Is Vitamin C the Same as Calcium?

Quick Scoop

• Is Vitamin C Calcium? No. Vitamin C and Calcium are two different micronutrients that play unique roles in your health and wellness.
• Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and antioxidant that plays a role in immune function and skin health and aids in Iron absorption.✝
• Calcium is a mineral that helps support healthy bones.✝
• Getting Vitamin C and Calcium from your diet is best, but you can also find these important nutrients in a convenient supplemental form.

Your health and wellness depend on getting adequate fuel. In addition to the macronutrients — fat, protein, and carbohydrates — providing your body with an array of vitamins and minerals is key to its optimal function. It’s important to prioritize these essential nutrients as part of your everyday diet and sometimes adding a supplement can help fill in any gaps.

When you’re learning about nutrition and understanding what your body needs to thrive, it’s natural to have questions. For example, many people wonder, what vitamins do I need? Or, should I take a multivitamin every day?

And more specifically, questions like is Vitamin C Calcium? Let’s examine the differences between Vitamin C and Calcium, including the unique roles they play in your health and where you can find them in your diet.

Basics of Vitamin C and Calcium

Vitamin C and Calcium are two different nutrients but both are very important in maintaining the optimal health and function of your body. We’ve outlined the basic characteristics and natural sources of them to help provide clarification.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient. This means that rather than accumulating and being stored in fat cells (like the fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E, and K) it dissolves in water and any unused amount is excreted from your body. This also means it needs to be replenished regularly by consuming Vitamin C rich foods or supplements.

Vitamin C supports a healthy immune system, aids in Iron absorption, and is an antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals in the body. Furthermore, Vitamin C is necessary for the body to produce collagen, which helps support skin health.[1][2]†

Learn More: Vitamin C Immune System Benefits: How Does It Help Support Your Immune System? †

Calcium

While Vitamin C is a vitamin, Calcium on the other hand is a mineral.  In fact, Calcium is the most abundant mineral found in the body.

Calcium has many roles in the body, and it is most often linked to bone health. Calcium helps support strong and healthy bones. In fact, adequate Calcium throughout life, as part of a well-balanced diet, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.✝

Learn More: How To Get Calcium For Bones

A Closer Review of Vitamin C

Vitamin C provides immune system support, antioxidant support, and supports collagen synthesis.✝

The RDA for Vitamin C for adults is:[3]

• 75 mg for women 19+
• 90 mg for men 19+
• 85 mg for pregnancy
• 120 mg for lactation

Find Vitamin C in foods like citrus fruits (e.g., oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes), berries, tomatoes, broccoli, and leafy greens.

All About Calcium

Calcium helps support and maintain strong bones. It also works alongside other nutrients like Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K in your diet to support bone health.[4]†

The RDA for Calcium for adults is:[5]

• 1,000 mg for women 19-50
• 1,200 mg for women 51+
• 1,000 mg for pregnancy and lactation
• 1,000 mg for men 19-70
• 1,200 mg for men 71+

You can find Calcium in foods like Calcium-fortified milk (dairy and non-dairy), Calcium-set tofu, leafy green vegetables, legumes, yogurt, cheese, nuts, and seeds.

Key Differences Between Vitamin C and Calcium

Now that you know the answer to whether Vitamin C is Calcium is not, let’s hone in on some more of their differences.

Regularly getting sources of both Vitamin C and Calcium is essential for health as they each offer unique benefits to your body. In addition to one being a vitamin and one being a mineral, these two nutrients have some other key differences.

Calcium

First, let’s discuss their absorption and bioavailability. This refers to how thoroughly nutrients are absorbed, and ultimately utilized, when you eat them.

The absorption rate of Calcium from natural sources and fortified foods is around 30%. This means that 70% is not absorbed and instead is excreted. Of course, how much is absorbed varies by the composition of the food you’re eating.

