Why are hormones and minerals important?

Hormones and minerals are important because they help bones stay strong. If a person’s hormones and minerals are out of balance, his or her bones can become weak and malformed. Healthy bones continuously rebuild, sometimes taking a slightly altered shape or structure. To grow and rebuild, bones need

• the hormone calcitriol—the active form of vitamin D
• calcium
• phosphorus
• parathyroid hormone

The kidneys play an important role in maintaining healthy bone mass and structure by balancing phosphorus and calcium levels in the blood. Healthy kidneys activate a form of vitamin D that a person consumes in food, turning it into calcitriol, the active form of the vitamin. Calcitriol helps the kidneys maintain blood calcium levels and promotes the formation of bone.

The kidneys also remove extra phosphorus, helping balance phosphorus and calcium levels in the blood. Keeping the proper level of phosphorus in the blood helps maintain strong bones.

The parathyroid glands, four pea-sized glands in the neck, create parathyroid hormone, or PTH. Parathyroid hormone plays an important role in controlling calcium levels in the blood. When the kidneys do not function properly, extra parathyroid hormone is released into the blood to move calcium from inside the bones into the blood.