Why Should I take Calcium with Magnesium?

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by: Carel Houser
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Word Count: 547
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 Time: 8:33 AM
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The body needs not only macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins and fats but also micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Minerals serve both structural and storage function in our bones and teeth. They also sustain normal heart rhythm, muscle contraction and relaxation, nerve activities and acid-base balance. More importantly, they also control various cellular metabolism by acting as a component of enzymes and hormones. The major minerals that the body utilizes are phosphorus, sulphur, cobalt, chlorine sodium with potassium and calcium with magnesium. In this article, we will focus on calcium and magnesium.
Among all the minerals, calcium ranks first as the most abundant mineral in the body. About 99% of the calcium in the body is found inside our bones and teeth for structure and storage. The remaining 1% is released into body fluids when blood passes through the bones. Other functions that calcium offers are on central nervous system impulses, muscle contraction, formation of blood clots and regulation of blood pressure. Like the other minerals, calcium cannot be produced by the body. However, it can be obtained from our diet and nutrient supplements. Studies show that excessive intake of calcium-rich foods is not a concern. Calcium toxicity may occur when supplements of calcium are used instead of foods. High levels of calcium in the body may cause constipation, urinary stone formation and reduced absorption of other major minerals and certain trace minerals like iron and zinc. Therefore, calcium over-supplementation must be avoided. Fortunately, magnesium can help prevent calcium toxicity. Magnesium, together with phosphorus, must be ingested in proportion to calcium intake. As a matter of fact, calcium and magnesium are by nature antagonistic minerals.
Absorption-wise, excessively high supplement of magnesium may decrease calcium absorption. However, calcium is best absorbed when the recommended levels of magnesium are ingested in proportion to calcium supplementation. Most nutritionists' recommend that the ratio of calcium to magnesium intake should be 2 is to 1. If you receive high amounts of calcium, you may have magnesium deficiency and vice versa. Without magnesium, the body cannot get the full benefit of your calcium supplementation. On the other hand, despite their dependency with each other, these two mineral supplements must be ingested at different times of the day for better digestion and absorption of each of these essential minerals.
Mineral effect-wise, calcium may cause constipation while magnesium has a laxative effect by attracting water into the colon thus making the feces softer and increasing the digestive tract's peristalsis. Calcium with magnesium can prevent and even provide relief for constipation. Secondly, magnesium is required for the secretion of parathyroid hormone which is a hormone, together with calcitonin, responsible for calcium homeostasis. Thirdly, in the blood clotting process, magnesium and calcium have inverse functions. The former upholds this process while the latter inhibits it. Lastly, calcium is essential in muscle contraction while magnesium helps the muscles relax.
In sum, what is more crucial is indeed not how much calcium and magnesium you acquire from your daily diet and mineral supplements, but rather on how effective your body digests and utilizes these minerals. Therefore, ingest calcium supplement between meals or on an empty stomach when the gastric environment is more acidic. And needless to say, it would also be best to take calcium with magnesium.

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Magnesium and calcium help with bone health. To find out more about what they can do for you, visit our site