There's something missing
Your body doesn’t make me and a deficiency in any of me will negatively impact your health and general well being, sometimes with serious consequences. Without me you can not use other nutrients such as vitamins, fats, proteins or carbohydrates. However, getting the correct amounts of me is not an easy task, especially in todays world filled with stress, processed foods, depleted soils, pesticides and poor lifestyles to contend with. It’s almost impossible to achieve it from food alone. I am talking about MINERALS.
There is always a lot of talk about calcium, antioxidants and other nutrients but many overlook a mineral which is crucial to overall health as it is involved in over 300 chemical reactions in our bodies. Many of the symptoms of a deficiency in this mineral are identical to those found in old age. So, if you want to remain youthful and have constant energy and vitality, keep on reading.
Let’s talk about the miracle of Magnesium
- It’s the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and can be found in all body tissues mainly in the bones, muscles and brain.
- Your cells use it to make energy
- It can fight depression, fatigue and even kidney disease
- It is vital for many essential bodily functions
- It is known as the relaxation mineral
- It is estimated that up to 70% of the adult population may be deficient.
- Only about 1% of it is found in the blood, making blood tests a very difficult way to identify a deficiency.
- It activates more enzymes systems in the body than iron and zinc combined.
People at serious risk of a deficiency in magnesium include the elderly, diabetics, those on low calorie diets, those drinking excess amounts of alcohol and those who participate in intense exercise sessions.
Benefits:
Better sleep - The sleep regulating hormone melatonin is disturbed when Magnesium is deficient.
Controls Stress Hormones - Which will also help improve sleep.
Relaxes the nervous system - Serotonin, which relaxes the nervous system and elevates mood, is dependent on Magnesium.
Bigger, stronger muscles - Magnesium allows the body to produce more Insulin-like Growth Factor, which is a major contributor to the growth and strength of muscles.
Eases muscle cramps and spasms - Magnesium loosens tight muscles. Without Magnesium, muscles do not relax properly and cramps occur.
Better flexibility - Magnesium is important for flexibility, because low Magnesium results in a buildup of lactic acid, causing pain and tightness.
Regulates blood pressure - high blood pressure increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. Magnesium also enhances the circulation of blood around the body.
Bone strength - Magnesium is essential for the absorption of calcium. Magnesium also stimulates calcitonin which is a bone preserving hormone, and it suppresses a hormone called parathyroid that breaks down bone.
Magnesium is therefore essential in preventing osteoporosis.
Protects teeth - Magnesium deficiency causes an unhealthy balance of phosphorous and calcium in saliva, which damages teeth.
Alkalises the body - Magnesium helps return the body’s pH balance. Magnesium reduces lactic acid, which is partly responsible for post-exercise pain.
Hydrates - Magnesium is a necessary electrolyte essential for proper hydration.
Helps to relieve constipation - Magnesium can be used to cleanse the bowels of toxins.
Enzyme function - Enzymes stimulate every chemical reaction in the body. Magnesium is required to make hundreds of these enzymes work and assists with thousands of others.
Prevents and reverses kidney stone formation
Lowers bad cholesterol levels and increases good cholesterol
Decreases insulin resistance - which will help with weight loss
Improves Vitamin D absorption - to get the most benefit out of Vitamin D the body needs other minerals. Magnesium is one of them.
So… if magnesium is so beneficial to health, why don’t we hear more about it? Magnesium deficiency often goes unnoticed because it’s hard to detect.
In addition, this mineral is ignored because it is not a drug. Most of the funding for medical research comes from drug companies. Magnesium will not be studied by drug companies as there is no financial gain to be had.
Are You Low in Magnesium?
The fact that magnesium deficiency is one of the leading nutrient deficiencies in adults, it’s highly likely that you are.
For many people, low magnesium levels are often diagnosed by symptoms alone. Magnesium deficiency is often overlooked and rarely tested.
The following symptoms can point to low magnesium levels:
• Inability to sleep
• Sensitive to loud noises
• High levels of stress, anxiety or depression
• Heart palpitations, angina or high blood pressure
• Fatigue or unusual tiredness
• Coldness in hands and feet
• Difficulty concentrating or irritability
• Allergies and sensitivities
• Lack of appetite
• Back pain
• Body odour
• Headaches or migraines
• Muscle cramps, spasms or restless leg syndrome
• Restlessness
• Carbohydrate cravings
• PMS or menstrual cramps
• Frequent cavities or poor dental health
• Gut disorders, constipation, irritable bladder or IBS
• Kidney stones
• Thyroid problems
How much do we need?
While the recommended daily amount is about 300 mg a day, it is believed most of us get less than 200 mg, and most people could benefit from as much as 400 - 1,000 mg a day.
Why are we deficient?
As is often the case, our own diets work against us. Highly processed foods contain little magnesium. Carb-rich foods like white flour and pasta have no magnesium at all.
