The key to understanding bone health is understanding minerals.
The primary mineral in your skeleton is calcium, but bones do not live on calcium alone. Drop a piece of chalk (calcium carbonate) and it will easily shatter. No one wants an all-calcium skeleton.
Although calcium supplements are the most common strategy for maintaining strong bones, Americans are much more likely to be deficient in magnesium—a mineral that provides strength and a bit of flexibility to bone tissue.
Without magnesium, bones have trouble absorbing calcium, so calcium is either excreted through the kidneys or builds up in the blood and soft tissue. Excess calcium can result in symptoms such as bone spurs, kidney stones, constipation, and joint pain. It can increase risk of heart attack and stroke, and can even lead to weaker bones….