The belief that calcium is the foundation of strong bones is thoroughly rooted in our society. In reality it does not rest on solid ground — calcium is the LAST of the many minerals your body needs to build healthy bone. Getting magnesium from food, rather than necessarily calcium, may be the key to developing strong bones in childhood, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) in the United States in 2013.
For decades calcium has been promoted as the way to prevent bone problems. The age-old claims that calcium supplements build strong bones and teeth are constantly overstated. How effective are these supplements really?
According to a study carried out in the United States in 2007, calcium from dietary sources has a more favourable effect on bone health than calcium from supplements in menopausal women.
Because loss of bone density happens without symptoms, osteoporosis is often called a "silent disease". As bone tissue deteriorates and the bone architecture breaks down, the bone becomes so weak that a relatively minor knock or fall causes a fracture or a collapsed vertebra. The resulting fracture can mean a loss of mobility and independence, with 25% of people needing long-term care. Fractures caused by osteoporosis or low bone density can lead to chronic pain, disability and psychological problems, including depression. A woman's risk of hip fracture equals her combined risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer.
Until recently it was thought that, apart from causing constipation and gastrointestinal symptoms, taking calcium supplements or a calcium and vitamin D combination had no other adverse effects. In the Women's Health Initiative study, which followed 36,282 postmenopausal women for 7 years, kidney stones appeared in 2.3% of participants, and taking calcium combined with vitamin D raised the risk by 17%.
Among 1,460 older women followed for 5 years, calcium on its own raised the risk of hospitalisation for a gastrointestinal disorder by 92%, and for acute abdominal pain by 81%.
Another study found that calcium supplements were associated with a greater number of heart attacks in menopausal women.
Most supplements contain calcium carbonate, a poorer form of calcium; manufacturers add an agent such as citric acid to make it more absorbable. The end product is still inferior to other calcium supplements such as calcium orotate, which is the only known form of calcium that can effectively cross cell membranes.
Another thing most people do not know is the myth, promoted by the dairy industry, that consuming pasteurised dairy raises calcium levels. It is not true — pasteurisation creates only calcium carbonate, which has no way at all of entering cells without an added agent. So what the body does is draw calcium out of the bones and other tissues to buffer the calcium carbonate arriving in the blood. That process can actually cause osteoporosis. Pasteurised milk is not good for the body.
New data from Professor Steven Abrams and colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston found that magnesium intake and absorption during childhood are key predictors of total bone mineral content and bone density — while dietary calcium intake was not significantly associated with the same measures.
The health benefits of magnesium
A higher magnesium intake is significantly associated with higher bone mineral density (BMD) in both men and women. Roughly a 2% increase in whole-body BMD is seen for every 100 mg per day increase in magnesium.
Fractures caused by osteoporosis are a major health problem in older people. Given how widespread low BMD and fractures are, small improvements in BMD can have a large public health effect.
Magnesium is the "less studied" component of bone, and it may play a role in calcium metabolism and bone strength.
Only one per cent of the body's magnesium is in the blood, and if levels drop the body will take it from bones and tissues. This means a blood test can easily show normal magnesium levels even when the deficiency in the rest of the body is severe.
The best source of magnesium will always be food — leafy green vegetables, cacao, and seeds and nuts of every kind are among the dietary sources highest in magnesium.
For an alternative, natural source of magnesium, calcium and vitamin D, you can use pine pollen or pine pollen in its pure form, as a powder.
