Calcium and Magnesium with Boron

Calcium is involved in numerous vital functions throughout the body, including; bone building, protein and fat digestion, energy production, nerve transmission and neuro-muscular activity. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, contributing to 1.5 to 2% of total body weight. Bones contain more than 99% of the body's calcium.

Magnesium is critical to many cellular functions including energy production, protein formation and cellular replication. Magnesium's main function is in enzyme activation. Magnesium is predominantly deposited in the bone, the remainder residing in metabolically active tissues such as muscle, brain, heart, liver, and kidneys.

Boron is a trace mineral that is known to influence the transport of extra-cellular calcium and release of intra-cellular calcium. Boron is necessary for the action of vitamin D, the vitamin that stimulates the absorption and utilisation of calcium.

Calcium

OSTEOPOROSIS - Osteoporosis is characterised by reduced bone mass resulting in increased skeletal fragility and susceptibility to fractures. Many nutrients are important to bone health but calcium is the one most likely to be deficient. In addition to calcium's role within the structure of bone, its concentration in the blood activates controlling mechanisms on the release of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin release. These hormones directly influence the dynamic movement of calcium in and out of bone tissue.
CARDIO-PROTECTIVE - Population studies suggest a link between blood pressure and dietary intake of calcium. Additionally, epidemiological data demonstrates that calcium supplementation can lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Recently, meta-analysis has revealed a much more dramatic effect of calcium supplementation on blood pressure, in pregnant women than in non-pregnant adults. The Nurses Health Study (85,764 women) showed that those with the lowest intake of calcium intake had the greatest incidence of ischemic stroke.
CELL PROTECTION - increasing calcium intake appears to reduce the risk of colon cancer, probably through lowering fecal free bile and free fatty acid concentrations, thereby lowering cytotoxicity. Calcium has shown protective effects in cases of colonic adenomatous polyps, mammary and prostate cancer.
PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME - research has shown that calcium supplementation at 1200mg per day for 3 months significantly reduced symptoms of PMS by 48%. Magnesium is also beneficial in hormonal balance through assisting the delta-6-desaturase enzyme system required for essential fatty acid metabolism. A number of studies have shown PMS sufferers to have low red blood cell magnesium levels.

Magnesium

OSTEOPOROSIS - Magnesium supplementation is as important as calcium supplementation in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. Women with osteoporosis have lower bone magnesium content and other indicators of magnesium deficiency than women without osteoporosis. Vitamin D levels have also been found to be low in magnesium deficient osteoporosis sufferers - this may be because magnesium is required for an enzyme that converts vitamin D its most active form (1,25-(OH)2D3).
FATIGUE - An underlying magnesium deficiency, even if 'sub clinical', can result in chronic fatigue and symptoms similar to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Many chronic fatigue syndrome patients have been shown to have low red blood cell magnesium levels.
FIBROMYALGIA - a recently recognised disorder that is a common cause of chronic muscle pain and fatigue. Magnesium deficiency within muscle cells may be a factor in the development of fibromyalgia. One study demonstrates that a daily supplement of 300-600 mgs of magnesium (as malate) results in tremendous improvements in the number and severity of tender points.
MIGRAINE / TENSION HEADACHES - Several researchers link low magnesium levels with both migraine and tension headaches based on their theories and clinical observations. Reduced levels of magnesium are found in the serum, saliva and red blood cells of migraine sufferers, which indicates a need for supplementation because one of magnesium's key functions is maintenance of blood vessel tone.

Boron

BONE HEALTH - Boron appears to assist in healthy bone formation through its effects on calcium and vitamin D metabolism. Post menopausal women fed a low-boron diet have shown decreased concentrations of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol.
BRAIN FUNCTION - Brain function is affected by dietary boron deficiency. Studies have shown decreased brain activity resulting in poorer performance in tasks of motor speed and dexterity, attention, and short-term memory in humans. It has been suggested that boron can restore the damage to brain cells caused by aluminium.

