What Minerals Do You Need For Bone Loss?

Your skeleton is a metabolically active, dynamic organ system. Your bones are continuously being broken down and rebuilt by specialized cells living along their exposed surfaces. If the activity of these cells is not kept in balance, you can gradually lose bone mass over long periods of time, leading to a condition called osteoporosis. Your skeletal integrity depends on a daily supply of various nutrients -- vitamins, minerals, trace elements and energy -- but some minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, play a larger role in bone health than others.

Calcium

Your body contains about 3 lbs. of calcium, and 98 percent of it is stored in your bones at any moment in time. Calcium participates in a variety of physiological processes in your body, and its concentration in your bloodstream is tightly regulated. Your skeleton serves as a reservoir for calcium, which is removed from your bones, at the expense of bone strength if your calcium intake falls. Recommended dietary recommendations for calcium range from 210 mg daily for infants to 1,500 mg for postmenopausal women.

Magnesium

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, and more than half of it is in your bones and teeth, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. As with calcium, your skeleton acts as a repository for magnesium, and your body draws it from your bones to maintain magnesium levels in your bloodstream and other tissues and organs. Recommended daily intakes for magnesium vary from 30 mg for infants to 420 mg for adult males.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus only makes up about 1 percent of your total body weight, but it is an important constituent of healthy bone tissue. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University reports that 85 percent of your body's phosphorus is found in your bones, where it combines with calcium to form a strong structural salt called hydroxyapatite. Recommended dietary allowances for phosphorus range from 100 mg daily for infants to 1,250 mg for adolescents and pregnant or lactating women. Most people in developed countries easily obtain enough phosphorus from their diets.

Others

Several other minerals are needed for healthy bone formation and maintenance, but they play a less prominent role than calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Sulfur, copper, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, silicon, boron and zinc are all found in your bones, and several of these elements participate in forming the collagen meshwork that serves as a scaffold for new bone. Others may simply be stored in bone or serve in the metabolic activities of the cells that nourish or remodel bone tissue.

Considerations

Osteoporosis affects a significant number of elderly people. Adequate dietary intake of minerals is important for maintaining normal bone mass and for helping to replace bone that is lost. However, treating osteoporosis is more difficult than preventing it. In 2002, the National Institutes of Health reported that the most important determinant of lifelong skeletal health is the bone mass you attain early in life. Thus, children and adolescents should develop good eating habits, including adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D. Ask your physician if your mineral needs are being met.