Magnesium and Calcium – Frenemies?
Magnesium and Calcium need each other and work as part of a team, but they also fight against each other. This friend/foe relationship is sometimes difficult to understand.
To put it simply Calcium cannot be used by the body without the aid of Magnesium.
- Magnesium calms nerves whereas Calcium stimulates them.
- Magnesium keeps blood flowing whereas Calcium is needed for clotting.
- Magnesium is needed to relax muscles whereas Calcium contracts them.
- Magnesium is found mostly in soft structures whereas Calcium is found mainly in bone.
- Magnesium is found inside the cells whereas Calcium is found mostly outside the cells.
Ratio of Magnesium and Calcium
For years it has been suggested that a
Calcium to Magnesium ratio should be 2:1 but this has been questioned
by, amongst others, Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle.
Dr Dean recommends going for a 1:2 or at the very least a 1:1
Calcium to Magnesium balance.
Magnesium and Calcium - my expereince
All through my life, a large chunk of it pre-internet, I have been told of the benefits of Calcium.
Born and bred in the UK I was of a generation of school children who were given a daily milk bottle (a gill - third of a pint) of whole cow's milk free of charge, by courtesy of the Government.
Also at school we were provided with subsidized and sometimes free school dinners. The dreaded Tapioca pudding, Rice pudding and Sago pudding that we were forced to eat all contained grains and cow's milk.
Dinner ladies patrolled the dining tables to ensure every scrap of these revolting puddings was consumed. The threat of a slap across the back of the legs tended to encourage even the fussiest of eaters.
Calcium Rich MilkI remember also the Milk Marketing Board Recipe Book that my mother would use to help her produce milk puddings like blancmange, milk jelly, and custard. This recipe book was delivered free of charge by our local milkman.
He would deliver milk in returnable glass bottles to our doorstep six days a week. The milkman was a common sight throughout the UK as I was growing up and the Milk Marketing Board produced many successful advertising campaigns.
Milk Marketing Board
From Wikipedia:
"From the 1950s onwards there were several memorable advertising campaigns by the Milk Marketing Board. Slogans included "full of natural goodness", "is your man getting enough?", "milk's gotta lotta bottle" and "drinka pinta milka day". In the 1980s, they ran the "Accrington Stanley, Who Are They?" advert which was widely praised.
The campaigns were largely on ITV television, but were also printed on the returnable milk bottles delivered by milkmen.
The Milk Marketing Board sponsored the Milk Race Tour of Britain cycle race from 1958–1993, at 35 years making it the longest cycle sponsorship in the UK ever.
The Milk Marketing Board also sponsored the Football League Cup from 1981–1986, renaming it the Milk Cup."
Healthy Teeth and Bones
I have been encouraged to eat and give my children Calcium rich foods, such as cheese, milk and yogurt for healthy teeth and bones. Calcium, along with other minerals and vitamins was and is artificially added to breakfast cereals.
So a bowl of processed breakfast cereal, fortified with vitamins and minerals, and added salt and sugar, (to make it palatable, especially to children), swimming in cow's milk was considered a healthy breakfast. Cereal with milk had to be healthy, as the pack and TY advertisements suggested.
During pregnancy and whilst breast feeding, doctors, midwives and health visitors encouraged my dairy consumption for Calcium repletion. Later as an ageing woman I worried about the avoidance of osteoporosis as I entered menopause and sought out Calcium rich foods and supplements.
So it was with shock and surprise that I discovered that I was most likely deficient in Magnesium and had too much Calcium! The relationship between Magnesium and Calcium had passed me by.
Until searching for solutions to my continued ill health symptoms, I did not realize that our bodies need a ratio of 1:1 Calcium and Magnesium. Encouraged by the Government, the National Health Service, the medical profession, the Education Authority, the Milk Marketing Board and TV advertisement, I like a lot of my peers consumed a diet that was 3:1 - that is 3 parts Calcium to 1 part Magnesium.
Calcium competes with the Magnesium stores in the body, and any excess Calcium can cause major health problems. I just did not realise the importance of Magnesium and Calcium ratio.
I had to redress this imbalance.
Because of my health issues, my body forced me to give up grains, including fortified breakfast cereals. I also found it necessary to rid all dairy from my diet. So my Calcium consumption was cut dramatically.
My lack of Calcium came back to bite me later though, as I realised I had Osteomalacia which is caused by a lack of Vitamin D and/or Calcium, but that is a different story.
Too Much Calcium and Too Little Magnesium
Calcium belongs predominantly outside of the cells and Magnesium inside the cells. Having sufficient Magnesium guards against Calcium invading the cells and soft tissues. But if you are Magnesium deficient and the ratio of Magnesium and Calcium is not in balance problems can occur.
Recent studies on too much Calcium intake, particularly Calcium supplements, have pointed to risks of heart attack, stroke, muscle pain, kidney stones, abdominal pain, lung and respiratory issues and even mood disorders.
The emphasis, encouragement and education on the benefits of Calcium have far outstripped the publicity surrounding the need for Magnesium. This imbalance needs to be addressed if we are to avoid major illnesses in the future. I cannot stress strongly enough the need for the Magnesium and Calcium ratio to be correct for Fibromyalgia sufferers.