The Calcium-Magnesium Partnership: It’s a Matter of Balance
The Calcium-Magnesium partnership is one requiring balance. There’s a holistic tension between these two nutritional minerals that support optimal health in several body systems. Calcium and Magnesium support and maintain the musculoskeletal system, hormonal system, and circulatory system (1).
Optimizing their functions requires balancing the intake and maximizing the absorption of these essential dietary minerals.
Calcium, Magnesium, and good health
Calcium and Magnesium are essential for optimal health. These minerals are both commonly prescribed supplements that enhance and support each other’s function in the body. When taken in the proper ratios, either as a supplement or in the diet, they absorb well and enhance health (2). Let’s take a quick overview of the functions and uses of Calcium and Magnesium.
Calcium
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and supports many systems’ healthy functioning. It is stored in bones and teeth and supports their strength and structure. If Calcium’s daily intake is too low, the body will take Calcium from the bones and teeth to keep circulating levels adequate (3). Circulating Calcium functions to support the body in the following ways:
- Contraction of the vascular system
- Bone health
- Muscle function
- Blood clotting
- Neurotransmission
- Hormone secretion
Magnesium
Unlike Calcium, the body does not store Magnesium. It must be consumed in adequate amounts each day, and the body eliminates what Magnesium it does not use. Magnesium supports the absorption of Calcium into the bones and is essential for bone health (4).
Magnesium also functions to support:
- Protein synthesis
- Muscle and nerve function
- Adequate blood glucose levels
- Hormonal functioning
The Calcium-Magnesium Relationship Explained
The Calcium-Magnesium relationship is one of dynamic tension. From intake to absorption and use, these dietary minerals require balance to function optimally. If Calcium levels are too high, the body cannot absorb Magnesium. If Magnesium levels are too low, the body cannot optimally use Calcium.
Additionally, they function in oppositional ways in the body’s pathways. Use this chart to understand the relationship between them:
Calcium Magnesium
Found outside the cells Found inside the cells
Functions to excite Functions to calm
Clots the blood Enhances blood flow
Muscle contraction Muscle relaxant
Found in hard body structures Is in soft body tissues
Magnesium keeps Calcium dissolved in the blood. This means that low levels of Magnesium in the diet complicate Calcium deficiency issues. Low Magnesium levels can cause Calcium to deposit in the heart and kidneys, creating illness.
When consumed through the diet or as a supplement, high levels of either Calcium or Magnesium can inhibit the other’s absorption. High levels of Calcium can inhibit Magnesium, and low levels of Magnesium impede Calcium absorption.
The 2-to-1 Calcium-Magnesium Ratio
The optimal Calcium-to-Magnesium ratio is 2-to-1 (2:1) by weight. The recommended daily intake of Calcium for a male who is 20-50 years old is 1,000 mg. That means that the optimal intake of Magnesium is 500 mg for the same person.
When Magnesium levels are too low in the diet, Calcium cannot function adequately, and cell damage can occur (3).
Transdermal Magnesium to optimize Calcium in the body
Magnesium deficiency is a prevalent issue. Twenty per cent of the American population gets less than half the recommended daily allowance of this essential mineral. As we now know, if Magnesium levels are insufficient, the body cannot adequately utilize Calcium to support essential systems (6).
Absorbing Magnesium through the skin, known as transdermal Magnesium, is a proven and effective way of maintaining adequate Magnesium levels in the body. Methods of acquiring transdermal Magnesium include topical applications of creams, oils, and sprays containing Magnesium chloride. Soaking in salt baths is another way to intake Magnesium transdermally.
The efficacy of transdermal Magnesium is a well-researched topic. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of topical applications of Magnesium for a faster, easier, and more reliable way to get the daily recommended dose (7).
Getting that daily recommended dose ensures the body can absorb and utilize Calcium and balance its systems. Magnesium deficiency is related to migraine headaches, type II diabetes, kidney stones, hypertension, and osteoporosis. These illnesses are similarly linked to the body’s inability to access Calcium adequately.
Science supports the use of transdermal Magnesium
A 2017 pilot study of transdermal Magnesium demonstrated elevated Magnesium levels in blood and urine samples and proved that transdermal Magnesium effectively elevates Magnesium levels compared to a placebo (8).
This study supports earlier finds by Watkins and Josling, who in 2010 demonstrated that transdermal Magnesium is a reliable way to elevate circulating Magnesium levels in the body (7).
Calcium and Magnesium, a relationship that supports wellness
Magnesium’s partner is Calcium. Together, they support the body’s optimal functioning. Magnesium softens Calcium, making it more bioavailable. The modern diet does not provide enough Magnesium, causing hypertension, elevated blood glucose levels, and hardening of the arteries.
Support this essential partnership for wellness with supplements such as transdermal Magnesium. It’s one of the most effective ways to create health in the body.
For more information about Magneaseium transdermal products, click: www.magneaseium.com
REFERENCES:
- Robert I Henkin (2018) Calcium and Magnesium Levels Change in Relationship to Variations in Usual Dietary Nutrient Intake. J Nutrition Health Food Sci 6(5):1-18. DOI: 10.15226/jnhfs.2018.001142
- Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 3, Issue Supplement_1, June 2019, nzz034.P10-100-19, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzz034.P10-100-19
- Calcium: fact sheet for consumers, 2021. National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-Consumer/
- Magnesium: fact sheet for consumers, 2021. National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-Consumer/
- Dai, Qi et al. “Modifying effect of Calcium/Magnesium intake ratio and mortality: a population-based cohort study.” BMJ open vol. 3,2 e002111. 20 Feb. 2013, doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002111
- DiNicolantonio, James J et al. “Subclinical Magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis.” Open heart vol. 5,1 e000668. 13 Jan. 2018, doi:10.1136/openhrt-2017-000668
- Watkins K, Josling PD, 2010. European Journal for Neutraceutical Research. https://Magnesium-healthinstitute.org/Downloads/Study_Watkins_Josling_transdermal_Mg.pdf
- Kass, Lindsy et al. “Effect of transdermal Magnesium cream on serum and urinary Magnesium levels in humans: A pilot study.” PloS one vol. 12,4 e0174817. 12 Apr. 2017, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174817