This widely sold, economical form of magnesium, magnesium oxide, is preferred by dietary supplement manufacturers because it is 70% elemental magnesium and only 30% carrier (oxide). But only 4% of magnesium oxide is absorbed.
So a person taking 400 milligrams of magnesium oxide, the commonly provided dose in supplements, would effectively absorb only 16 milligrams. Other forms of magnesium in dietary supplements, such as glycinate, malate, citrate, roughly provide 30% elemental magnesium, and about 30-50% is absorbed. So about 120-200 milligrams of a 400- milligram magnesium citrate supplement gets absorbed.
Supplements Calcium
The companies that make mineral supplements often list an amount on the label for the total amount of mineral complex, not the elemental amount of magnesium or calcium, which are bulky minerals.
So consumers have little chance of knowing if they are getting the amount of calcium and magnesium they need. Magnesium oxide shouldn't even be sold. Ask your supplier, how much elemental calcium and magnesium is in your product?
Do Calcium Supplements Work?
Calcium is an essential, but over-promoted, mineral. It's widely acclaimed function is to maintain bones since it is the primary mineral in the skeleton.
Ask any pharmacist, physician or dietician about how much supplemental calcium is needed to prevent age-related bone loss (osteoporosis) and they are likely to come up with the figure of 1200 milligrams per day.
But that figure was produced by a government panel of experts that said 1200 milligram recommendation was the combination of the diet plus supplements.
Most doctors and dietary supplement manufacturers provide the full 1200 milligrams of calcium with no regard for dietary intake, which is about 800 milligrams per day.
For comparison, Japanese women consume only about 400 milligrams of calcium per day and have far fewer hip fractures, the primary reason why mineral supplements are consumed.
Deduct 800 mg from 1200 mg and postmenopausal women only need 400 mg from supplements to meet the recommended daily intake.
Side Effects And Risks Of Calcium Supplements
Excessive intake of calcium produces calcified arteries, kidney stones, calcified heart valves, hypertension, constipation, and muscle spasms (migraines, heart flutters, backaches).
But even 400 mg of supplemental calcium will not delay or prevent osteoporosis. Recently an investigator analyzed the data behind the idea that bone density prevents fractures. Strikingly, he found that in countries with a high bone mass density, fracture rates in the elderly are significantly higher.
This is not based upon genetic differences. His report concluded: "Bone mass density does not represent long-term bone health, but merely momentary bone strength." Thijs R. Klompmaker of the Netherlands says adequate estrogen levels preserve bone health, not supplemental calcium. [Medical Hypotheses 65: 552-58, 2005]
The dairy products industry influenced government health authorities to over-promote calcium and the doctors, dieticians and pharmacists, and supplement manufacturers, blindly went along with this false idea.
Another obvious fact: why do women develop osteoporosis with greater severity than men? One reason is that women live a bit longer. But the primary reason is that they stopped producing estrogen, which sends a signal to hold calcium in bones.
It's obvious, women need to replace estrogen, but in more mild ways than estrogen-replacement therapy. The evident answer is to consume plant estrogens (isoflavones from soy, lignans from flaxseed), that are about 1/1000th the strength of human estrogen). [Asia Pac J Clinical Nutrition 13:S74, 2004]
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