By Dr. Mercola
Magnesium is a crucially essential mineral for optimum well being, performing a big selection of organic features, together with enjoying an essential position in bone well being. In truth, of the 25 grams of magnesium present in a median grownup, as much as 60 % of it’s present in your bones.1
Multiple research have proven that greater magnesium consumption is related to the next bone mineral density in each women and men,2 and up to date analysis from Norway has even discovered an affiliation between magnesium in consuming water and danger of hip fractures.
Magnesium May Lower Your Risk of Hip Fractures
Norway, just like the US, has a excessive price of hip fractures, however the researchers famous that its incidence varies by area, with these residing in city areas extra prone to have hip fractures than these in rural locales. They steered this might be on account of naturally various ranges of minerals like magnesium within the consuming water, though this did not develop into the case.
What they did discover, nevertheless, was that whereas concentrations of magnesium (and calcium) in consuming water had been usually low, there was an inverse affiliation between focus of magnesium and danger of hip fracture in each women and men.3 The researchers concluded:
“Magnesium in consuming water might have a protecting position in opposition to hip fractures.”
The discovering is critical contemplating how debilitating a hip fracture might be, particularly among the many aged. A damaged hip carries a terrific danger of issues and normally requires extended specialised take care of restoration. It’s estimated that 25 % of aged individuals struggling a hip fracture die as a direct end result.4
Magnesium Is Involved in Bone Formation and Health
It’s estimated that 80 % of Americans are poor in magnesium, which might have a dramatic affect on bone well being. Magnesium influences actions of each osteoblasts (cells answerable for bone formation) and osteoclasts (the cells that break down your bone).
Magnesium is assumed to play a task in stopping and combating osteoporosis. According to the National Office of Dietary Supplements:5
“Magnesium additionally impacts the concentrations of each parathyroid hormone and the energetic type of vitamin D, that are main regulators of bone homeostasis…
Research has discovered that ladies with osteoporosis have decrease serum magnesium ranges than girls with osteopenia and those that would not have osteoporosis or osteopenia. These and different findings point out that magnesium deficiency could be a danger issue for osteoporosis.”
In truth, one examine discovered that postmenopausal girls with osteoporosis had been in a position to suppress bone turnover (which suggests bone loss decreased) simply by taking 290 mg/day of magnesium for 30 days.6
Your Calcium-Magnesium Ratio: Are You Taking Too Much Calcium?
Over the previous 30 years, girls have been instructed to take supplemental calcium to keep away from osteoporosis. Many meals have additionally been fortified with further calcium to stop calcium deficiency among the many normal inhabitants.
Despite such measures, osteoporosis has continued to climb, and this might be, partially, due to an imbalanced calcium-magnesium ratio. According to Carolyn Dean, a medical and naturopathic physician:
“I’ve heard statistics like a 700 % rise in osteoporosis in a 10-year interval, even whereas taking all this calcium. The fable that is been created about calcium is that we’d like twice as a lot calcium as we do magnesium. Most of the dietary supplements mirror this. We’ve received a scenario the place persons are taking 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium and perhaps a couple of hundred milligrams of magnesium.
The 2:1 ratio—that was a mistake; a mistaken translation from French researcher Jean Durlach, who mentioned by no means ever transcend two elements calcium to 1 half magnesium in your meals, water, or complement consumption mixed.”
This was misinterpreted as which means a 2:1 ratio was an applicable ratio, which it isn’t. A extra applicable ratio of calcium to magnesium is 1:1. This might not solely pose a danger to your bones but in addition to your coronary heart. If you’ve got an excessive amount of calcium and never sufficient magnesium, your muscular tissues will have a tendency to enter spasm.
So extreme quantities of calcium with out the counterbalance of magnesium can result in a coronary heart assault and sudden dying. Quite merely, with inadequate quantities of magnesium, your coronary heart merely can’t operate correctly.
For Optimal Bone and Heart Health, You’ve Got to Balance Magnesium with Vitamins K2 and D
When balancing calcium and magnesium additionally remember the fact that these should be balanced with nutritional vitamins K2 and D. These 4 vitamins carry out an intricate dance collectively, with one supporting the opposite. Lack of stability between these vitamins is why calcium dietary supplements have turn out to be related to elevated danger of coronary heart assaults and stroke, and why some individuals expertise vitamin D toxicity.
Part of the reason for these adversarial negative effects is that vitamin K2 retains calcium in its applicable place. If you are K2 poor, added calcium could cause extra issues than it solves, by accumulating within the improper locations, like mushy tissue.
Similarly, should you go for oral vitamin D, you could additionally eat it in your meals or take supplemental vitamin K2 and extra magnesium. Taking mega doses of vitamin D dietary supplements with out ample quantities of K2 and magnesium can result in vitamin D toxicity and magnesium deficiency signs, which embody inappropriate calcification that will injury your coronary heart.
Magnesium and vitamin K2 complement one another, as magnesium helps decrease blood stress, which is a vital element of coronary heart illness. So, all in all, anytime you take any of the next: magnesium, calcium, vitamin D3, or vitamin K2, you could take all of the others into consideration as properly, since these all work synergistically with each other.
What Else Is Magnesium Good For?
