The Magnesium-Calcium Ratio Hypothesis
According to some, milk causes osteoporosis because it is high in calcium and low in magnesium.
Mother’s milk however, has the same magnesium-calcium ratio (1:10) as cow’s milk:
Cow’s milk Human milk Calcium, average 120 32 Calcium, variation 107 – 133 25 – 41 Magnesium, av. 12 3 Magnesium, var. 9 – 16 3 – 5
Mother’s milk appears to perfectly enable the infant to grow strong bones, just as cows' milk does for the calves. Mother’s milk certainly does not enhance osteoporosis in suckling. On the contrary, mother’s milk enables infants to grow stronger bones very rapidly.
A study even showed an association between a high magnesium intake and hip fracture risk. (1)
Some say that magnesium and calcium are two competing minerals that naturally occur in a 1:2 balance. The more calcium is consumed the more magnesium is required (to deport calcium from cells).
This, of course, is utter nonsense; there is no natural magnesium-calcium balance. This ratio is different per food. And again, mother’s milk contains the least magnesium relative to calcium, and no sane person can claim that mother’s milk causes osteoporosis or that pork is preventive and vegetables and oranges cause osteoporosis.
The amount of magnesium relative to the amount of calcium in different foods: Only 50% is natural? Please! 844% pork 800% maize 683% rice 414% banana 391% beef 334% wheat 328% potato 308% chicken 250% mackerel 223% salmon 161% oats 158% mutton 123% veal 44% carrots 33% orange 23% broccoli 21% chicken egg 10% Cows milk (min. 3.5% fat) 10% Human milk
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Source An abstract of this source can be found at the National Library of Medicine
(1) Michaelsson K, et al, Diet and hip fracture risk: a case-control study. Study Group of the Multiple Risk Survey on Swedish Women for Eating Assessment. Int. J. Epidemiol. 1995 / 24 (4) / 771-782.
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