Are we getting enough calcium?

Are we getting enough calcium?

From What's Up Docs? by BBC Radio 4

May 12, 2026 · 29 min · Episode 140

About this episode

The episode explores the importance of calcium for health and its relationship with vitamin D and bone health.

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing. In this episode, Chris and Xand dive into calcium. What is calcium, and what does it do in the body? How important is it for our health? How do we maintain healthy levels of calcium? They also examine how calcium interacts with vitamin D, whether we need calcium and vitamin D supplements, how calcium plays a part in bone health and how we can strengthen our bones. Joining them to discuss this is Dr Sagen Zac-Varghese, a consultant in Diabetes, Endocrinology and General Internal Medicine, specialising in diabetic kidney disease and metabolic bone disease. She is also the Undergraduate Tutor at the East and North Herts NHS Trust and an Honorary Lecturer and Senior Clinical Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London and at UCL medical school. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123. Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Dr Sagen Zac-Varghese Producer: Maia Miller Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher…

People in this episode

Hosts: Chris van Tulleken, Xand van Tulleken

Guest: Dr Sagen Zac-Varghese

Topics covered

  • calcium
  • bone health
  • vitamin D
  • health supplements
  • diabetes
  • endocrinology

Keywords

  • calcium
  • vitamin D
  • bone health
  • health supplements
  • diabetes
  • endocrinology
  • metabolic bone disease

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: East and North Herts NHS Trust, Imperial College London, UCL medical school, BBC Radio 4, Loftus Media

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