Doctoral Candidate Says Calcium and Magnesium Work Better Together
Image by K. Webster
10/20/2023
By Katharine Webster
Getting the right balance of calcium and magnesium in your diet may help to prevent bone loss as you age, says Liam Fouhy 鈥�19, a researcher and doctoral student in public health who specializes in nutritional epidemiology.
鈥淥ur research found that the balance is more important in preventing osteoporosis than meeting the recommended daily minimum of each mineral,鈥� says Fouhy, whose analysis is based on the long-running Boston Puerto Rican Health Study of 1,500 older adults. was published in the Journal of Nutrition.
A ratio between 2:1 and 3:1 of calcium to magnesium in the diet appears to be most beneficial for strong bones, Fouhy says: 鈥淎nything above or below that appears to harm bone health.鈥�
Calcium and magnesium 鈥渃ompete鈥� to be absorbed by the same mechanism in the small intestine, Fouhy explains. If you consume too much of one mineral, it will crowd out the other, leading to an imbalance that can weaken bones over time.
But not to worry, he says 鈥� most people can get plenty of calcium and magnesium through a healthy and varied diet. In fact, his research looked only at people who didn鈥檛 use supplements.
Prime sources of both minerals include dairy products, seafood, meat, poultry, and fruits and vegetables grown in healthy soil, he says.
Vegans who want to make sure they鈥檙e getting enough of both minerals, as well as vegetarians who don鈥檛 tolerate dairy products or eggs well, might want to use a supplement that combines calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D and is certified by the NSF, the National Supplement Foundation, he says.
鈥淲e often research individual nutrients, but they really need to be looked at in context with one another because that鈥檚 how they鈥檙e consumed in food, and they interact with each other,鈥� he says.
Fouhy鈥檚 research advisor is Nutritional Science Assoc. Prof. Sabrina Noel, director of community engagement for the UML Center for Population Health. The Boston Puerto Rican Health Study is led by Nutritional Science Prof. Katherine Tucker and Luis Falc贸n, dean of the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