Vitamin C

COLLAGEN PRODUCTION - Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an important nutrient within this formula due to the known benefits of vitamin C on collagen production (e.g. bone matrix). Ascorbic acid can also act as a solubilising agent and provide a highly bio-available form as calcium ascorbate. Additional benefits include antioxidant activity, immune function, and cardiovascular maintenance.

Malic Acid

FIBROMYALGIA - Individuals with fibromyalgia are often lacking in the mineral magnesium. Taken in combination with malic acid, this mineral helps fight fatigue and relax muscles. (Malic acid also enhances magnesium absorption). When muscles are exercised to exhaustion, continually tense, or circulation is poor, a condition of hypoxia (lack of oxygen) develops. This inhibits the breakdown of glucose for energy, causing exhaustion and pain. Malic acid breaks this bottleneck.
MINERAL CHELATION - It would appear that calcium presented as a citrate/malate salt offers high solubility with superior absorption. Malic acid is a very effective chelation creating a reaction in the stomach to enhance absorption of minerals. The acid reacts with the mineral to break the bonds with its original inorganic chelation agent. This frees the mineral to bond with the malic acid to create a malate or allows the free mineral to chelate to other organic bonds available in the stomach, i.e. citric acid (citrate), proteins (amino acid chelate) and so on. These more effective chelation agents allow for better absorption. It has been shown that calcium carbonate can have a 4-5% absorption rate, adding malic acid can increase the absorption to around 30-40%.

Dosage

In powder form, 1 tsp daily with water or fruit juice. The NIH consensus panel on osteoporosis have suggested an intake of 1000mg/day of calcium by estrogen replete premenopausal women and for postmenopausal women treated with estrogen. An intake of 1500mg/day is suggested for untreated postmenopausal women. Up to 2500mg calcium/day is suggested as an upper safety level. Research suggests that the dosage range for Boron in adults is 1-13 mg/day.

Potential applications

This combination of minerals provides support for a wide range of applications including; menopause / post-menopause related osteoporosis, bone fractures, neuro-muscular disorders e.g. fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), cardiovascular conditions e.g. hypertension, the elderly, and sports nutrition (magnesium and malic acid are required for efficient energy metabolism (ATP production). Other applications include hypertension in pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, PMS, PCOS, muscle cramps, hearing loss, and insulin resistance.

Known contraindications

Patients with hyperparathyroidism, severe heart disease or cancer should consult their physician before introducing calcium/magnesium supplementation.

Interactions

Vitamin D is required for effective absorption of calcium. Calcium in either food or supplemental form has been shown to inhibit iron absorption by 49 to 62% when ingested together. Caffeine increases urinary output of calcium.

Use in conjunction with

Osteoporosis - Multi-vitamin and mineral, green food blend, Black Cohosh, pycnogenol/grape seed extract (for collagen health)

Daily exposure to sunshine, regular exercise and a multi-nutrient formula containing vitamin D and other synergistic nutrients is suggested for optimum bone protection. Ensure 5-a-day fruits and vegetables (organic preferable) and regular consumption of soya or other phyto-estrogen rich foods.

Note

Interestingly the calcium found in broccoli is twice as bio-available as that found in cow's milk. Physical deficiency signs that correlate with a low magnesium status include hypertension, fatigue, mental confusion, irritability, weakness, nerve conduction problems, muscle cramps, insomnia, and predisposition to stress.

REFERENCES

Michael Murray. 1996. The Encyclopaedia of Nutritional Supplements. P. 44-53
Bowman and Russell. 2001. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. Eighth Edition.
Murray & Pizzorno. Encyclopaedia of Natural Medicine. 1998. Revised 2nd edition.
Nielsen FH. The justification for providing dietary guidance for the nutritional intake of boron. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, ND 58202-9034, USA. Biol Trace Elem Res 1998 Winter;66(1-3):319-30

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