Why Bones Need Magnesium

The media leads us to believe that we only need calcium for strong bones. In fact, you cannot have a strong skeleton without sufficient magnesium. It is just as important as calcium for several reasons:

1. Magnesium is an essential building block of our bodies and makes up close to 1 percent of our body weight.

2. More than 50 percent of magnesium is in our bones.

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Expert Comments – Carolyn Dean, MD, ND

1. Calcium works with magnesium. Magnesium regulates the proper amount of calcium in a person’s body and ensures it is directed toward building stronger bones. Unregulated, calcium ends up depositing in kidneys, coronary arteries and cartilage not in a person’s bones where they need it most.

2. Adequate levels of magnesium are essential for the absorption and metabolism of calcium.  Magnesium keeps calcium dissolved in the blood.

3. Magnesium stimulates a particular hormone, calcitonin, that helps to preserve bone structure and draws calcium out of the blood and soft tissues including cartilage back into the bones, preventing osteoarthritis and osteoporosis in later life.

4. One of the more absorbable forms of magnesium is a magnesium citrate powder that can be mixed with hot or cold water.