The Importance of Calcium and Magnesium

“Bone Health 101 – An everyday guide to strong bones for a lifetime” (Dr. Cathy Carlson-Rink, Naturopathic Physician)

•    Calcium is one of the many factors involved in the breaking down and rebuilding of bone.

•    Diet should provide a portion of the RDI (Recommended Dietary Intake) of calcium, and a high quality balanced supplement that has a beneficial ratio of calcium to magnesium should provide the remainder.

•    The quality of a supplement should be determined by how it effectively addresses the three main processes that calcium is involved in: absorption, utilization and excretion.

Calcium Absorption

•    The delivery system and the form of calcium in a supplement need to be soluble (dissolvable) for optimum absorption.

•    Liquid solutions of calcium are highly soluble and do not need to be dissolved (unlike tablets or capsules), therefore providing 98% of elemental calcium (compared to the 20-30% of elemental calcium provided by tablets or capsules).

•    At lower doses, liquid solutions are extremely efficient at providing utilizable calcium without the waste.

      Form of Calcium
  
•    Calcium gluconate and lactate are the most soluble organic forms of calcium suitable for use in liquid solutions.

•    Calcium gluconate and lactate are highly soluble throughout the entire digestive tract.

•    Calcium gluconate and lactate are able to utilize both types of absorption sites in the small intestine:

Active transport sites – located at the beginning of the small intestine
Passive diffusion sites – located at the end of the small intestine (alkaline)

Only soluble forms of calcium can take advantage of passive diffusion sites.

•    Calcium gluconate encourages the simultaneous absorption of the necessary co-factor magnesium.

•    The body will prefer a more soluble form of calcium and so will choose to absorb calcium gluconate and lactate over calcium carbonate

Magnesium and Calcium Utilization

•    The improper utilization of calcium, caused by insufficient magnesium and other needed co-factors, results in abnormal, fragile bone structure.

•    Sufficient magnesium must be present in order for calcium to be deposited correctly into bone.  Otherwise, calcium instead will deposit in soft tissue, causing kidney and gallstones, joint discomfort and other calcification problems.
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•    Osteoporosis is not a problem of insufficient calcium intake but rather of incorrect calcium utilization.

•    Magnesium is needed to encourage the correct utilization of calcium by the body.  Although magnesium is the most consistently observed nutrient to increase bone strength, dietary intake studies consistently show that large numbers of individuals may be at risk for magnesium deficiency. 

Excretion

•    The three main factors causing the excretion of calcium are:

1.    dietary factors – up to 50% of absorbed calcium is excreted via the kidneys due to dietary factors. (i.e. excess phosphorus, salt, sugar, and caffeine)

2.    solubility of the supplement form – undissolved calcium from supplements is excreted via the colon.

3.    dosage of calcium – high doses of calcium cause reduced absorption and increased excretion via the colon