Your bones require a combination of minerals for strength. Osteopenia is a condition where your bones are weakened, having lower levels of minerals. Osteopenia can typically be reversed by treating any medical conditions causing bone mineral loss and replacing lost bone minerals. In addition to calcium, strengthening weakened bones requires magnesium.
Osteopenia
Osteopenia is a weakening of the bones that has not progressed into osteoporosis. Your doctor will diagnose you with osteopenia based on your measured bone mineral density. As you age, your bone mineral density decreases naturally, although some chemicals and medical conditions can speed the rate of bone loss. Minerals are constantly being lost and redeposited from your bone. In osteopenia and osteoporosis, too few minerals are redeposited or too many are lost.
Risks & Treatment
If you have osteopenia, you are at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis or fracturing bones. According to Harvard Medical School, medication may not be as effective for treatment as regular weight-bearing exercise and mineral supplements. Weight-bearing exercise includes walking or weight lifting, but not biking or swimming.
Minerals & Bone
The majority of your bones are made up of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphate. Low levels of magnesium can deplete calcium from your body, preventing it from being reabsorbed into your bones. Poor diet, alcoholism, advanced age, low estrogen levels and a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to the lose of bone mineral density. If you are taking calcium supplements to treat osteopenia, you should also take magnesium.
Magnesium & Calcium
Both magnesium and calcium are integrated into your bones. Take half as much supplemental magnesium as calcium. If you take an additional 600 mg of calcium as a supplement, you should also take 300 mg of magnesium. Avoid taking calcium or magnesium in excess and follow your doctor’s instructions. Magnesium supplements may cause gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea.
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