Stay Healthy In Midlife - Why You Should Take Magnesium
I have been taking Magnesium regularly for years but didn’t really know all the benefits until just recently. Looking back, I can see a definite change since I started regularly taking magnesium…I have less aches and pains, my digestion is better and for the most part, I sleep really well. I’m a pretty good eater and get magnesium through food sources, but I still think it can’t hurt to take a supplement.
Because it is so important to get enough magnesium, ideally through food, but also by taking a supplement, I thought it would be great to share some information with you about the reasons you should pay attention to your magnesium intake.
The first part of this post was written by Dr. Mark Hyman. “Dr. Hyman is leading a health revolution—one revolved around using food as medicine to support longevity, energy, mental clarity, happiness, and so much more. Dr. Hyman is a practicing family physician and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in the field of Functional Medicine. He is the founder and director of The UltraWellness Center, the Head of Strategy and Innovation of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, a fourteen-time New York Times bestselling author, and Board President for Clinical Affairs for The Institute for Functional Medicine.”
Did you know that anything that is tight, irritable, crampy, and stiff - whether it is a body part or even a mood is a sign of magnesium deficiency?
Think of magnesium as the relaxation mineral.
You must have magnesium for your cells to make energy, for many different chemical pumps to work, to stabilize membranes, and to help muscles relax.
The reason we are so deficient is simple: Many of eat a diet that contains practically no magnesium - a highly processed, refined diet that is based mostly on white flour, meat and dairy (all of which have no magnesium).
Including the following in your diet as often as you can:
Kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ, almonds, cashews, buckwheat, brazil nuts, dulse, filberts, millet, pecans, walnuts, rye, tofu, soybeans, brown rice, figs, dates, collard greens, shrimp, avocado, parsley, beans, dandelion greens and garlic.
I also highly recommend a daily magnesium supplement.
The most absorbable forms are magnesium citrate, glycinte taurate, or aspartate, although magnesium bound to Kreb cycle chelates (malate,succinate, furmarate) are also good. To properly absorb magnesium we need a lot of it in our diet, plus enough vitamin B6, vitamin D, and selenium to get the job done.
Avoid magnesium carbonate, sulfate, gluconate, and oxide. They are poorly absorbed (and the cheapest and most common forms found in supplements).
Here are a few reasons you should be getting more magnesium in your diet.
Magnesium Helps with Pain Relief
Studies have shown that magnesium is effective in decreasing tenderness in joints and muscles. Experts recommend taking magnesium malate or magnesium citrate. You can also increase magnesium levels by soaking in an epsom salt bath. Epsom salts are made up of magnesium sulfate and are great for relieving sore muscles and also help with stress relief and supporting restful sleep.
Magnesium Aids in Sleep
Speaking of sleep….while there many factors that can affect sleep, if you have trouble slowing your mind at night, magnesium can help. Magnesium has a calming effect and naturally supports muscle relaxation and can help calm mind and body.
Magnesium is a Mood Booster
Magnesium plays a huge role in your brain function and has long been used to treat depression. A higher intake of magnesium is linked to decreased symptoms of depression and improved mental health. It also helps support adrenal health, lowering your risk of burnout.
Magnesium is a Digestion Aid
If you struggle to be “regular”…magnesium can be used to help promote regular bowel movements. It acts as a laxative, drawing water into your intestines and stimulating the movement of food through your digestive tract.
What’s more, as women reach older adulthood and experience menopause, magnesium becomes particularly important for good health and may even help reduce menopause symptoms.
Magnesium for Bone Health During Menopause
Approximately 60% of your magnesium is stored in your bone and plays an important role in preventing osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is defined as low bone mineral density and affects between 10–30% of postmenopausal women and increases with age. Certainly a healthy diet and regular exercise are important, but here’s why magnesium is also important…
Bones undergo a natural remodeling process known as osteogenesis to strengthen themselves. During this stage, bones are broken down by osteoclasts and then rebuilt by osteoblasts. For young people bones are rebuilt faster and more effectively.
During menopause, estrogen levels decline, leading to a spike in bone loss. As a result, bones are being broken down at a faster rate than they’re being rebuilt, leading to weakened, porous bones.
Magnesium deficiency is highly associated with osteoporosis due to its important role in aiding in calcium absorption which increases bone strength. Magnesium converts vitamin D into its active form so that it can help calcium absorption. It’s also linked to lower activity of parathyroid hormone. This hormone stimulates the release of calcium from large calcium stores in the bones into the bloodstream. This increases bone destruction and decreases the formation of new bone.
We all want to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible because when we have quality of life, we are able enjoy family, activities and the magic of every day!