Much of modern life conspires to help us lose what little magnesium we do get in our diet. Magnesium levels are decreased by excess alcohol, salt, sugar (it takes 28 molecules of magnesium to metabolise a single molecule of sugar!), coffee, phosphoric acid in colas, profuse sweating, prolonged or intense stress, diuretics (water pills), antibiotics, birth control pills, hypertension medication and other drugs, and some intestinal parasites.
Where Has All The Magnesium Gone?
Unfortunately, most modern farming methods tax the soil, depleting it of its natural magnesium. This is all further complicated by the fact that magnesium is often poorly absorbed by the body, typically only absorbing 20-50% of that which is ingested. Problems arise when not enough magnesium is absorbed by the GI Tract, or too much of it is filtered out of the blood by the kidneys. To properly absorb magnesium we need a lot of it in our diet, plus enough vitamin B6, vitamin D, and selenium to help it be absorbed.
It is difficult to measure and hard to study, but magnesium deficiency accounts for untold suffering and is simple to correct. So if you suffer from any of the symptoms I mentioned, try to increase your levels of magnesium and see what happens. But how?
Understanding the factors that can improve or prevent magnesium absorption is an important first step to addressing deficiencies and increasing magnesium intake.
WHAT HEALTH CONDITIONS PREVENT MAGNESIUM AVAILABILITY?
Under normal circumstances, adequate amounts of nutrients are “reabsorbed” when passing through the kidneys, ensuring that they return to the blood where they may be re-circulated and passed to the cells that need it. However, certain disorders and medications (already mentioned) can disrupt the healthy functioning of the kidneys. Under these circumstances, magnesium is excreted rather than reabsorbed.
Some conditions known to impact magnesium availability include:
Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease and any disorder of the Digestive System
Kidney disorders
Genetic magnesium absorption disorders
Stress, surgery, and chronic disorders such as Diabetes
Diarrhea and vomiting
WHICH FOODS, VITAMINS AND MINERALS CAN ENHANCE OR HINDER MAGNESIUM ABSORPTION?
Foods high in magnesium include:
Cooked Spinach
Cooked Leafy Green Vegetables
Green Beans, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Green Peas
Brazil Nuts, Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts
Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Flaxseed
Wild Salmon, Mackerel and Tuna
Tofu
Black Beans, Kidney Beans, Black eyed peas, Chick peas and Lentils
Brown Rice, Quinoa, Oats, Buckwheat
Avocados
Bananas, Strawberries and Grapefruit
Figs, Prunes, Dates
Dark Chocolate
Coconut oil
Foods that hinder magnesium absorption include:
Tea
Coffee
Alcohol
Phosphoric acid containing soda
Cows milk
Foods high in phytates and oxalates which ironically are a few of the foods that are listed above as high in magnesium. However, certain cooking methods can lessen the negative impact of phytates and oxalates on absorbable magnesium. For example research shows that cooked spinach has a higher magnesium absorption than raw spinach.
Vitamins and Minerals
Minerals are generally known to have a competitive effect when it comes to absorption. High intakes of any of the following minerals could potentially reduce magnesium availability:
Calcium
Phosphorous
Iron
Copper
Manganese
Are supplements necessary?
Unfortunately, due to numerous reasons already mentioned, even those of us who try to follow a balanced diet full of foods that are rich in magnesium, may not be able to rely on food alone to provide sufficient magnesium levels.
There are several ways to supplement, and a mixture of more than one type of magnesium supplementation seems to be the most effective.
Oral Magnesium:
The most absorbable forms are magnesium citrate, glycinate taurate, or aspartate, although magnesium malates succinate, fumarate are also good. Avoid magnesium carbonate, sulfate, gluconate, and oxide. They are poorly absorbed (but are the cheapest and most
common forms found in supplements).
Transdermal magnesium:
Transdermal magnesium is currently available in four forms: a spray-on magnesium oil, magnesium bath flakes/salts, magnesium lotion and a magnesium gel.
The advantages of topical application are that:
They bypass the digestive tract, avoiding problems of irritation and diarrhoea.
They are easy and convenient.
They can increase the levels above those that can be tolerated orally.
In addition, topical magnesium has been known to have secondary benefits due to its application on the skin. These include improvements in conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, as well as localised muscle cramps and pain.
Another good option for increasing your levels are Epsom salts. Taking a hot bath in Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) helps reduce stress and relaxes aching muscles.
People with kidney disease or severe heart disease should take magnesium only under a doctor’s supervision.
What supplements do I use?
Magnesium Oil
Magnesium Calcium and Zinc oral tablets
Solgar from www.iherb.com
Epsom Salts
Do you take magnesium supplements? Have you noticed any benefits? Let me know.
Contact me:
Lifestyle360@outlook.com