Doctors for many years have recommended to their patients, especially older adults or post-menopausal women, to take calcium to help prevent bone loss. In fact, when I was in medical school, my teachers would often recommend that we teach our patients to take antacids that contain calcium or drink more milk. But this isn’t practical for all patients. Recent medical research has shown that calcium, by itself, is insufficient in building new bone and helping to maintain our present bone.

Calcium and Magnesium: The Perfect Duo

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), almost 43 percent of Americans, including about 70 percent of older women, take dietary supplements containing calcium. They either do this because their healthcare professionals have recommended it or they have decided to do it to help support stronger bones. But failing to balance the calcium we take with the mineral magnesium may actually do more harm than good. The problem stems from the fact that most people, including many medical doctors, do not understand certain key facts about calcium and magnesium.

If calcium and magnesium are balanced, magnesium helps to absorb and metabolize calcium. But unfortunately, our American diet and supplementation practices have lead to the over-consumption of calcium, while soil depletion and processing of foods has lead to an under-consumption of magnesium.

So why do calcium and magnesium have to be balanced? The problem is that excess calcium intake without proper balancing of magnesium can cause problems in our bodies. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements reported that less than 50 percent of the calcium people ingest is actually absorbed in our guts. So what happens to the rest of the calcium we consume? The rest may be excreted or linger in the body or cause hardening or calcification in soft tissues. A research study published in 2004 in the British Medical Journal pointed to high calcium/low magnesium intake lead to calcification of arteries (atherosclerosis), osteoporosis and bone fractures.

So how much calcium and magnesium do we have to take? The recommendations for adults in the US is 1,000 mg (or up to 1,500 mg for women over 50). Recommendations are different for the UK (700 mg daily) and the World Health Organization (400 to 500 mg daily). There is a problem with these recommendations because many people take supplements providing these high levels of calcium do so without considering the amount they consume through diet (milk, cheese, fruits & vegetables) as well as the calcium in our tap water.

The calcium-to-magnesium ratio commonly accepted is in the range of 1:1 or 2:1 for calcium to magnesium. When the extra calcium from diet is added to the amount from supplementation, the ratio can be upwards of 4:1 or 5:1.

So what form of calcium and magnesium should we take? The most common form of calcium we take is calcium carbonate. It requires stomach acid to get it to dissolve, but frequently the absorption is blocked by the fillers and binders in these preparations. The best forms are calcium citrate and calcium malate (biologically active forms). For magnesium, the most common forms (and cheapest) is magnesium oxide and magnesium stearate. Some studies have shown that these forms may not be beneficial to our health. The best forms are magnesium amino acid chelate, magnesium taurinate and magnesium glycinate (biologically active)

But they are only part of the formula for your skeletal framework. These minerals multi-task, playing a role in many important bodily functions essential for good health throughout your life.*

Calcium

We are all aware that calcium is the major structural element of our bones and teeth (remember, teeth are a very specialized type of bone). And we also know that calcium is readily available in a number of foods we eat. Or is it? If it were so readily available in our diet, we wouldn’t need to supplement, but our doctors are telling us to take between 1000 to 2000 mg daily of calcium supplements. But do we really need that much? The average adult loses about 150 mg of calcium daily through the normal elimination processes in our bodies. But why take 10 times that amount to replace what we lose? Part of the problem is that the calcium supplements we take (mainly calcium carbonate) are put in tablets or capsules along with binders and fillers. This makes absorption extremely difficult. The majority of calcium supplements we find in the marketplace are not absorbed very well (less than 10 percent) into our bodies. In addition, calcium carbonate is not the biologically-active form that we get from the foods we eat that are high in calcium. My students all learn what I mean when I say “Don’t eat anything a plant hasn’t eaten first!”

