Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Magnesium and Why You Need It In Your Diet

What nutrient is 80% of the population greatly lacking?

Magnesium is a mineral necessary for a lot of conditions such as:

1) Osteoporosis
2) Muscle Spasms
3) Kidney Stones
4) High Blood Pressure
5) Stress
6) Insomnia
7) Cardiac Arrythmias
8) Depression/Anxiety
9) Constipation
10) Seizures
11) Twitching, Sore Muscles
12) Fibromyalgia

Magnesium helps to detoxify the body from environmental toxins such as lead and mercury. Magnesium helps regulate cortisol production and assists in the production of thyroid hormones. Hormones such as progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone require magnesium for synthesis. Magnesium is necessary for Vitamin D to perform its functions.  It is essential for the production of serotonin which helps calm the body.

Diabetics usually need supplemental magnesium.  Deficiency in magnesium is common in diabetics and may prevent some of the complications such as retinopathy.  Diabetics should take Vitamin B6 each day because it appears to help magnesium get inside the cell.  Magnesium helps to reduce triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar so that may be why the ketogenic diet works so well.
Why may you be low in magnesium?  Anyone who exercises a lot or has been under a lot of stress usually needs more magnesium.  Anyone who does not eat a good diet with a lot of vegetables (especially dark green veggies), raw nuts and seeds, wild caught fish, and whole grains usually needs more magnesium.  If you eat a lot of sugars or carbohydrates, you usually need more magnesium. Other things that decrease magnesium are excessive salt intake, excessive alcohol intake, drinking distilled water, overcooking vegetables, some prescription drugs, such as some diuretics, some blood pressure pills, and some antacids, and some anti-depressents, and fluoride in drinking water can bind with magnesium so that the body can not use it.

Before you start taking magnesium, you should:

1) Check your magnesium blood levels to see if you are one of the few who does not need it
2) Check with your doctor.  Supplementing with magnesium may lower dosages of some medications such as for blood pressure, thyroid, diabetes, etc. so if is important to check with your doctor before taking magnesium,

HAVE YOU HAD YOUR MAGNESIUM LEVELS CHECKED RECENTLY?