It could be deceptive to easily classify magnesium as a mineral on your bones or your coronary heart. Researchers have now detected 3,751 magnesium-binding websites on human proteins, indicating that its position in human well being and illness might have been vastly underestimated.7 Magnesium can also be discovered in additional than 300 totally different enzymes in your physique and performs a task in your physique’s cleansing processes, making it essential for serving to to stop injury from environmental chemical substances, heavy metals, and different toxins. Even glutathione, your physique’s strongest antioxidant that has even been referred to as “the grasp antioxidant,” requires magnesium for its synthesis. Recent analysis additionally confirmed that greater intakes of dietary magnesium had been related to a decrease danger of colorectal tumors.8 To date greater than 100 well being advantages of magnesium have been recognized to date, together with therapeutic advantages for:9
Fibromyalgia Atrial fibrillation Type 2 diabetes Premenstrual syndrome Cardiovascular illness Migraine Aging Mortality
Watching Out for Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency
There’s no lab take a look at that provides you with a very correct studying of the magnesium standing in your tissues. Only one % of the magnesium in your physique is distributed in your blood, making a easy pattern of magnesium from a blood take a look at extremely inaccurate. Some specialty labs do present an RBC magnesium take a look at, which in all fairness correct, and different exams that your physician can use to judge your magnesium standing embody a 24-hour urine take a look at or a sublingual epithelial take a look at. Still, these can solely provide you with an estimation of your ranges, and medical doctors sometimes want to judge them together with the signs you exhibit.
If you think you are not getting sufficient magnesium, it is best to preserve a watchful eye out for signs of deficiency. If you eat a poor weight-reduction plan, together with one which’s largely processed meals, this might apply to you. Further, if any of those situations beneath apply to you, you could wish to take further precautions to be sure to’re getting a ample quantity of magnesium in your weight-reduction plan, or, if wanted, from a magnesium complement, so as to keep away from magnesium deficiency.>
An unhealthy digestive system, which impairs your physique’s potential to soak up magnesium (Crohn’s illness, leaky intestine, and many others.) Alcoholism — as much as 60 % of alcoholics have low blood ranges of magnesium10 Unhealthy kidneys, which contribute to extreme lack of magnesium in urine Age — older adults usually tend to be magnesium poor as a result of absorption decreases with age and the aged are extra prone to take drugs that may intervene with absorption Diabetes, particularly if it is poorly managed, might result in elevated magnesium loss in urine Certain drugs — diuretics, antibiotics, and drugs used to deal with most cancers can all lead to magnesium deficiency
In her e book, The Magnesium Miracle, Dr. Dean lists 100 elements that can show you how to determine whether or not or not you could be poor. Early indicators of magnesium deficiency to be careful for embody lack of urge for food, headache, nausea, fatigue, and weak spot. An ongoing magnesium deficiency can result in extra critical signs, together with:
Numbness and tingling Muscle contractions and cramps Seizures Personality adjustments Abnormal coronary heart rhythms Coronary spasms
What Are the Best Dietary Sources of Magnesium?
Many persons are low in magnesium. In order to make sure you’re getting sufficient, you first should be positive you are consuming a diverse, whole-food weight-reduction plan just like the one described in my diet plan. Green leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard are wonderful sources of magnesium, as are some beans, nuts, and seeds, like almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. Avocados are additionally a superb supply. Juicing your greens is a superb choice to make sure you’re getting sufficient of them in your weight-reduction plan.
One essential level to say, although, is that the degrees of magnesium in your meals are depending on the degrees of magnesium within the soil the place they’re grown. Organic meals might have extra magnesium, as most fertilizer used on standard farms depends closely on nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as a substitute of magnesium. Another one of many main advantages of getting your vitamins from a diverse whole-food weight-reduction plan is that you just’re far much less prone to find yourself with an excessive amount of of 1 nutrient on the expense of others. Foods basically comprise all of the cofactors and wanted co-nutrients within the correct quantities for optimum well being, which takes out the guesswork. When you are utilizing dietary supplements, you could turn out to be a bit savvier about how vitamins affect and synergistically have an effect on one another.
In case you are , one other means to enhance your magnesium standing is to take common Epsom salt baths or foot baths. Epsom salt is a magnesium sulfate that may be absorbed into your physique instantly by your pores and skin. Magnesium oil (from magnesium chloride) may also be used for topical software and absorption.
The 8 Forms of Magnesium Supplements: What Type Is Best?
If you go for a magnesium complement, bear in mind that there are a number of totally different types of magnesium. The motive for the big variety of magnesium dietary supplements available on the market is as a result of the magnesium should be certain to a different substance. There’s no such factor as a 100% magnesium compound complement (besides pico-ionic magnesium). The substance utilized in any given complement compound can have an effect on the absorption and bioavailability of the magnesium, and should present barely totally different, or focused, well being advantages. Following is a normal information that can assist you type by the eight totally different formulation you are prone to come throughout:
Magnesium glycinate is a chelated type of magnesium that tends to offer the best ranges of absorption and bioavailability and is often thought of ultimate for these who’re making an attempt to right a deficiency Magnesium threonate is a more recent, rising sort of magnesium complement that seems promising, primarily on account of its superior potential to penetrate the mitochondrial membrane Magnesium chloride / magnesium lactate comprise solely 12 % magnesium, however has higher absorption than others, reminiscent of magnesium oxide, which incorporates 5 instances extra magnesium Magnesium sulfate / magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) are sometimes used as a laxative. Be conscious that it is easy to overdose on these, so ONLY take as directed Magnesium carbonate, which has antacid properties, incorporates 45 % magnesium Magnesium taurate incorporates a mixture of magnesium and taurine, an amino acid. Together, they have a tendency to offer a relaxing impact in your physique and thoughts Magnesium citrate is magnesium with citric acid, which has laxative properties Magnesium oxide is a non-chelated sort of magnesium, certain to negatively charged oxygen (oxide). It incorporates 60 % magnesium and has stool-softening properties