Magnesium: Health benefits, deficiency, sources, and risks

Magnesium: Health benefits, deficiency, sources, and risks

The Magnesium is an essential mineral that is involved in over 300 enzymatic essential reactions, specifically energy production. A shortfall in magnesium can be a major cause of fatigue, and it is often necessary to use dietary supplements.

According to researchers, consumption of magnesium in food has declined in recent decades. Due to the industrialization of agriculture ( depleted magnesium soil ) and changes in dietary habits. Magnesium status is low in populations that consume processed foods rich in refined grains, fat, phosphate and sugar.

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Magnesium is the fourth most rich mineral in the human body after the calcium, potassium, and sodium (salt). The magnesium-rich foods include almonds, broccoli, cocoa, egg yolk, fish oil, flax seeds, green vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, pumpkin seeds, seeds sesame and sunflower seeds.

Magnesium helps to relieve insomnia

Many of us do not sleep well. Many people find it difficult to fall asleep, wake up early or feel refreshed when they wake up because they are not sleeping well. Magnesium is a sleep-essential nutrient that needs to be filled with food or taken as supplements and be well absorbed for a good night’s sleep.

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Magnesium prepares your body for sleep by relaxing the muscles. It also helps calm your nerves by regulating two of your brain’s neurotransmitters. Which tend to keep you awake. Magnesium is also essential for maintaining a “biological clock” and a healthy sleep cycle. Getting enough of this mineral helps reduce and prevent sleep disorders.

Magnesium can also prevent restless leg syndrome that contributes to sleep loss in some people. It is thought to do this not only by relaxing the muscles but also by reducing the inflammation and helping the manufacture of melatonin and glutathione dux sleep-enhancing chemicals. Magnesium and melatonin supplements are good partners for better sleep, sleep longer and be more alert the next morning.

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This essential mineral helps to protect your heart

Less magnesium in your diet equates to higher risks of heart disease. Magnesium supplies the heart protects the heart pump prevents heart attacks and provides elasticity to the heart and blood vessels.

Magnesium helps to fight asthma

People who eat foods rich in vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, flavonoids, selenium, and magnesium have been shown lower rates of asthma. Magnesium supplements also help manage non-extreme cases of the disease daily in children and adults. This important mineral relaxes bronchial muscles (bronchodilatation).

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Reduces high blood pressure

Magnesium plays an important role in regulating blood pressure. It relaxes “smooth muscle” cells, that is, those in your veins and arteries. So they do not slow down blood flow. It also regulates other minerals essential to blood pressure. It maintains the delicate balance between sodium and potassium. It helps the body to absorb calcium and prevent it from settling in the arteries. Magnesium, therefore, has direct and indirect effects on the risk of hypertension.

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Improves digestion and relieves the symptoms of constipation

Whether you are suffering from acid reflux, constipation, gas, bloating or indigestion. This reduces your ability to absorb nutrients and can lead to serious long-term health problems.

Without magnesium, your body can not perform the “mechanisms” of digestion, make hydrochloric acid (stomach acid), make digestive enzymes for carbohydrates, proteins and fats, repair and protect your body. digestive organs (esophagus, stomach, intestines, colon, pancreas, etc.)

As soon as you put food in your mouth, magnesium comes into play. It creates enzymes in the saliva that breaks down food into smaller parts, thus facilitating the entire process of digestion. Hormones that tell the stomach to produce digestive acid need magnesium; without that, you can not digest food. After your stomach, food enters your intestines, where more enzymes made by the pancreas break down foods into small enough particles to be absorbed as nutrients. The pancreas must have magnesium to make these vital enzymes. Magnesium also keeps the pancreas healthy, helping to prevent pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

Common conditions such as acid reflux (heartburn) and GERD are not related to excess acid in the stomach, as many people think, but at a low level of acidity in the stomach. stomach. These conditions are also affected by magnesium deficiency. Magnesium helps produce stomach acid that reduces bad bacteria in the gut.

Constipation is the most common result of poor digestion. The constipation is one of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency.

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Protects against diabetes

Magnesium is the key to insulin sensitivity. It is therefore not surprising that magnesium deficiency is common in metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.

Supports bone health

We know that we need calcium to build our bones. But calcium is not the only one of the minerals needed for bone strength and malleability. Its partner, magnesium, is just as vital (and is helped by minerals such as boron, copper, nickel, phosphorus, silicon, and zinc). Magnesium is a mineral and is found in abundance in bones to keep them as strong and malleable as metal. An adult body contains about 25 grams of magnesium and more than half is in your bones.  Magnesium deficiency can cause bone fragility. Affecting “crystal formation” in bone cells.

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Magnesium is important for the regulation of vitamin D

An adequate intake of magnesium would optimize the blood level of vitamin D, increasing it in deficient people and lowering it in people with too high a rate.

 

Which forms of magnesium to choose

 Magnesium oxide and hydroxide ( to be avoided )

Magnesium oxide is one of the cheapest salts on the market. Unfortunately, it has a very low bioavailability (little magnesium absorbed at each dose). Beyond that, because it is less absorbed, there is also a risk laxative effect.

glycinate and bis-glycinate magnesium

This magnesium does not seem to have any drawbacks and is well absorbed.

Magnesium citrate

It has excellent bioavailability, the best absorbed. Magnesium citrate is a well-tolerated form. At high dose, mild laxative effect in some people: caution in case of coagulopathy with diarrhea.

Recommended substances to accompany magnesium to promote absorption and make it more effective

Magnesium alone is not as widely available or used as when accompanied by facilitators and cofactors. This is the reason why it is better to move towards formulas that include these elements.

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Taurine

Taurine facilitates the absorption of magnesium and the balancing of magnesium in the cells (after stress for example). Moreover, it has in itself antistress virtues. The magnesium-taurine combination is therefore beneficial for managing any type of stress.

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Group B vitamins

Some B vitamins act as cofactors in enzymatic reactions that use magnesium. Their presence in a magnesium dietary supplement ensures that these reactions will be carried out optimally.

The recommended magnesium intake is on average 360 mg for women and 420 mg for men.

If you plan to use a magnesium supplement, check with your pharmacist. The pharmacist can help you make a wise choice based on your health condition and the medications you are taking.

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About the Author: Usman Babar

A businessman by profession. blogger by luck. I love to write about Health and Fitness.