http://www.lef.org/LEFCMS/aspx/PrintVersionDailyNews.aspx?NewsID=11447&Section=NutritionMagnesium Deficiency Linked to Higher Risk of Osteoporosis, Says Doctor
PRNewswire
07-27-11
ORANGE, Calif., July 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A magnesium deficiency reduces the absorption and metabolism of calcium and prevents the proper amount of calcium being directed toward building stronger bones. According to Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, magnesium expert and Medical Director of the nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association (
http://www.nutritionalmagnesium.org), the effectiveness and benefits of calcium with respect to bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis are greatly impaired in the absence of adequate levels of magnesium in the body.
"Magnesium keeps calcium dissolved in the blood. Without the proper balance of magnesium to calcium, about a 1:1 ratio, calcium ends up depositing in your kidneys and can create kidney stones, in your coronary arteries resulting in clogged arteries, and in joint cartilage, rather than in your bones where you need it most. The more calcium you take without the balancing effect of magnesium, the more symptoms of magnesium deficiency and calcium excess you are liable to experience," Dr. Dean says.
Soda Pop and Bone Fractures
It is important to note that osteoporosis begins in the teen years. Girls achieve 42 percent of their total body bone mass between the ages of 12 and 18, and yet according to Dr. Rodger H. Murphree II, DC, CNS, adolescent girls consume only 14 percent of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium, 31 percent of vitamin A, and only 18 percent of the RDA for magnesium.
"Adolescence is therefore a crucial time for bone development, and any factors adversely impacting on bone acquisition during this time can potentially have long-standing detrimental effects," comments pediatrician Neville Golden from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.