The importance of magnesium

The importance of magnesium

 

I’m forever going on about magnesium, and this is why..

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body and it is necessary in over 300 reactions within the body.

Every single cell in the human body demands adequate magnesium to function, or it will perish. Strong bones and teeth, balanced hormones, a healthy nervous and cardiovascular system, well functioning detoxification pathways and much more depend upon cellular magnesium sufficiency. Soft tissue containing the highest concentrations of magnesium in the body include the brain and the heart—two organs that produce a large amount of electrical activity, and which can be especially vulnerable to magnesium insufficiency.

Proper magnesium ratios are important for the body to correctly use calcium in the cells. Even a small deficiency can lead to a dangerous calcium imbalance and lead to problems like calcification and cell death. This manifests itself with symptoms like heart trouble, migraine headaches, muscle cramps and premenstrual cramping.

 

Water was once a good source of magnesium, but now:  Fluoride in drinking water binds with magnesium, creating a nearly insoluble mineral compound that ends up deposited in the bones, where its brittleness increases the risk of fractures. Water, in fact, could be an excellent source of magnesium—if it comes from deep wells that have magnesium at their source, or from mineral-rich glacial runoff. Urban sources of drinking water are usually from surface water, such as rivers and streams, which are low in magnesium. Even many bottled mineral waters are quite low in magnesium, or have a very high concentration of calcium, or both.

 

These dietary factors also deplete magnesium:

Consumption of caffeine

Consumption of sugar (It takes 287 molecules of magnesium to metabolize a single glucose molecule!)

Consumption of processed food

Consumption of alcohol

Consumption of produce from depleted soil

Consumption of foods high in phytic acid (Beans, legumes, nuts etc)

Additionally, drugs like birth control pills, hypertension medicine, diuretics, insulin, and certain antibiotics (among others) deplete magnesium levels. Sweating often from exercise or other causes can also deplete magnesium.

 

 

What Does Magnesium DO?

Magnesium is necessary for hundreds of functions within the body, but is especially important for:

 

Gives rigidity AND flexibility to your bones (more important than Calcium in many cases)

Increases bioavailability of calcium

Regulates and normalizes blood pressure

Prevents and reverses kidney stone formation

Promotes restful sleep

Helps prevent congestive heart failure

Eases muscle cramps and spasms

Lowers serum cholesterol levels and triglycerides

Decreases insulin resistance

Can prevent artherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries) and stroke

End cluster and migraine headaches

Enhances circulation

Relieves fibromyalgia and chronic pain

Treats asthma and emphysema

Helps make proteins

Encourages proper bowel elimination

Prevents osteoporosis

Proper Vitamin D absorption

To aid weight loss

Lessen or remove ADD or ADHD in children

Aids in proper carbohydrate digestion

 

Even though magnesium deficiency is rarely addressed in medical settings, the National Institutes of Health website states that:

*Some observational surveys have associated higher blood levels of magnesium with lower risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, some dietary surveys have suggested that a higher magnesium intake may reduce the risk of having a stroke. There is also evidence that low body stores of magnesium increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, which may increase the risk of complications after a heart attack. These studies suggest that consuming recommended amounts of magnesium may be beneficial to the cardiovascular system.

Unfortunately, blood tests are relatively ineffective in gauging magnesium levels as less than 1% of magnesium is in the blood.

 

 

Low magnesium levels are often diagnosed by symptoms alone, and the following symptoms can point to low magnesium levels:

 

• Inability to sleep or insomnia
• Irritability
• sensitivity to noise
• mental disturbances
• anxiety, depression or restlessness
• muscle soreness or spasms
• infertility or PMS
• high levels of stress
• Headaches
• Heart “flutters” or palpitations
• fatigue or unusual tiredness
• coldness in extremities
• fuzzy brain or difficulty concentrating
• allergies and sensitivities
• lack of appetite
• back pain
• body odour
• bad short term memory
• poor coordination
• insulin resistance
• carbohydrate cravings
• constipation
• frequent cavities or poor dental health
• gut disorders
• kidney stones
• thyroid problems

If you have more than one of the above symptoms and especially if you have more than five, it is highly likely that you could benefit from magnesium supplementation.