A video interview with Carolyn Dean, MD, ND.  

Calcium and magnesium work so closely together that the lack of magnesium immediately diminishes the effectiveness of calcium. Adequate levels of magnesium are essential for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and Vitamin D.

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• Magnesium converts vitamin D into its active form so that it can help calcium absorption.

• Magnesium is required to activate an enzyme that is necessary to form new bone.

• Magnesium regulates active calcium transport.

The irony of the calcium-magnesium story is that without magnesium calcium will not work properly. Both our current diet and tendency to oversupplement with calcium, however, make getting enough magnesium almost impossible. Research shows that the ratio of calcium to magnesium in the Paleolithic or caveman diet—the ancient diet that evolved with our bodies—was 1:1, compared with a 5:1 to 15:1 ratio in present-day diets.19  With an average of ten times more calcium than magnesium in our current diet, there is no doubt about widespread magnesium deficiency in modern times.

The emphasis on calcium supplementation has diverted our attention from any other mineral, even though all minerals are crucial to the proper functioning of the body. In our society we tend to look for “the best,” “the most important,” “the star,” and forget that it takes a team and teamwork to get anything accomplished, including body processes.