Magnesium: The Master of all Minerals -

Eat more produce. Eat more fish. Eat more dark leafy greens. This is the mantra thrown at everyone looking to improve their nutrient levels. Specifically, omega-3s and iron are two minerals which gain the most attention from doctors, nutritionists and the fitness community. But there’s an unsung hero which is equally essential, if not more so, than the aforementioned minerals – magnesium.

Magnesium Benefits for the Body

In the human body, more than 300 biochemical reactions rely on magnesium. It helps maintain a healthy immune system and nerve function, relaxes muscles and is essential in the structural development of bones. It regulates heart rhythm, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure for those with hypertension, heart conditions, and type 2 diabetes. Magnesium also aids the production of energy and protein, and new studies have revealed it can also regulate cortisol levels, which is ideal for those who experience extra stress and/or anxiety.

Magnesium is naturally present in foods such as whole grains and seeds, beans and peas, almonds, cashews, broccoli, spinach, okra and dark chocolate, and bananas. It is absorbed through the bowel and then stored mainly in bone and soft tissues.

That said, a study published in The Journal of American Osteopahtic Association found that vitamin D – which helps absorb calcium and promote bone growth – could not be metabolized with low magnesium levels.

“People are taking vitamin D supplements but don’t realize how it gets metabolized. Without magnesium, vitamin D is not really useful or safe,” said Mohammed S. Razzaque MBBS, PhD, the study’s co-author and professor of pathology at Lake Eerie College of Osteopathic Medicine. So, if you have lower magnesium levels, you could also have low vitamin D levels because without magnesium your body cannot absorb the vitamin D, no matter how much you are consuming. And if you don’t know you have low magnesium levels, how will you know you also might have low vitamin D?

Magnesium Deficiency

Having a deficiency

is rare in healthy people but may be a consequence of a poor diet, health conditions such as diabetes and digestive issues, medications and alcoholism. For example, high-fat diets can stifle magnesium absorption. The recommended daily allowance for magnesium sits at 420mg for men and 320mg for women. As much as half of the United States’ total population is estimated to be on a diet which is magnesium deficient.

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle weakness, poor appetite, fatigue, nausea, and insomnia. So, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms talk to your doctor and get tested to see if you have low magnesium levels. Having chronically low magnesium levels can be detrimental to your health.

Deficiency in magnesium or vitamin D has been linked to a number of disorders, including cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome and skeletal deformities. Razzaque also noted that magnesium can reduce osteoporosis by mitigating the risk of bone fractures, commonly caused by low vitamin D levels.

Magnesium and Brain Health

Research has also found that upping magnesium intake may be a viable way of enhancing cognitive abilities. Director of the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University, Professor Guosong Liu, led the study which examined the link between magnesium and brain function.

“Magnesium is essential for the proper functioning of many tissues in the body, including the brain and, in an earlier study, we demonstrated that magnesium promoted synaptic plasticity in culture brain cells,” explained Dr. Liu. This means that having the correct magnesium levels maintains the brain’s ability to change, which is essential for maintaining memory and learning functions.

Dr. Liu reiterates his point, stating that “Half the population of industrialized countries has a deficit, which increases with aging. This may very well contribute to age-dependent memory decline; increasing magnesium intake might prevent or reduce such decline.”

New studies provided more evidence to support these suggestions but also underlined the importance of monitoring intake. People who had both higher and lower levels of magnesium were found to be at greater risk of developing dementia.

“Since the current treatment and prevention options for dementia are limited, we urgently need to identify new risk factors for dementia that could potentially be adjusted. If people could reduce their risk for dementia through diet or supplements, that could be very beneficial,” emphasizes the study’s author, Brenda C.T. Kieboom, MD, M.S.c., of Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Have a look at your diet and talk to your doctor to see if your body has the right levels of magnesium and vitamin D. Catching deficits earlier will increase your health and longevity so the sooner the better.