By: Dr. Schoer
Calcium and magnesium are pillars for optimal health, as they’re essential for the proper functioning of countless biological processes within your body. Calcium and magnesium work synergistically to support various physiological functions, including bone health, muscle function, nerve transmission, and cardiovascular health.
The Role of Calcium
Calcium is renowned for its important role in maintaining the structural integrity of teeth and healthy bones. Did you know, nearly 99% of your body’s calcium is stored in the skeletal system? This provides the strength and support crucial for activities like standing and complex athletic performances.
But beyond promoting healthy bones, calcium supports many other physiological functions, like muscle contraction, nerve transmission, blood clotting, and cell signaling, underscoring its indispensability for overall health and vitality.
The Role of Magnesium
Magnesium is one of the most important minerals for optimal health, participating in over 300 enzymatic reactions.
Magnesium is crucial for muscle function, nerve transmission, heart rhythm regulation, and bone health. It’s also essential to metabolic processes, aiding in glucose regulation and protein synthesis.
Why Take Them Together?
Magnesium is vital for calcium metabolism. It facilitates activation of vitamin D, and in turn, vitamin D enhances calcium absorption within your intestines. Furthermore, magnesium helps regulate parathyroid hormone (PTH), which is responsible for calcium balance in your body.
This intricate interplay highlights the importance of maintaining adequate levels of calcium-magnesium for optimal health – as well as vitamin D to help facilitate the process.
Essentially, magnesium is a natural complement to calcium, and both are needed in the right amounts. Without enough magnesium, calcium and vitamin D absorption may be impacted.
How To Ensure Adequate Calcium-Magnesium Intake for Optimal Health?
#1. Consume a balanced diet
Consume a balanced diet with calcium-magnesium-rich foods.
Good sources of calcium include:
Dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese.
Leafy green vegetables, such as kale, broccoli, and collard greens.
Fortified foods, such as tofu, orange juice, and breakfast cereals.
Fish, such as canned salmon and sardines.
Magnesium-rich foods include:
Nuts and seeds, such as almonds, cashews, and pumpkin seeds.
Whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, and oats.
Legumes, such as beans, lentils, and chickpeas.
Leafy green vegetables and certain fruits, such as bananas, avocados, and figs.
#2. Optimize vitamin D absorption
You can enhance calcium-magnesium absorption by consuming specific foods and vitamin D, specifically vitamin D3.
Vitamin D in its D3 form plays an essential role in calcium absorption. So, to boost your body’s absorption of calcium, increase your consumption of vitamin D3-rich foods or increase the time you spend in sunlight, which stimulates vitamin D synthesis in your skin. If you’re not often exposed to sunlight or don’t consume enough foods rich in vitamin D, you can add vitamin D3 supplements to your diet.
#3. Adopt a healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is always beneficial! Regular physical activity, for example, helps support bone and muscle health and overall wellbeing. But smoking and alcohol consumption can negatively impact calcium-magnesium absorption and utilization in your body. Avoiding these habits may help you achieve adequate levels of both minerals.
Finally, don’t forget to take care of your mental health with stress management techniques, such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, and adequate sleep, as stress can deplete magnesium levels.
#4. Supplementation
If these lifestyle changes are not enough to reach healthy levels of calcium-magnesium, supplements will ensure you achieve adequate intake for optimal health!
For example, check out the Shaklee Chewable CalMag Plus supplement that combines calcium and magnesium to ensure you reap their full total-body benefits. This supplement contains 1,300mg calcium and 200mg magnesium, combined with 15mcg (600 IU) vitamin D, and is available at the clinic, 15% off for the month of August 2024 only!
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