How to take calcium and magnesium so as not to harm your health: doctor’s advice

Before you start taking calcium, you should consult your doctor. Do not self-medicate, as excess of this element can lead to loss of appetite, deterioration of liver and kidney function, nausea, vomiting, seizures.

Doctors recommend taking calcium in the evening after meals. This is not a simple invention, everything is explained by science. Scientists have conducted research on the biological rhythm of the human body. It turns out that at noon the body consumes the minimum amount of calcium, and at night – the maximum. With a lack of this chemical element, the body takes calcium from the bone tissue, which leads to joint problems.

Doctors believe that calcium intake alone is not enough. This element will not stay in the body if it is not synthesized together with vitamin D. But it is worth noting that foods containing vitamin D should be eaten 4 hours before taking calcium supplements. Calcium tablets can be taken with food that contains this element. Such products can be:

• kefir;
• milk;
• cottage cheese;
• sour cream;
• yogurt.

Can magnesium and calcium be taken at the same time? Some doctors argue that without magnesium, calcium will be less absorbed, while others are confident that these two elements need to be taken, but separately.

How should you take calcium in order not to harm your health? To find a middle ground, doctors suggest taking such drugs in a 2: 1 ratio. 1 g of calcium accounts for 0,5 g of magnesium. In order for the absorption of calcium to be harmonious and natural, you need to add buckwheat and barley groats, cashews, almonds, millet to the diet.

How long can you take calcium? You do not need to constantly take this element in the composition of tablets. A lot does not mean good. Calcium should be drunk in courses, but not more than 1-2 months.

It is necessary to adjust the time of taking such drugs during the period of active growth, after bone fractures, during pregnancy. Only an experienced doctor can accurately determine the duration of the course. After completing the course, one must not forget about the products that contain this element. They can and should be added to your diet.

Expert Opinion

Physician-therapist of the highest qualification category, maxillofacial surgeon, clinical psychologist, military doctor

In the people “drying of bones” is called the development of the disease due to a lack of calcium and magnesium. The medical name for the disease is osteoporosis. In terms of the number of cases, it ranks 4th (after oncology, CVD and diabetes mellitus). Osteoporosis is a gradual decrease in bone mass. The disease is considered female, and among the most vulnerable are fair-skinned, thin women. Especially bone mass starts to go away in the first year of menopause. During this period, a woman loses up to 20%, and then 2-5% of bone mass annually. The main cause of osteoporosis is calcium deficiency. Why is it missing?

There are many reasons: a decrease in sex hormones, a lack of vitamin D, the main conductor of calcium from the intestines to the bones, a lack of fat in the diet (without them, vitamin D will not be absorbed), alcohol (increases the production of parathyroid hormone, which leads to the leaching of calcium), abuse of caffeine and protein foods also leads to leaching of calcium.

• An adult needs 1000 mg of calcium per day, and a woman after 50 years – 1200 mg.

• Children: 1-3 years old – 500 mg, 4-8 years old – 800 mg, 9-18 years old – 1300 mg.

Whole milk products – an excellent source of calcium. 100 mg of calcium is contained in 100 ml of milk, 70 g of cottage cheese, 10 g of hard cheese, 100 g of sour cream. It is the most easily absorbed form of calcium. There is calcium in plant products, but less digestible. So, to get as much calcium as is contained in a glass of milk, you need to eat 6 servings of broccoli. Calcium can also be obtained from special supplements, but this should be done only when monitoring analyzes, otherwise there may be an excess of an element that will lead to disruption of the stomach, kidneys, heart muscle, nervous system, fragility of bone tissue.

Magnesium is an antidepressant that has a positive effect on the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and the perception of new information. Participates in muscle contractions, including the heart muscle. Excellent antispasmodic (regulates blood pressure and has a mild analgesic effect). It is part of many enzymes. Magnesium likes to coexist with vitamin B6, which improves the absorption of magnesium and its penetration into the cell.

• The daily requirement for magnesium is 400-800 mg.

Lack of magnesium leads to rapid fatigue, unreasonable irritation, aggression, anxiety, depression, memory impairment, as well as sweating, convulsive muscle contractions and interruptions in heart contractions.

The most digestible form of magnesium is in foods. Leaders are wheat bran, pumpkin seeds, nuts, spinach, rice, beans, chocolate… In all these foods, magnesium is adjacent to vitamin B6, which is very important for absorption. There are also pharmaceutical forms of magnesium. But they should be prescribed by a doctor after the tests. Abuse of these forms can lead to an excess of magnesium in the body, which can lead to impaired coordination of movement, muscle weakness, heart rhythm disturbances, dry skin and mucous membranes, as well as nausea, diarrhea and dehydration.