Osteoporosis, Poor Bone Health and the Case for Magnesium and Healthy Bone Devel

November 14, 2010

Osteoporosis, Poor Bone Health and the Case for Magnesium and Healthy Bone

Development

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Osteoporosis is neither a normal nor inevitable consequence of aging: Our

bones were designed to last a lifetime. Popular wisdom, however ...

.... is that osteoporosis in women is due to a decrease in estrogen levels

with age. Doctors therefore rely on estrogen, calcium, and drugs that

stimulate bone formation to treat osteoporosis. The National Institutes of

Health (NIH) Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy Consensus

Statement

of 2000 was developed from a conference including eighty experts, but no

mention of magnesium deficiency as a causative factor in osteoporosis was

made in the final report.1

With drug companies funding most of the osteoporosis research, there are

no large clinical trials investigating the magnesium connection in bone

production. Although we were able to find over 22,000 journal articles on

osteoporosis, there were only ten in the past decade that studied the magnesium

connection in humans. As long as people are given false hope that there is

some magic bullet in the pharmaceutical pipeline that will cure

osteoporosis, or any other chronic disease, they will ignore the underlying

diet- and

nutrient-related reasons for their health problems.

The recent report that Fosamax causes jawbone deterioration is evidence

that this drug, and likely all bisphosphonates, cause brittle bones. Fosamax

destroys osteoclasts, the cells that remodel bone (sculpt the bone as new

bone forms). Fosamax is therefore supposed to prevent bone breakdown but the

drug companies did not reckon with the bone-remodeling function of the

osteoclast. X-rays of bones under the influence of Fosamax may look like they

have more calcium but without the remodeling capacity the bones internal

structure is in disarray, and bones are more brittle, and may actually break

more easily.

When you read the scientific literature, there is ample evidence that many

nutrients, especially magnesium, play a crucial role in bone development.

Much animal research, for example, proves that magnesium depletion alters

bone and mineral metabolism, which results in bone loss and osteoporosis. 5,

6 Magnesium deficiency is very common in women with osteoporosis compared

to controls. 2

In one study, postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were able to stop the

progression of the disease with 250-750 mg of magnesium daily for two

years. Without any other added measures, 8 percent of these women experienced a

net increase in bone density. 3

A group of menopausal women given a magnesium hydroxide supplement for two

years had fewer fractures and a significant increase in bone density. 4

Another study showed that by taking magnesium lactate (1,500-3,000 mg

daily for two years), 65 percent of the women were completely free of pain and

had no further degeneration of spinal vertebrae.5

Magnesium in conjunction with hormonal replacement improved bone density

in several groups of women compared to controls.6, 7

In fact, if you are taking estrogen and have a low magnesium intake,

calcium supplementation may increase your risk of thrombosis (blood clotting

that can lead to a heart attack). 8

It is unfortunate that the treatment for osteoporosis has been simplified

into the single battle cry **Take calcium**. Calcium dominates every

discussion about osteoporosis, is used to fortify dozens of foods (including

orange juice and cereal), and is a top-selling supplement, but it cannot stand

alone.

Calcium and magnesium work so closely together that the lack of one

immediately diminishes the effectiveness of the other. Even though the use of

calcium supplementation for the management of osteoporosis has increased

significantly in the last decade, scientific studies do not support such large

doses after menopause. Soft tissue calcification could be a serious side

effect of taking too much calcium. 9

Osteoporosis is generally a progressive disease, and some say it is

incurable, but if you avoid the risk factors that are under your control, take

a

good range of bone-building nutrients, and exercise, you can halt the

condition even if you have the symptoms. Prevention is the best defense, the

key

elements of which are:

-- Eat a balanced, nutrient-rich diet.

-- Take supplements of calcium, magnesium, and the various bone support

factors.

-- Practice a vigorous exercise program throughout life.

References:

1. The National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis Prevention,

Diagnosis,and Therapy Consensus Statement, Mar. 2000.

2. Brodowski J, Levels of ionized magnesium in women with various stages

of postmenopausal osteoporosis progression evaluated on the basis of

densitometric examinations. Przegl Lek, vol. 57, no. 12, pp. 714-716, 2000.

3. Sojka JE, Weaver CM, Magnesium supplementation and osteoporosis.

Nutrition Reviews, vol. 53, p. 71, 1995.

4. Goldberg B, Alternative Medicine Guide: Women's Health Series 2, Future

Medicine Publishing, Tiburon, CA, 1998.

5. Dreosti IE, Magnesium status and health. Nutrition Reviews, vol. 53,

no. 9, pp. 523-527, 1995.

6. Abraham GE, Grewal HA, Total dietary program emphasizing magnesium

instead of calcium: effect on the mineral density of calcaneous bone in

postmenopausal women on hormonal therapy. Journal of Reproductive Medicine,

vol.

35, no. 5, pp. 503-507, 1990.

7. Seelig MS, Increased magnesium need with use of combined estrogen and

calcium for osteoporosis. Magnesium Res, vol. 3, pp. 197-215, 1990.

8. Goldberg B, Alternative Medicine Guide: Women's Health Series 2, Future

Medicine Publishing, Tiburon, CA, 1998.

9. Brown S, Better Bones, Better Body, Keats Publishing, New Canaan, CT,

1996.

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