What Are the Benefits of Magnesium for Osteoporosis?

As a person grows older, he or she has an increased chance of developing osteoporosis, a condition in which bone density decreases and bones become more fragile. Calcium is often promoted as an osteoporosis treatment, but using magnesium for osteoporosis treatment can also be very beneficial. Magnesium supplements can benefit an osteoporosis sufferer by causing bones to be less brittle, helping bones heal faster after a break and maybe even reversing some of the effects of osteoporosis.

The body contains a lot of magnesium, and more than half of it is found in the bones, making magnesium for osteoporosis treatment very important. Although calcium helps bones grow, magnesium plays a vital role in bone density, which can help the bones of older osteoporosis patients be less brittle. The less brittle a person's bones are, the less chance he or she has of breaking or fracturing a bone during a fall or an accident.

When an osteoporosis patient does break a bone, adding more magnesium to his or her diet via food or from a supplement can help the bone heal faster. Foods that are rich in magnesium include almonds, spinach, soy beans, peanut butter and oatmeal. Yogurt also is a good food choice for osteoporosis patients because it is a dual source of both magnesium and calcium. If a person can't eat any of these foods, there are many over-the-counter magnesium supplement pills that can help increase a person's magnesium level.

Although it is not an easy task, osteoporosis can sometimes be reversed. Magnesium for osteoporosis benefits bone health so much that the mineral can play an essential part in the reversal process. Increasing magnesium for osteoporosis patients can help with calcium absorption. When the body does not have enough magnesium, the bones will continue to lose calcium. Both calcium and magnesium should be used together as directed by a doctor to help reverse osteoporosis.

It is important for a patient who wants to reverse the effects of osteoporosis to speak with a healthcare professional to determine the right amounts of calcium and magnesium needed in his or her diet. Ingesting too much calcium and not enough magnesium, or vice versa, can hinder the reversal process. One common mistake that some osteoporosis suffers make is drinking too much milk. Milk in moderation is good for the bones, but having too much milk can raise a person's calcium level so much that it hinders magnesium's job in the bone-forming process.