Preserving Your Health With Calcium Magnesium Supplements

Why should you take calcium magnesium supplements? The answer is that maintaining good physical health involves a number of factors, one of which is a biochemical balancing act. The human body requires numerous minerals in the proper amounts in order to function properly. Sodium and potassium are two of these; too much of the former can result in hypertension, while two little can cripple the electrochemical processes that allow our cells to live. Likewise, calcium magnesium supplements are important to the proper functioning of bone and muscle function.

About Calcium

As you are probably aware, calcium is the mineral that makes up most of our bone structure. What you may not know is that the calcium in our bones is also used for many other bodily functions, such as regulating the circulatory system. Calcium is the most abundant element in the human body, and all but 1% of it is stored in our bones.

As we get older, our need for calcium increases. If the body does not receive sufficient calcium from food sources, it will start to leech calcium out of our bones. This is especially true in the case of older women, whose bones are prone to becoming brittle for want of calcium. This condition is known as osteoporosis(literally, “holes in the bone”).


About Magnesium

In its natural state, magnesium is a hard, silvery-white metal. In the body, this element is necessary for healthy cell function and reproduction, as it acts as a catalyst in the synthesis of DNA. Most importantly however, it allows our bodies to metabolize calcium; without sufficient magnesium, our bodies cannot absorb or make use of calcium as well as ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

Magnesium deficiency is also responsible for kidney stones, muscular spasms as well as overall nervousness and impaired brain function.


Do You Need Calcium Magnesium Supplements?

If you are not getting sufficient magnesium or calcium from the food you eat (and admittedly, this can be a challenge as we get older), nutrition supplements such as a womens multi vitamin may be helpful in osteoporosis prevention and other maladies.

By the time we pass age 50, all of us should be taking in at least 1200 milligrams of calcium each day. Dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt are the most common sources of calcium, however soy-based foods and leafy vegetables such as turnip greens and mustard greens are excellent alternatives.

If for some reason you cannot ingest enough calcium from food sources however, you should definitely take calcium magnesium supplements to make up the deficiency. If you can determine how much calcium you are getting from your food, it’s relatively easy to figure out which calcium magnesium supplements provide the correct amounts for you.