December 17th 2025
By Ari Parker
Discover the most effective supplements for bone health, including calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium. Learn dosages, benefits, and safety tips for stronger bones.
By Ari Parker
Age-related bone loss affects both men and women, marked by a gradual and progressive decline in bone density over time. When left untreated, bone loss can lead to osteoporosis, which affected an estimated 10 million people aged 50 and older in the U.S. in 2010.
Eating a balanced diet rich in calcium, vitamin D, and protein is essential for maintaining strong bones, as well as for helping your body continue to build new ones. But some people may benefit from calcium and vitamin D supplementation to support bone health, especially if they are at risk for osteoporosis or bone fractures.
In this article, we’ll explain the research behind supplements for bone health and how to know whether or not supplementation is right for you.
Calcium and vitamin D are two supplements approved by the FDA to help prevent osteoporosis in older adults.
These supplements aren’t recommended for everyone, especially people with a history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), gastric bypass, or parathyroid gland disease.
If you're interested in taking calcium and vitamin D supplements for your bone health, reach out to your healthcare provider for their recommendations.
Yes, there is some research that shows that supplementation can have a positive effect on bone health. Specifically, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the use of calcium and vitamin D supplements to help reduce the risk of osteoporosis in older adults.
However, additional clinical trials have found that supplements have little to no benefit for bone health.
Bone health is an important concern for older adults because everyone loses bone mass with age. Specifically, a decline in bone mineral density in both sexes begins as early as age 40 and continues throughout later adulthood.
Declining levels of estrogen during menopause and up to five years afterward speeds up the rate of bone mass loss in women, while men tend to lose bone mass and increase their risk of fracture about 5-10 years later.
In both men and women, bone mass loss can lead to osteoporosis, a disease marked by weakened bones. Osteoporosis is sometimes referred to as the “silent disease” because there are no symptoms until a fracture occurs. Supporting bone health can help prevent bone density loss and reduce the risk of fractures.
There are two FDA-approved supplements to support bone health in seniors and reduce the risk of osteoporosis: calcium and vitamin D.
According to experts, adults over the age of 50 require more calcium:
Women: 1,200 mg of calcium daily
Men: 1,000 mg of calcium daily
Because the digestive system absorbs only 15-20% of the calcium from your diet (due to inadequate levels of Vitamin D), calcium supplements can help increase your daily calcium intake. Recommended supplement doses can vary between 800-1,000 mg, which is why it’s best to consult with your healthcare provider on what’s best for you.
Both calcium carbonate and calcium citrate can increase your calcium intake, although calcium citrate is generally more easily absorbed and better tolerated. If your provider recommends calcium carbonate, be sure to take the supplement with food to reduce gastrointestinal side effects.
Common brands that make calcium supplements include Nature Made, Caltrate, and Citracal. Both Caltrate and Nature Made include calcium carbonate as the primary source of calcium, whereas Citracal contains both calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.
Vitamin D is necessary for the body to absorb calcium. But research shows that vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in the older population.
For adults over 50, many experts recommend:
800-1,000 IU of vitamin D daily
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), there is no significant difference between the two types of vitamin D supplements, vitamin D2 and vitamin D3, when it comes to bone health.
Though the body can make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, this ability decreases with age. Other factors, like wearing sun protection to reduce the risk of skin cancer, geographic location, and clothing, impact how much vitamin D the body can make.
If your provider recommends vitamin D supplementation, there are many brands that you can use, including Nordic Naturals, Garden of Life, and NOW Foods. You can also get supplements that contain both calcium and vitamin D, although you should check to make sure they contain sufficient doses of both.
Very high amounts of calcium and vitamin D are not safe for everyone. Too much vitamin D can increase the risk of vitamin D toxicity and cause an imbalance in the regulation of bone metabolism. Too much calcium can lead to constipation, kidney stones, and kidney damage.
People with certain conditions may want to avoid calcium and vitamin D supplementation, including:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
History of gastric bypass surgery
Parathyroid gland disease
Kidney disease or a history of kidney stones
Sarcoidosis (an auto-immune disorder)
If you’re unsure whether calcium or vitamin D supplementation is right for you, reach out to your healthcare provider for guidance.
Bone density loss occurs naturally with age. Unfortunately, losing bone mass and bone density increases the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
The FDA approves the use of calcium and vitamin D supplements to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in older adults.
If you’re concerned about possible bone density loss, reach out to your healthcare provider to see if bone density testing is possible. This test, also called a DEXA or DXA scan, is covered by Medicare Part B and Part C (Medicare Advantage) if you meet certain criteria.
Preventive measures, including dietary changes and supplementation, may help prevent bone density loss and support your bone health in older age.
Calcium and vitamin D are the two supplements approved by the FDA to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in older adults.
Women over the age of 50 should aim for a daily intake of 1,200 mg of calcium, while men over the age of 50 should aim for a daily intake of 1,000 mg of calcium.
There are many factors that impact how much vitamin D your body makes from exposure to sunlight, including age, race, geographic location, season, and use of sunblock. In most cases, sunlight exposure alone does not produce the recommended amount of vitamin D, especially if you use sun protection recommended to prevent skin cancer.
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