By Jennifer Bowers, Readers Digest
Calcium and vitamin D may get the spotlight when it comes to bone
health, but there’s another mineral that plays a role in keeping your
skeleton strong: It’s magnesium, and 67% of the body’s stores for this
mineral are found in your bones. Now, research published in the European Journal of Epidemiology suggests magnesium could help prevent fractures. (Do you know the signs of magnesium deficiency?)
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previous research had revealed that magnesium supports bone growth, no
study had tied the mineral to risk of bone fractures. Tapping into over
20 years of data on 2,245 men, investigators in Britain and Finland
compared the men’s magnesium blood levels to their risk of fracture.
They discovered that the higher a man’s magnesium, the lower his risk of
fracture.
Magnesium works with bone building cells (aka osteoblasts), and works
in conjunction with vitamin D and parathyroid hormone to keep calcium
levels normal, and fracture risk low. Medical factors affecting
magnesium absorption include inflammatory bowel disease (or other
chronic diarrhea problems), kidney insufficiency or certain medications.
So, how much magnesium should you eat? The recommended daily intake
for adults over 31 years of age is 320 mg for females and 420 mg for
males. Nuts and seeds, especially almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts and
cashews are rich in magnesium. Other food sources include oatmeal, milk,
peanut butter, spinach, broccoli, peas and beets.
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However, the
Finnish study couldn’t link dietary intake of magnesium to higher blood
levels of magnesium, which is strange. Although the study authors aren’t
sure why food couldn’t boost levels, previous research suggests an
improvement in bone density among menopausal women who took supplements
of magnesium hydroxide.
The bottom line is that eating foods high in magnesium still makes
sense, since those foods tend to be healthy. If you’re at elevated risk
for osteoporosis or fracture talk to your physician or a registered
dietitian about taking magnesium supplements.
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