Magnesium and Bone Health

Aside from its role in over 300 enzymes in the body, magnesium plays several possible roles in bone health. Several population-based studies have found positive associations between magnesium intake and bone mineral density in both men and women. Other research has found that women with osteoporosis are more likely to have lower serum magnesium levels than women who do not have osteoporosis.

Some studies suggest that increasing magnesium intakes from food and supplements might increase bone mineral density in postmenopausal and elderly women. For example, one short-term study found that 290 mg/day elemental magnesium (as magnesium citrate) for 30 days in 20 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis suppressed bone turnover compared with placebo, suggesting that bone loss decreased.

These and other findings indicate that magnesium deficiency might be a risk factor for osteoporosis.

Here are five ways a magnesium deficiency might negatively influence bone health:

Magnesium influences the types of cells (osteoblasts and osteoclasts) the body needs for bone growth and repair. A magnesium deficiency can directly affect bone by altering the structure and size of bone crystals.
Magnesium deficiencies are associated with reduced concentrations of both parathyroid hormone (PTH) and the active form of vitamin D, which are major regulators of bone homeostasis.
Magnesium deficiencies are associated with increase of inflammatory proteins (cytokines) that negatively affect bone remodeling.
Magnesium deficiencies are associated with endothelial dysfunction, negatively affecting blood flow that is necessary for bone health.
A deficiency of magnesium can influence the body’s buffering capacity resulting in a low-grade acidosis. Metabolic acidosis has been shown to lead to calcium loss from bone and to impair bone mineralization.

Good dietary magnesium sources include dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, fish, beans, whole grains, avocados, yogurt, bananas, dried fruit, and dark chocolate.

Aydin H, Deyneli O, Yavuz D. Short-term oral magnesium supplementation suppresses bone turnover in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. Biological trace element research. 133(2):136-43. 2010.

Castiglioni S, Cazzaniga A, Albisetti W, Maier J. Magnesium and Osteoporosis: Current State of Knowledge and Future Research Directions. Nutrients. 5(8):3022-3033. 2013.

Article source: https://askthescientists.com/magnesium-bone-health/?id=13550953&source=copiedlink

Comments

All About Hormones: How they Function to Keep You Healthy

If your circulatory system is a superhighway, your hormones are some of the most important traffic traveling those critical thoroughfares. Likening hormones to cars shows these complex molecules as simply vehicles. And that’s exactly what they are. Hormones are constantly driving through your internal highways to transport messages and signals between your body systems and organs. For example, when you’ve eaten a meal, the hormone insulin enters the highway from the pancreas. Then it races through the bloodstream to collect glucose and deliver it to your cells for energy. Let’s broaden this driving metaphor. If hormones are various vehicles, then the glands that produce them are like car manufacturers. These manufacturers are all a part of the larger controlling body—your endocrine system. The endocrine system employs vehicle (or hormone) manufacturers throughout the body: the pancreas, thyroid, adrenal, ovaries, and testes to name a few. Let’s take a closer look at the major hor...

6 Tips for Reading Nutrition Facts Labels

You don’t have to memorize the nutrient content of all your foods. You can thank nutrition facts labels for that. It isn’t necessary to recall the sodium content of your breakfast cereal off the top of your head every time you shop. But getting the most information from reading nutrition facts labels can be tough, too. Here’s six tips for pulling out the facts that matter most to you: Start with the Serving Size Every number on that nutrition facts label means nothing without some context. The serving size provides the context you need. All the amounts that follow are based on that servings size. Sometimes the whole package of food is a serving, but that’s not always the case. That’s why you have to be careful. Relying on the label’s serving size is a good idea because you can’t trust your judgment. It’s not an insult to you—in general, people are terrible at gauging serving sizes. Research indicates the average person’s estimations are off somewhere between 40-150 percent. So, y...

The 8 Pillars of Holistic Health and Wellness

Health is often understood as the absence of disease or sickness. While this definition is valid, it lacks the comprehensiveness of a broader approach. So start assessing your holistic health and wellness on a wider spectrum. This means wellness depends on more factors than simply avoiding the flu each year. Holistic health and wellness is sustained by eight pillars: physical, nutritional, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, financial, and environmental. The pillars will give you a sense of how to work toward your optimal wellness, but it’s by no means prescriptive. The path to wellness is not one-size-fits-all. The journey is unique and different for each individual. Your biology, personality, and environment will determine what wellness means to you. That’s why your approach should be personalized. The common thread for everyone is that wellness requires a holistic approach. So, let’s learn more about each pillar and how you can strengthen each one. Physical Most...

Wellness Mama Queen

Search This Blog