What is strontium?

    Written by:
    Daryl Nault

    Fact-checked

    by:

    Katie Jantz, Conni Covington
    Last Updated: May 16, 2025

    Strontium is a naturally occurring trace element that resembles calcium but is not biologically equivalent, leading to competition for absorption in the body. A typical diet provides 2 to 4 mg of strontium daily, primarily from plant-based sources, with variability in intake due to differences in soil strontium content. Although dietary strontium intake is generally not harmful at typical levels, excessive incorporation of strontium into the body — especially under conditions of calcium deficiency — can interfere with bone health due to competition with calcium for absorption and deposition, which potentially leads to weakened bone mineralization and related skeletal issues.

    Strontium is a naturally occurring trace element that is chemically similar to calcium. However, because of their few differences (e.g., size), strontium and calcium aren’t biologically equivalent, and they can compete for absorption and utilization in the body.[1]

    A typical diet contains 2–4 mg of strontium per day, mostly from plant-based (grain and vegetable) sources.[2][3] However, estimates have ranged from 1.4–5.7 mg per day, too.[4] The amount of strontium in a given food source varies by the amount of strontium in the soil, which may explain the variability in intake estimates.[2][3]