Magnesium

Magnesium is another mineral that is very essential to the proper functioning of the body. Coupled with calcium, magnesium is an important component of strong bones. It accomplishes this through a number of ways. Probably two of the most important ways are that magnesium helps to activate vitamin D₃ so calcium is more easily absorbed from our guts and magnesium stimulates the hormone calcitonin. This hormones helps keep calcium in our bones when the calcium levels in the body are normal. But magnesium is also important to our bodies in a number of ways, including helping to form energy from the nutritional fuels we eat, helping us move food through our gastrointestinal systems and helping us sleep well.

While most people in the United States consume enough calories, our daily intake remains insufficient according to studies by the US Department of Agriculture. Along with magnesium, these studies show that a number of us also have a deficiency of other trace minerals that are essential for our bodies to operate normally.

Vitamin D₃ – The Sunshine Vitamin

The importance of vitamin D and its role in supporting bone, muscle and cardiovascular health has been the talk of the health community recently, especially comparing the risks of too much sun exposure versus the rewards of soaking up vitamin D, often called the “sunshine” vitamin. While sunbathing may be out, it is still in your best interest to ensure that your body has all the
vitamin D and magnesium it needs to help absorb and maintain healthy calcium levels for stronger bones and teeth. Healthy levels are a key part of minimizing age-related bone loss, which in turn may reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life. Higher concentrations of vitamin D have demonstrated positive effects on lung function and health, and may contribute to long-term lung health. Maintaining an adequate level of vitamin D helps prevent muscular and skeletal weakening. Vitamin D₃ helps our bodies absorb calcium from our guts. With low levels, it’s more difficult to absorb the calcium we need. Almost every day, researchers are finding more reasons why vitamin D₃ is one of the most important vitamins we need.

Vitamin K₂

Vitamin K₂ is the form of vitamin that has been shown to support healthy bones, kidneys and cardiovascular function. In the MK-7 form, vitamin K₂ has been shown to be more bio-available and have a longer half-life in the bloodstream after oral intake, thus providing its benefits for a longer period of time. Out of all the types of vitamin K, vitamin K2 (MK-7), derived from a traditional Japanese dish called Natto, has been shown to be the most effective. So basically, vitamin D₃ helps our bodies absorb calcium from our guts, but vitamin K₂ helps take calcium out of the body’s soft tissues and help put it into our bones and teeth!

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is important for healthy gums and strong bones, and is essential to the formulation of collagen, the foundation upon which bone mineralization is built. Studies have also
associated greater bone density with increased levels of vitamin C.

Reishi and Shiitake Mushrooms

Clinical studies have shown that the essential nutrients in both reishi and shiitake mushrooms have a wide variety of health benefits. Shiitake mushroom has a high content of both copper and zinc, which are both critical for bone growth and maintaining healthy bones. Reishi mushrooms are key for maintaining bone density and also have natural anti-inflammatory properties to help with joint health.

Acerola Cherry

When it comes to cardiovascular and bone health, vitamin C provides a beneficial boost in supporting blood vessels and muscles as well as keeping bones and teeth healthy. It is an important antioxidant and plays a role in our bodies making important proteins like collagen and elastin. But vitamin C is not stored in the body so it must be replenished daily. Look at history – the British Navy have been called “limeys” for almost 300 years because they realized that taking fresh fruits that contained vitamin C helped support good health and the incidence of Scurvy (a condition that has been shown to be a result of not getting vitamin C daily. Because of this, health professionals and organizations around the world recommend regularly consuming foods high in vitamin C. Before you reach for those oranges, remember that Acerola Cherries actually contain more vitamin C than oranges and are also valued for supporting immune function and cardiovascular health from a cellular level.

Acerola cherries have more vitamin C than an orange, support essential immune functions and cardiovascular health, all while helping to keep bones and teeth healthy.

Other Essential Trace Minerals

Lastly, there are other trace minerals like boron, molybdenum, selenium and silicates that are also important in building and maintaining good bone health. These are also important to have in your supplement, not just calcium or magnesium.