What does magnesium do for your bone strength?
Getting enough magnesium through diet is clearly associated with stronger bones and a lower fracture risk, although large randomised studies are still scarce. Aim for a varied diet rich in magnesium-containing foods such as nuts, whole grains and green vegetables, and check your intake if you use proton pump inhibitors long-term.
Two thirds of all the magnesium in your body is stored in your bones. That fact alone says something about how closely this mineral is connected to your skeleton. People who consistently consume less magnesium than recommended have measurably lower bone density and a higher risk of fractures. It is estimated that around 20% of the population chronically takes in too little magnesium.
In post-menopausal women the association is particularly visible: 30 to 40% of the women examined in that group had low blood magnesium levels, and this was linked to higher rates of osteoporosis. A meta-analysis of studies in people aged 60 and over showed that a higher magnesium intake is associated with greater hip bone density. The European food safety authority EFSA has long recognised a causal relationship between magnesium intake and the maintenance of healthy bones.
On supplementation the picture is cautiously positive, but not yet strongly supported. All seven intervention studies summarised in one review reported a benefit for bone density and fracture risk. Doses ranged from 250 to 1800 mg per day, in the form of citrate, carbonate or oxide. Seven studies is, however, too few to draw firm conclusions. In people with chronic kidney disease, supplementation did not lead to a significant improvement in bone density, so that group is clearly an exception.
Do you use proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole long-term? Then it is worth keeping an eye on your magnesium intake. Multiple studies link prolonged use of such medications to poorer magnesium absorption, which in turn raises fracture risk.
Magnesium probably works best for your bones as part of a broader dietary pattern that also provides sufficient calcium, vitamin D and protein. Large long-term studies that definitively confirm this are still lacking, but the direction of the available research is clear enough to take magnesium-rich foods seriously.
All claims are based on PMID 33959846, 34666201, 37922025, 39547778, 20882439 and 10453178. The evidence consists largely of observational and associative research, supplemented by a limited set of intervention studies (7 studies in a narrative review). No large RCTs have yet definitively demonstrated the effect of magnesium supplementation on fracture risk.