High Concentration of Magnesium in Drinking Water Protects Against Hip Fracture

A new study reveals that drinking water containing high concentration of magnesium protects against hip fractures.

The current study led by researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health looked at the variation in magnesium and calcium levels in the drinking water available in different areas in Norway. They examined the correlation between the concentration of magnesium and calcium in drinking water and the occurrence of hip fracture.

This is the first study to evaluate the link between calcium/magnesium and incidence of hip fracture.

"The protective effect of magnesium was unsurprising but the correlation between calcium and magnesium in water and hip fracture was complex and somewhat unexpected. Therefore more research is needed to get a more reliable result of the relationship between drinking water and hip fractures and to get a better picture of the biological mechanism in the body," says Cecilie Dahl, a research fellow at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

For the study, researchers combined the information from three different sources- a project conducted earlier on drinking water in Norway, data from the register of hip fracture in Norway and data from the National population Register with inhabitants in Norway from 1994-2000 consisting of 700,000 men and women.  During the study, 5,500 hip fractures were reported among men and nearly 13,600 hip fractures were registered among women.

Researchers created a compilation of fractures in regions with highest and lowest areas of the nutrients magnesium and calcium.

The researchers noticed that the high concentration of magnesium offers protection against hip fracture for both men and women. But, calcium independently did not offer such similar benefit.

"Perhaps water utility companies should use dolomite in addition, or as an alternative, to lime. Dolomite contains both magnesium and calcium, while lime contains only calcium carbonate", said Dahl.

The researchers hope that this study will help to understand the increasing rate of hip fractures in Norway, which has become a major public health issue. Norway has one of highest levels of hip fractures in the world as nearly 9,000 Norwegian people suffer from hip fracture annually.

The study conducted in collaboration with the Universities of Bergen, Tromso, Trondheim and Oslo was funded by the Norwegian Research Council.