Magnesium ingestion and bone magnesium concentration in paleodietary reconstruction: cautionary evidence from an animal model

Elemental analysis of archaeological bone has been used in attempts to reconstruct aspects of paleodiet. For magnesium, however, the results have been disappointing, perhaps because the underlying assumption that bone concentration directly reflects dietary intake is not valid. Cortical bone samples from two groups of swine raised on diets that were identical except for magnesium content were analysed for magnesium. Mean bone magnesium concentration was slightly, but not significantly, higher in the magnesium supplemented group. It is suggested that typical human dietary differences would not be detected by differences in bone magnesium concentration.