BONE BASICS
Healthy bone is made up of 2/3 calcium and 1/3 collagen
The body stores more than 99 % of its calcium in the bones and teeth to help build and keep them strong². The rest is found throughout the body in blood, muscle and the fluid between cells². Your body needs calcium to help muscles and blood vessels contract and expand, to secrete hormones and enzymes, and to send messages through the nervous system².
Why is collagen important3?
Collagen is a protein that provides a soft framework, and calcium is a mineral that adds strength and hardens the framework. The combination of collagen and calcium makes bone strong and flexible.
- Collagen takes large amounts of force without tearing
- This tensile strength, and the fact that it is so plentiful in our bodies, is what holds our bodies together
- Without collagen acting as the glue that holds it all together, the body would fall apart
Bones with sufficient collagen are like steel, strong and elastic. Bones lacking in collagen are like dry, brittle wood, easily broken.
References
2. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: Calcium. 3. NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Centre: What is Bone? January 2012.