Magnesium is one of the most important minerals we can put into our body. However, 91% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. How is this? Well, it’s common now days for farmers to use pesticides, herbicides, and nitrogen fertilizers to grow their crops, the same crops that grow the food that we eat. If our food is coming from these crops that aren’t grown on soil replenished with minerals, the food will automatically be mineral deficient, this is called top soil degradation, and therefore you’d have to eat 10 apples today to get the nutritional content of 1 apple back in the 40’s! Realistically, most of us can’t do that, so we should still get our minerals from a supplement, since our body can’t produce it and it more cost effective and easier to consume, instead of getting it from produce only.
Does Magnesium really make a difference? What are the benefits of it?
It is crucially important for our health. This includes, but not limited to:
*It triggers 300+ enzyme processes, having a cascade effect essential to cell life.
*Activating muscle and nerves.
*Creating energy in your body by activating adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Who couldn’t use more energy?
*Helping digest proteins, carbs, and fats.
*Serves as a building block for RNA and DNA synthesis.
*It’s also a precursor for neurotransmitters like serotonin.
*It’s the single most brain protecting mineral in the world, meaning if you have had head traumas, such as concussions, the lasting side effects of the trauma are greatly reduced or completely fixed for those who are not deficient in magnesium.
*Stops calcium from plaquing were it shouldn’t, most commonly in joints (arthritis), arteries (arterial sclerosis), brain (dementia/Alzheimer’s), and kidneys (kidney stones).
It’s also perhaps critical for heart health. It helps counterbalance excessive amounts of calcium. Too much calcium can lead to heart problems. Your heart has the highest amount of magnesium in your body, so with insufficient amounts, your heart simply cannot function properly.
Unfortunately, calcium is currently used as a food preservative (known as calcium carbonate), which is causing an abundance of calcium in our diet and people thinking it is good for their bones, so they take calcium supplements, most of which are not absorbable. Every time you take calcium, for every 100% of calcium it uses 40% magnesium, hence 91% of the population is magnesium deficient.
Ok so now that we can see how great this is to have, how much of it do you need to take daily? It’s suggested to take 3-4 ½ mg/ pound of body weight (300-900 mg per day, 1-3 times per day). Even though we can get some of these good minerals through good organic food, that only gives us about 1/3 of our mineral needs for the day. As a rule of thumb for dosing, you’re not taking too much magnesium unless it gives you loose stools, then take a little less. More importantly, is the form of magnesium for proper absorption, if you get it from the health food store, it is magnesium citrate and malate. In our clinic we sell a Nutri-West magnesium (as malate citrate, and glycinate) mixed with medium chain triglycerides for enhanced absorption.
This information is not intended to cure, prevent, or treat disease, it is for educational purposes only.