Magnesium plays many significant and essential roles in your body. It is a mineral, ion, electrolyte and cofactor in over 300 enzyme reactions in your body, necessary for transmission of nerve impulses, formation of bone and teeth, cardiovascular health, muscle relaxation and much more.
The list of conditions related to magnesium deficiency is long. There are over 3,500 medical references on magnesium deficiency including:
- Depression & anxiety,
- Headaches & migraines
- Menstrual cramping
- Increased risk of osteoporosis & bone fractures
- Fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Asthma, and
- Heart arrhythmia
Magnesium is essential for your cells to produce energy, for many different chemical pumps to work, to stabilize membranes, and to help your muscles relax. Without magnesium, muscle tensions and headaches ensue, the heart can’t work properly and it becomes difficult for your brain to transmit signals.
Most people are deficient in Magnesium! According to the World Health Organization, over 75% of the US population does not intake enough magnesium. The standard American diet contains practically no magnesium. Many of us were raised on, and still live on, a highly-processed, refined diet that is based mostly on white flour, meat, and dairy (all of which have no magnesium). Magnesium has also been depleted in our soil due to poor non-organic farming practices over the years.
There are many long term cardiovascular research studies have uncovered that low levels of magnesium is the greatest indicator of heart disease (one of the leading causes of death in the US). This may be surprising as you likely hear more about high cholesterol and saturated fats being the main contributor to cardiovascular disease.
“Common risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high LDL [bad] cholesterol, low HDL [good] cholesterol, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome are all associated with low nutritional magnesium status or low magnesium dietary intakes.” Drugs targeted to lowering cholesterol have been used for several decades to reduce the risk of heart disease, though the rate of heart disease has only been steadily increasing. This indicates our focus has been directed toward alleviating symptoms related to low magnesium rather than restoring healthy levels of magnesium in our bodies.
Make sure to include some of these foods into your diet along with about 300mg a day of a Magnesium supplement. In our practice, we carry Magnesium Buffered Chelate made by Designs for Health. This form of magnesium is one of the best absorbed forms of Magnesium and is specifically designed to be easy on the stomach. Pick yours up on your next visit!