For instance, certain plant compounds called phytates and oxalates can bind with Calcium and reduce the amount your body can absorb. These “anti-nutrients” are found in foods like sweet potatoes, spinach, rhubarb, beans, and collard greens. But eating a wide variety of Calcium-containing foods is a great way to make sure you’re getting enough regardless.

Additionally, caffeine consumption, Phosphorus intake (from foods like dairy, meat, poultry, nuts, beans, and seafood), and low intake of Vitamin D can also reduce Calcium absorption.[6]

Vitamin C

As we discussed above, Vitamin C is an essential nutrient, which means that humans do not have the ability to make Vitamin C in the body themselves - so we have to get it from food. Vitamin C requires water in order to be absorbed by your body.[7]

The amount of Vitamin C that can be utilized in your body is tightly controlled by its intestinal absorption, its transportation through your tissues, and its reabsorption by your kidneys.

Evidence shows that when you ingest doses of up to 200 mg, 100% of that Vitamin C is absorbed by your body. Doses higher than that have a lower absorption rate. For a frame of reference, a one-cup (240 ml) serving of orange juice contains 380 mg of Vitamin C.[8]

Vitamin C is also key to increasing the bioavailability of Iron.[9]

Understanding the Relationship between Vitamin C and Calcium

All of the vitamins and minerals in our diet work together for the benefit of our health and wellness. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re including a wide variety of sources of these micronutrients in your diet. One of the top multivitamin benefits is that you can find multiple nutrients in one serving.

Taking Supplements With Vitamin C and Calcium

It’s always best to prioritize your nutrient intake from whole food sources. However, if you don’t eat a variety of foods or are concerned about certain nutrients, supplements can be a helpful addition to your wellness regimen. When considering how to choose a multivitamin, a good first step is to ensure it contains what you need.

For instance, Vitamin C and Calcium are both essential to get each day. They are sometimes found together in multivitamin products but can also be taken as individual supplements.

The form of Calcium also matters. Take Calcium carbonate with food as your stomach acid can help digest it as you eat. Calcium citrate can be taken with or without food.[10]

Calcium supplements may also interact with certain medications. Speak with your healthcare provider to determine whether you should avoid taking any prescriptions you have at the same time.

Vitamin C supplements can be taken at any time of the day, although they’re best taken with food. Note that it is a water-soluble nutrient so take it with a glass of water to boost absorption.

Overall, consistency is key when taking supplements. Speak with your healthcare provider regarding questions about your personalized dietary supplement routine.

Learn More About Vitamins and Minerals

• When Is The Best Time To Take Vitamins & Supplements?
• Vitamins That Complement Each Other
• What Vitamins Shouldn’t Be Taken Together?

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

References

1. Carr, A. C., & Maggini, S. (2017). Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients, 9(11), 1211. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9111211
2. Abdullah, M., Jamil, R. T., & Attia, F. N. (2023). Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid). In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
3. National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin C. Updated 26 March 2021. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/#h2
4. Rondanelli, M., Faliva, M. A., Tartara, A., Gasparri, C., Perna, S., Infantino, V., Riva, A., Petrangolini, G., & Peroni, G. (2021). An update on magnesium and bone health. Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine, 34(4), 715–736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-021-00305-0
5. Institute of Medicine (US) Committee to Review Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D and Calcium; Ross AC, Taylor CL, Yaktine AL, et al., editors. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011. 5, Dietary Reference Intakes for Adequacy: Calcium and Vitamin D. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56056/
6. National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. Calcium. H Updated 6 Oct 2022. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium-HealthProfessional/
7. Linus Pauling Institute. Vitamin C. Oregon State University. Reviewed December 2018. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C
8. Orange juice, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted. USDA FoodData Central. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169923/nutrients
9. Ems T, St Lucia K, Huecker MR. Biochemistry, Iron Absorption. [Updated 2023 Apr 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448204/
10. Straub D. A. (2007). Calcium supplementation in clinical practice: a review of forms, doses, and indications. Nutrition in clinical practice : official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 22(3), 286–296. https://doi.org/10.1177/0115426507022003286