Cal/Mag-Tea Plus

Cal/Mag Tea Plus, provided by Douglas Laboratories, supplies beneficial amounts of bioavailable calcium and magnesium citrate in a pleasant tasting, natural lemon juice flavored powder. Designed to be mixed in water, Cal/Mag Tea Plus provides an easy and convenient way to supplement calcium and magnesium in the diet.

The adult human body contains approximately 1,200 g of calcium, about 99% of which is present in the skeleton. Bone is constantly turning over, a continuous process of formation and resorption. In children and adolescents, the rate of formation of bone mineral predominates over the rate of resorption. In later life, resorption predominates over formation. Therefore, in normal aging, there is a gradual loss of bone.

Osteoporosis, a condition of reduced bone mineral density that can increase risk of fractures, affects a large proportion of the elderly in developed countries. Caucasian and Asian women typically have low peak bone densities, and therefore, are at the greatest risk of developing osteoporosis. It is generally accepted that obtaining enough dietary calcium throughout life can significantly decrease the risk of developing osteoporosis. Among other factors, such as regular exercise, gender and race, calcium supplementation during childhood and adolescence appears to be a prerequisite for maintaining adequate bone density later in life.

But even elderly osteoporotic patients can benefit significantly from supplementation with dietary calcium. Magnesium is a mineral with a fundamentally important physiological function in the body. However, typical diets in the U.S. and other industrialized countries often provide less than adequate amounts of magnesium. Supplementation with bioavailable salts of this mineral can help bridge the gap between dietary intake and optimal requirement. Magnesium plays an essential role in a wide range of fundamental cellular reactions. More than 300 enzymes require magnesium as a cofactor.

Complexed with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main carrier of metabolic energy in the body, magnesium is essential for all biosynthetic processes: glycolysis, formation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), energy-dependent membrane transport, transmission of genetic code for protein synthesis, and muscle function. Magnesium is also involved in maintaining normal heart function and blood pressure. Two thirds of the body’s magnesium content is located in the skeleton. Recent scientific studies show that magnesium supplementation of ovariectomized animals, a model for postmenopausal women, not only promotes bone formation while increasing its dynamic strength, but also prevents bone resorption.