Calcium may be a cornerstone of bone health, but magnesium controls calcium’s fate.† In fact, if magnesium levels are insufficient, then calcium can pass right on through the body and not find its way to the bones.
What’s worse is that if magnesium isn’t along for the ride, then calcium might get off track and go for the soft tissues like arteries and kidneys. That’s a situation you can do without, so it’s imperative that magnesium accompanies calcium when it comes to bone health.†
Magnesium also plays a significant role in bone mineralization—the accumulation of minerals which form bones.† Fifty to 65% of the body’s total magnesium is found in the bones, but it plays two different roles. Some of the magnesium helps support the bone’s physical structure in the bone’s crystal lattice, while the rest of magnesium is found on the bone’s surface—a magnesium storage site the body draws from when it is in short supply.†
You’ll want to avoid a deficit, however, because a magnesium deficiency can result in abnormal bone mineral crystals. To avoid a magnesium shortfall, eat foods high in magnesium including spinach, Swiss chard, halibut, salmon, raw pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, black-eyed peas, sesame seeds, black beans and navy beans.
In an short-term clinical trial, supplementation with magnesium suppressed bone turnover in postmenopausal women, so magnesium supplementation is an option if your diet is lacking in this bone-supporting mineral.†