CALCIUM/MAGNESIUM RATIO

Does someone know the ratio of magnesium(extra)..we should be taking along with Calcium?...and is Vitamin D need for absorption?

[respirate]

The news about magnesium and calcium is far from new.

But for the conventional doctor who routinely suggests that his patients take calcium supplements to promote healthy bones and prevent colorectal cancer, this news is probably a wake up call: Vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are usually team players, not loners.

  Dietary sources of calcium are typically accompanied by magnesium. So when supplementing with calcium, magnesium supplements should be taken as well. (Foods high in magnesium include leafy green vegetables, whole grains, bananas, apricots, meat, beans, and nuts.)

A new Vanderbilt University study underlines just how important the calcium/magnesium combo is.

The Vanderbilt team reviewed dietary data collected during the Calcium Polyp Prevention Study. I first told you about this research a few years ago. For four years, 930 subjects with colorectal polyps took a 1,000 mg calcium supplement daily or a placebo. Colonoscopy exams showed that subjects in the calcium group generally had fewer polyps compared to the placebo group. Calcium also significantly lowered the risk of advanced polyps.

Scrutinizing the dietary data along with the original results, researchers found that calcium reduced the risk of colorectal polyp recurrence only when the ratio of calcium to magnesium intake was low, before and during treatment.

A calcium- to-magnesium ratio of 2:1, But everyone is unique: Biochemical individuality means it could vary quite a bit for different people. This one's not black and white.

Add to that, most of us would be hard pressed to figure out our exact intake of any individual nutrient on a daily basis. And figuring out actual absorption of nutrients would be even harder. Bottom line: Ensuring an ample intake of dietary and supplemental calcium and magnesium is the key – provided your doctor agrees, of course.

In addition, a good multivitamin appears to help the cause.

A five-year American Cancer Society study of more than 145,000 subjects showed that regular multivitamin use for more than a decade reduced colorectal cancer risk by 30 percent, compared to subjects who didn't take multis.

Plant Life four flavonoids (plant compounds) that may significantly reduce colorectal cancer risk when intake is high:

   1. Flavonols (tea, onions, and broccoli)
   2. Anthocyanidins (blueberries and other berries)
   3. Isoflavones (beans, lentils, chickpeas, and clove)
   4. Flavones (citrus fruit)

[opus88]

thx so much for the reply.
I agree its very difficult to calculate depending on the dietary intake and absorption, but a good guideline, I had no idea that Cal/Mag also contributed to a lower risk of colorectal cancer.
I also posted this same question on the Alternative community because I was unsure what was the correct forum and got info from M4YOU as well.

Like I said on that forum, with other medications I am on and need to use Calcium 4 hrs before or 2 hrs after it becomes very difficult to fit in any more than once a day and the capsules I can find have only 333mg....can I take more than 1 at a time or like I've always thought any extra needed to be added later in the day.

sorry for the double postings here

[Paxiled]

I posted on the other forum.  In case anyone cares.  Which you probably don't.  Which is probably wise.  (Sorry, MedHelp, for inserting a little humor -- we know how you hate it).

[laura1967]

There are many good combinations already out there.....which are in proper ratio with the calcium/magnesium. Just take a look at your local healthfood store and look at the better brands.
I take thyroid meds so I have  to be careful when I take anything with calcium in it.....so I take it in the evening. Might be of help to you.

Pax- Did I miss something? :)  I checked out the other "place"....it takes a lot of years of study as you and I have both done, to really understand the world of "holistic" medicine, etc.  You cannot learn everything by just reading studies.
Thank you for being here.  :)

[laura1967]

Could you please copy and paste your answer from other forum to here. Thanks!


NOTE TO OPUS: It is very important as well to make sure you are taking the correct form of Vit D which is D3. There are very good products out there with the correct ration of all 3 to make absorption better.
If you need extra magnesium I like to use a product called Calm.....it is a powder you mix with water....tastes great and works wonders for  muscle aches.....restlessness....sleeping.....constipation....etc.  :)

[opus88]

thx again everyone(and I did read both sites)...I wrote down all this info.
I live in Canada so I'm not sure if Vit. D product Calm is avail but I will check next time at my health food store...I would be interested in that one for some of the issues its helpful for.

