Two minerals, calcium and magnesium, are necessary for a number of biological processes. Daily calcium and magnesium supplements do, in fact, help reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Another fact about these two minerals is that they work together to maintain bone density and create durable tooth enamel.
Benefits of Taking Calcium and Magnesium Together
Before you can understand what happens when you take calcium and magnesium together, you need to know what each does on its own.
What Does Magnesium Do?
Magnesium is an alkaline earth metal that is often found in the human body. More than 60% of the magnesium in our bodies is found in our bones. Magnesium helps our muscles work and heal after we work them hard. It also keeps our bones strong and healthy, helps our nervous system work well, and helps us sleep better at night. It may also have a big effect on insulin sensitivity and resistance, but researchers are still looking into this, so there is no proof yet. In the same way, magnesium may have an effect on how our thyroids work. People with thyroid problems often have low levels of magnesium. Adults should get between 320 and 420 mg of magnesium every day.
What Does Calcium Do?
Calcium is also a metal from an alkaline earth. Most people know that it keeps our bones healthy. 99% of the calcium in our bodies is in our bones and teeth. Vitamin D is often taken with calcium because it helps the body absorb calcium and keeps calcium levels steady. This is very important because not getting enough calcium or getting too much calcium can cause other health problems. This kind of lack usually shows up as a loss of bone density. You should get between 1,000 and 1,200 mg of calcium every day.
What about taking calcium and magnesium at the same time? Most of the time, a person who doesn’t get enough calcium also doesn’t get enough magnesium. If we smoke or drink too much, our bodies can use up both of these metals. But growing older and having children can also use up supplies. When magnesium and calcium are taken together, they work well. Since our bodies use both of them in the same way, taking them together will make both work better.
Many of these things can be found in one-dose multivitamins, so it’s safe to take them all at the same time.
How do calcium and magnesium affect each other inside the body?
Calcium and magnesium work well together to keep our bones healthy and strong. Studies have found that there may be a correlation between how much calcium and magnesium you have in your body, which is interesting. People who eat a lot of processed foods may not get enough vitamin D and may get too much phosphate, which can make a magnesium deficiency worse. The opposite is also true: a lot of magnesium can make a lack of calcium more obvious because it makes it harder for the body to absorb calcium. Because of this, it is important to make sure you get enough calcium and magnesium in your diet.
What is the Ideal Calcium-to-Magnesium Ratio?
The best amount is two parts calcium to one part magnesium, or 2:1. This amount will keep the levels in your body balanced and make sure that the calcium and magnesium work well together. If this ratio isn’t right, there could be some bad results. For instance, you may have too much of one and not enough of the other.
Tips for Striking the Calcium Magnesium Balance
The best way to make sure our bodies have the right amount of calcium and magnesium is to eat foods that contain both.
Calcium can be found in:
- Dairy products
- Soy products
- Sardines and salmon with bones.
- Almonds and leafy greens such as collards, spinach, and mustard greens.
Magnesium is found in:
- Beans and peas
- Beans and peas
- Brown rice
- Oatmeal
- Chicken
- Dark chocolate (varieties that are at least 70% dark chocolate)
If it’s hard for you to eat a variety of these foods and you’re worried about how much magnesium or calcium you’re getting, supplements are a good choice. Both calcium and magnesium are often found in multivitamins, but there are also many supplements that contain both calcium and magnesium.
What Causes Magnesium or Calcium Deficiency
Most of the time, your body will keep calcium and either store it or use it again. In any case, the body usually uses up all of its magnesium stores. This means that you should keep adding to it. Because of this, you are more likely to be low on magnesium than calcium.
Since most of the nutrients your body needs come from the food you eat, most people think that any deficiency is caused by your diet. When you eat and drink certain things, your body can’t absorb minerals, which changes how bioavailable they are.
Also, the following things could lead to not getting enough calcium:
- Lack of parathyroid hormone (PTH)
- Kidney failure
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Osteoporosis
- Consuming too much magnesium
- Pancreatitis
- Phosphate deficiency
- Coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and a few other digestive disorders
- Taking certain drugs, like corticosteroids or chemotherapy, for a long time
If you only eat vegan food, you might not get enough calcium if you don’t eat enough calcium-rich foods. These nutrients can be made up for with vegan supplements. Suppose you are lactose intolerant. Then, you should eat a lot of calcium-rich foods that don’t come from dairy to avoid getting low on calcium.
Magnesium and Calcium Supplements: Possible Side Effects
There aren’t too many bad things that can happen when you take magnesium and calcium supplements. If you take too much of an oral spray, it might make you have to go to the bathroom. But these effects are lessened when you take supplements with food. On the other hand, these minerals can be taken through the skin. Unlike tablets, these are quick and easy to use, and you don’t need to take them with food or drink.
You might have trouble going to the bathroom or feel full while taking a calcium supplement. Again, you can avoid this by taking your supplements with a meal and spreading them out throughout the day. Also, calcium citrate side effects are usually less severe than calcium carbonate side effects.
How to Choose the Best Supplements for Calcium and Magnesium
Even though magnesium and calcium supplements can be helpful, it’s important to know how bioavailable they are so that you can take them correctly and get the most out of them. For example, calcium has a bioavailability of about 30%, which is a measure of how well it is absorbed. So, no matter how much calcium you eat, your body will only take in about 30% of it at once.
Because of this, it’s usually better to take calcium in smaller doses or supplements more than once a day instead of taking all the calcium you need in one big pill or tablet. On the other hand, magnesium bioavailability can be different from one supplement to the next. In the end, before adding a magnesium or calcium supplement to your health plan, you should double-check how bioavailable it is.
Conclusion
Both calcium and magnesium are important for the health of our bones. These two things can be taken together safely because they work well together to help keep our bones strong and dense, among other things. Calcium and magnesium are often taken together, either as separate supplements or as part of a multivitamin. This has been shown to be safe. The most important thing to make sure of is that the right amount of calcium and magnesium is taken in, whether through food or supplements. Getting the right amount of both metals will help keep our bones healthy and strong.