Magnesium and Osteoporosis

I was excited to see an article on the Mercola website titled “The Great Osteoporosis Scam”[i] and an expanded version on Substack. I’ve been writing about the overdiagnosis and mistreatment of osteoporosis for years and I wanted to see if the author had caught up with my assertion that “Osteoporosis is a condition of low magnesium in the presence of elevated calcium, with or without vitamin D, which triggers a cascade of events leading to bone loss.”

Points of Agreement

Unfortunately. there was no mention of magnesium in the article at all. I’ll get to magnesium shortly, but first let me list our points of agreement.

1. Osteoporosis is being over diagnosed by too frequent DEXA bone scans. There is a natural decline in bone density with age. However, the scan compares elderly bones to that of a 30-year-old female, which most of us are going to fail.
2. A diagnosis of osteoporosis gives doctors the green light to prescribe osteoclast-killing drugs like Fosamax that stop bone breakdown and bone remodeling which encourages the formation of brittle bones.
3. DEXA scans and drug prescriptions are both money makers, so nobody is looking for an inexpensive solution to osteoporosis.

Magnesium and Bone Health
 – from The Magnesium Miracle

• Adequate levels of magnesium are essential for the absorption and metabolism of calcium.
• Magnesium stimulates a particular hormone, calcitonin, that helps to preserve bone structure and draws calcium out of the blood and soft tissues back into the bones, preventing some forms of arthritis and kidney stones.
• Magnesium suppresses another bone hormone called parathyroid, preventing it from breaking down bone.
• Magnesium converts vitamin D into its active form so that it can help calcium absorption.
• Magnesium is required to activate an enzyme that is necessary to form new bone.
• Magnesium regulates active calcium transport.
• It is also important to mention that vitamin K2 plays an important role is helping direct calcium to the bones where it belongs.

The soft tissue matrix of the bones requires collagen and elastin. The collagen precursors and supporters are vitamin C, manganese, and magnesium. This article mentions manganese but not magnesium nor vitamin C.

There was a section in the article about the causes of osteoporosis that is worth going over with my recommendations added.

1. Lack of Mobility — Move it or lose it takes on a whole new meaning with bone and muscle health. Walk for your heart, lungs, and legs and carry a 3-pound weight for weight bearing arm exercise.
2. Hormones — Lower estrogen is equated with bone loss, which is why we need to keep our muscles strong to take up the slack. Picometer minerals, especially magnesium help balance our sex hormones. A picometer multi-mineral supports thyroid hormone production, which also supports the sex hormones.
3. Inflammation — Chronic inflammation activates bone-dismantling processes. Avoid sugar, gluten, and seed oils. Take a whole food based B vitamin and glutathione precursor, picometer magnesium and picometer multi-mineral.
4. Amino acid deficiency —Amino acids that build collagen are especially important – glycine, proline and hydroxyproline. The author says this can be due to stomach acid deficiency. I recommend a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar in water before a meal and an amino acid rich protein powder.
5. Minerals — Bone minerals go beyond calcium and include magnesium, boron, manganese – in fact all the minerals in a picometer multi-mineral support bone health.
6. Water fluoridation —Studies link fluoride to osteomalacia and increased fracture risk. Stay away from all forms of fluoride.
7. Pharmaceutical drugs — Glucocorticoid steroids (e.g., prednisone) and opioids can weaken bones and increase fracture risk. Make sure you are on all the Completement Formulas so you don’t have to take drugs.
8. Environmental toxins — Exposure to toxins like organophosphates, bisphenol A, nicotine, and heavy metals inhibit bone formation and contribute to osteoporosis. Be sure and read my blog “Minerals Block Heavy Metals” (June 06, 2024) and keep taking your picometer minerals.

Carolyn Dean MD ND
The Doctor of the Future

[i] https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-great-osteoporosis-scam