[Paxiled]

I did copy and paste, but it's been deleted.  I'll try again.

There's very little calcium in Ester-C, just enough to buffer the C so it doesn't upset the stomach and improves absorption.  The recommended ratio for a calcium supplement for the average person is 2:1 calcium to magnesium.  If you want more magnesium for a specific purpose there are formulas that have a 1:1 ratio or 2:1 magnesium to calcium.  The most absorbable forms are probably citrate or malate for the calcium and citrate for the magnesium, though some are now high on the taurate form.  All minerals should be taken with meals for best absorption.  A proper amount of Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium, as is boron, as mentioned above, but you're taking a ton of D and it's stored in fatty tissue, so you have way more than enough.  For most people a half hour in the sun a couple of times a week is enough D for minimal purposes, but many of us need more, especially now that we've been told to stay out of the sun.  D should also be taken with meals for maximum absorption, as it is fat soluble.  What I do, because I take an ssri which tends to give people muscle cramps, and I does me, is take a 1:1 formula, or sometimes a 2:1, though I don't want to overdo it -- too much of either calcium or magnesium will leach the other out of the body, as they maintain a precise electrical balance on either side of bone tissue.  

[laura1967]

I bought my first one online from The Vitamin Shoppe I believe?  They will ship it to you. I bought the lemon flavor.....very good mixed with hot water! :)

[gymdandee]

A major new study announced that taking a calcium supplement may raise your heart attack or stroke risk by as much at 30 percent.
"Is this really true? Could the pill I take for my bones really be that bad for me?"
And the answer is: Yes, calcium can cause serious health problems when taken alone.
Study misses one major fact...
Professor Ian Reid and his team from the University of Auckland analyzed data from 15 different randomized trials conducted over the last 20 years. They found that men and women who took calcium supplements did increase their risk of heart attack or stroke by about 30 percent.  Men and women with high dietary intakes of calcium did not see the same increased risk.
In interviews, Reid and his team explain  why a calcium supplement appear to raise risk and not a high- calcium meal? They theorize that calcium supplements cause the mineral to collect in your blood...and high-calcium meals do not.  that's true.
Taking 500 mg of calcium alone isn't a good thing. Your body can't handle it. In fact, in addition to cardiovascular problems, it can cause problems with your kidneys, GI tract, nervous system, and even your brain!
But there's one sure-fire way to solve the calcium problem: Take magnesium with it. And that's the one huge, gigantic, obvious missing piece from Reid's analysis. calcium cannot work in the body without magnesium.
You body can NOT handle high amounts of calcium on its own. It gets stuck in your blood, soft tissues, and in your kidneys. It also causes hardening of the arterial walls...and eventually cardiovascular events as Reid's analysis showed.

That's why you should take one part magnesium for every two parts calcium. Magnesium helps your body absorb the calcium so it doesn't collect in your kidneys and soft tissues.  this is taught in every Nutrition 101 course.
I don't know why manufacturers even sell supplements that only contain calcium.  
Calcium and magnesium work together you can figure out why people from Reid's analysis with a high calcium diet didn't increase their cardiovascular events risk  They were also eating a high-magnesium diet.
In natural foods, calcium is always paired with magnesium. It's just nature's way of providing us with exactly what we need to stay healthy.
Just look up high-calcium foods like broccoli or kale. These foods also contain magnesium. In fact, nature doesn't make a calcium-rich food that doesn't contain magnesium. That is unless it's "fortified with calcium" like homogenized milk and most dairy products on the shelves. So don't be fooled into thinking these products are natural
In interviews, Professor Reid goes after all supplements: "We have tended to focus on just the benefits of supplements without really looking at their safety. In the future I think we need to look at both the efficacy and the safety of supplements."  I have to agree with that last thought...but for a different reason. Just because something is natural doesn't mean that it can't also do harm. Supplements are powerful and you must learn to use them the right way in the right amount and combination. That's why it's important to work with a qualified naturopath and keep reading .  

[Paxiled]

That's also probably why the food didn't do it -- most calcium foods, such as leafy greens, also have magnesium.  That's one of the many things wrong with milk -- lots of calcium, no magnesium.