Magnesium supplement news:

Magnesium supplement is something inportant to understand - especially for those who want strong bones. This mineral is one of the most misunderstood minerals in the human body and yet it is important for the regulation of heartbeat, blood pressure, muscles and the utilization of calcium for building bone.

Magnesium helps to make a hormone that your body uses to absorb calcium. If you are taking calcium supplements and not getting enough magnesium, the calcium is not being used to make bone. It is either going into the toilet or as Dr. Nany Fuchs states, "the calcium ends up in your joints, organs and other soft tissue..." One result of this can be painful joints.

In the United States and many other developed countries, people eat a diet that is low in magnesium while at the same time consuming foods rather high in calcium.

Example: Dairy products ( milk, cheese, yogurt) contain nine times the as much calcium as magnesium. And it is not just traditional 'calcium foods'. Today many products including orange juice, cereal, snack food and even water have added calcium. Companies have found that this is a good marketing toll.

In addition to all the extra calcium added to food, there has been a stripping of magnesium from traditional foods such a breads, rice etc. Refined foods: breads, coookies, instant rice etc. have had much of their magnesium stripped in the refining process. So many people are getting more calcium but they can not absorb this into making strong bone. Instead the calcium is depositedin their joints, soft tissue, veins and arteries.

Many persons whose dexa scan showed bone loss add more calcium rich foods and/or calcium supplements to their diet. But unless they are also adding a magnesium supplement, they are not really doing their bones much good and they may be creating conditions for high blood pressure, joint pain etc.

Some physicians claim that health problesm such as varicrose veins, gallstones, hearing loss, high blood pressure and some muscle aches are the result of these calcium deposits.

It make sense for anyone with Osteopenia or Osteoporosis to pay attention to magnesium intake.

So how much magnesium should we be taking?

For years it has been believed that the proper dosage of magnesium supplements is1/2 the dosage of calcium. Many 'advanced formulas' sold to those concerned about bone loss, Osteopenia or Osteoporosis use this 2 to 1 formula. If a pill has 600 mg of calcium, it will have 300 mg of magnesium.

A number of physicians who practice complimentary medicine [using nutrition andalternative medicine techniques in addition to allipatheic medical procedures] suggest that this traditional formula is too weighted towards calcium. They hold that the magnesium supplement ought to be 2/3 the amount of calcium. A few even suggest that magnesium supplement ought to be equal to that of calcium so if you are taking 600 mg. of calcium, you should be getting 600 mg of magnesium supplement also.

It may be worth while to estimate your intake from food each day. Here is a chart of foods rich in magnesium supplement