin C and calcium together is safe and offers the added benefit of improving calcium absorption and increasing bone and immune function.
1. Improves Calcium Absorption
Vitamin C is best known for its role in promoting a healthy immune system. It’s also responsible for or involved in the following:
- Production of collagen (the most abundant protein in the body that is a central component of bone, skin, muscles, tendons, and cartilage)
- Limiting the damaging effects of free radicals (unstable, harmful molecules) in the body via its antioxidant properties
Vitamin C also increases calcium absorption in the gut. This unique role is vital because calcium also serves numerous crucial functions within the body.
One of calcium’s well-known and primary roles is the building and maintenance of strong bones. Calcium is also involved in muscle function, nerve cell signaling, and hormone release.
2. Enhances Bone Health
Calcium is well-known for its role in bone health. Vitamin C plays a lesser role in bone health than calcium, but its importance is increasingly recognized.
Research suggests that vitamin C does the following:
- Supports the cells that build and turn over bone
- Helps form the framework of bone (our skeleton) by producing the protein collagen
Even more, experts have found that incorporating vitamin C, along with calcium, into a person’s diet does the following:
- Decreases the risk of hip fracture (bone break)
- Slows bone mineral density loss
- Helps prevent osteoporosis (a condition that weakens bones, making them prone to breaking
While further investigation is required, vitamin C may also accelerate bone healing after a fracture.
3. Boosts the Immune System
Calcium and vitamin C both play a role in maintaining a healthy immune system.
Calcium regulates signaling among various infection-fighting cells, whereas vitamin C protects a particular type of infection-fighting cell, the neutrophil, via its antioxidant properties.
Neutrophils are the body’s first line of defense against germs such as bacteria and fungi. When a germ enters the body, neutrophils locate it and destroy it by ingesting it.
Research has found that combining calcium with vitamin C enhances vitamin C’s immune-boosting effects.
A 2024 study of healthy adults in Nutrients found that taking 500 milligrams (mg) of calcium ascorbate—a less acidic form of vitamin C that contains calcium—increased neutrophil function more than taking 500 mg of vitamin C alone.
The same study also found an increase in natural killer cells among those who took 500 mg of calcium ascorbate compared with those who took 500 mg of vitamin C alone.
Like neutrophils, natural killer cells are also infection-fighting cells. They kill damaged cells, including those infected with viruses, by releasing toxic particles.
How Much Calcium Should I Take?
The Food and Nutrition Board at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine advises the following regarding daily calcium intake:
- 1,200 milligrams (mg) for females older than age 50 and males older than age 70
- 1,000 mg for males aged 51 to 70
- 1,000 mg for males and females aged 19 to 50
Foods and drinks that contain calcium include:
- Dairy products, like milk, cheese, and yogurt
- Fish, such as salmon, tuna, and canned sardines
- Leafy green vegetables like kale and broccoli
- Foods or drinks fortified with calcium, like fruit juices, soymilk, tofu, and breakfast cereals
Many supplements also contain calcium, with the two most common being calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.
Before You Take a Calcium Supplement
Please talk with your healthcare provider before starting a calcium supplement. They can cause stomach upset, interact with various medications, and/or not be appropriate for you based on underlying health conditions.
How Much Vitamin C Should I Take?
The Food and Nutrition Board at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine advises the following regarding daily vitamin C intake for people aged 19 and older:
- 90 mg for males
- 70 mg for females who are not pregnant or nursing
- 85 mg for people who are pregnant
- 120 mg for people who are nursing
Of note, individuals who smoke require 35 mg more vitamin C each day compared to those who do not smoke.
Foods and drinks that contain vitamin C include:
- Citrus fruits and juices, particularly kiwi, strawberries, and orange juice
- Vegetables, particularly red and green peppers, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
- Breakfast cereals fortified with vitamin C
Like calcium, many supplements contain vitamin C, with the most common one being ascorbic acid.
Before You Take a Vitamin C Supplement
Please talk with your healthcare provider before starting a vitamin C supplement. They can cause stomach upset and interact with radiation therapy (a cancer treatment) and various medications..
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