The Calcium = Magnesium Conundrum

Years ago few products were sold in health stores. It truly was much easier. Magnesium was sold in a powder form and in an airtight can; the same for calcium, and there was one main brand, Schiff.

Over the years magnesium fell by the wayside as more and more promotion of calcium took the forerunner’s place.

Of course if you stayed close to the science you probably paid attention to the fact that too many people were getting too much calcium. The other issue was that for the most part all this calcium wasn’t being absorbed.

Some of the issues with calcium absorption can be related to low stomach acid, not enough healthy fat in your diet (calcium depends on healthy fats for proper absorption), poorly functioning hormones and parathyroid gland, low intake of vitamin D, a few more things, and not enough magnesium.

Another issue that is quite often forgotten is the Calcium/Phosphorus ratio in blood. This test was eliminated many years ago because someone at Medicare decided it was unnecessary. This ratio is important to understand bone health, but now it is an extra charge and a real money maker for labs.

Most lab analyzers follow these ranges -

· Calcium 8.2 - 10.6 mg/dL

· Phosphorus 3.0 - 4.5 mg/dL (inorganic)

· Magnesium 1.9 - 2.7 mEq/L

I use a different system that relies more on what is an “optimal” range. In this system Calcium is 9.5-10.2 and best at 10; Phosphorus is 3.8-4.2, best at 4; The Ca/P Ratio is 10:4, and Magnesium is 2.3-3.

The Chemputer tells a little more.

Calcium is a grey silvery metal. The metal is rather hard. Calcium is an essential constituent of leaves, bones, teeth, and shells. Calcium is the fifth most abundant element in the earth's crust and makes up more than 3% of the crust. Calcium does not occur as the metal itself in nature and instead is found in various minerals including as limestone, gypsum and fluorite. Stalagmites and stalactites contain calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). Calcium carbonate is the basis of the cement industry.

Calcium is classified chemically as one of the alkaline earth elements (that is, in Group 2 of the periodic table. The metal is rather reactive. It readily forms a white coating of calcium nitride (Ca₃N₂) in air. It reacts with water and the metal burns with a yellow-red flame, forming largely the nitride.

Magnesium is a grayish-white, fairly tough metal. Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the earth's crust although not found in its elemental form. It is a Group 2 element called alkaline earth metals. Magnesium metal burns with a very bright light.

Magnesium is an important element for plant and animal life. Chlorophylls are porphyrins based upon magnesium. The adult human daily requirement of magnesium is about 0.3 g day^-1.

If you want to read more about the chemistry of these elements you can learn more here:

http://www.chemguide.co.uk/inorganic/group2/properties.html and

here http://www.rsc.org/chemsoc/visualelements/pages/data/intro_groupii_data.html

Generally speaking the oxide and carbonate forms of these minerals are not the most absorbable yet this is the form found in most supplements, especially the Big Box Store products. This level of ingredient is not expensive, and poor absorption is a downside.

A long time colleague recently sent out this information about magnesium products and the same applies to calcium. Chelated just means that the mineral is bound to a protein in order to enhance absorption. This is one reason why it is best to take minerals with food.

"A mistake you can make is to use a magnesium compound called "magnesium amino acid chelate"
Why? Many times these products are in fact magnesium glutamate or magnesium aspartate products and they will very likely make your depression worse.”

Many products are now "magnesium compounds" or a "magnesium complex". And many do contain ‘aspartate’ chelated minerals.

She strongly suggests that you look over this list of legal aliases for the words "glutamate" or "aspartate": chelate, glutamate, caseinate, textured protein, natural flavoring, yeast food, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract, hydrolyzed yeast, natural chicken or turkey flavoring, spices, and modified food starch.

Dr. Russell Blaylock wrote about the dangers of glutamate and aspartate his book Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills. He states that people should “absolutely” avoid aspartate.

Although this comment refers to glutamate and aspartate, there are very good forms of cheated magnesium.

I like lactate chelated calcium and magnesium. These are the old standards of natural health, around for some 80+ years. This form does not seem to have a history of problems for lactose intolerant people, in case this is a concern to you.

Calcium and magnesium citrate are popular forms today but there is an issue with the large amount of citrate that may be unused. This form is often found in “fizzy” mineral drinks.

Magnesium malate is a form I use in my ADVENTURx energy product.

Based on this information I move on to related concerns.

Most products with magnesium and calcium use a ratio of two parts calcium to one part magnesium.

If you go back and read some of the old biochemistry books you will find that opposite. And if you delve further in the literature you will find many that suggest avoiding combining these minerals.

I choose to follow this rule and advise to take calcium in the morning, about 800 mg, unless you are severely calcium deficient.

I also suggest taking two or three times the amount of magnesium to calcium, and take magnesium at night.

If you look at babies and plants you will not their flexibility. Humans are very closely aligned to plants. You find the ratio in both plants and babies is usually 2-3 Magnesium to 1 Calcium.

Another concern is that as I mentioned earlier, both calcium and magnesium have a positive charge, so again, they repel each other. The competition is something you don’t need, especially because magnesium is one of the most deficient minerals in your diet.

Currently I’m using Liquid Ionic Magnesium Mineral Concentrate, and I like the liquid form as well as find I am getting great results. You can read more about this product in a new post at Natural Health News.

Magnesium is a tranquilizer that helps reduce stress, relaxes your muscles, relieves tension, lowers blood pressure, and may help prevent cardiovascular disease and correct atrial fibrillation.

Because magnesium helps you “make” calcium, it may lead to stronger bones and make calcium more available. It may help prevent osteoporosis, prevent kidney stones, prevent bone spurs and calcifications that are caused by excess “free” calcium that is not being absorbed by your body.

Another form of magnesium I’ve used for several years is Magnesium Oil. It’s made as a supersaturated magnesium chloride solution with distilled water. You apply a small amount daily to your body and massage it into your skin. You may notice tingling, but you can wash it off after half an hour , or you can add it to your bath.

You can find the oil and both magnesium and calcium ionic minerals here:http://www.mineralifeonline.com/default.cfm?RID=1156&TID=2

ADVENTURx can be requested directly from our organization.

Food sources of magnesium from my favorite nutrition web sitehttp://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75

Food sources of calcium, especially dark green leafy vegetables help you get better absorption. Calcium in food information can be found athttp://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=45

While I expect many to disagree with my perspective, perhaps it is time for it to be accepted.

This article was originally published by The Oake Centre for natural health education