agnesium and calcium form divalent cations, which means they become metal ions with a plus two positive charge. This similarity means that they tend to antagonise one another in cellular function. Calcium is particularly important for the function of muscle tissue, and its influx to cardiac, skeletal or smooth muscle causes contraction and increases the tone of the muscle. Because of its similar charge, magnesium can inhibit this influx by taking the place of calcium, but at the same time has no effect on muscle contraction. Magnesium therefore causes muscles to relax, a mechanisms it shares with pharmaceutical calcium channel blockers. The ratio of calcium and magnesium in the diet should be balanced, but people generally get too little calcium, and even less magnesium, which upsets the ratio of calcium to magnesium and causes physiological imbalance. Dietary sources of magnesium are limited to whole grain cereals and green leafy vegetables. People who do not regularly consume these are likely short of magnesium.
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