Magnesium is an important mineral, playing a role in over 300 enzyme reactions in the human body. Its many functions include helping with muscle and nerve function, regulating blood pressure, and supporting the immune system.
What Is Magnesium?
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a silvery-white, low-density metal that is highly reactive and flammable. It is an essential element for many biological processes, including the synthesis of proteins, nucleic acids, and enzymes, and plays a vital role in the proper functioning of muscles, nerves, and bone. Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, and is found in a wide variety of minerals, including dolomite, magnesite, and talc. It is also found in many foods, including nuts, beans, leafy green vegetables, and whole grains. Magnesium is an important nutrient that is necessary for good health, and is often used as a dietary supplement to help prevent or treat a deficiency.
What Foods Contain Magnesium?
There are many foods that are rich in magnesium, including:
- Leafy green vegetables: Spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are excellent sources of magnesium.
- Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds, such as almonds, cashews, and pumpkin seeds, are high in magnesium.
- Legumes: Beans, lentils, and other legumes are good sources of magnesium.
- Whole grains: Whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, and oats, contain magnesium.
- Avocado: This fruit is a good source of magnesium.
- Fish: Some types of fish, such as halibut and salmon, are high in magnesium.
- Dark chocolate: Chocolate contains magnesium, and the darker the chocolate, the more magnesium it tends to have.
It’s important to note that the amount of magnesium in foods can vary depending on a variety of factors, including the soil in which the food was grown and how it was processed. Additionally, some foods may be fortified with magnesium, such as certain cereals and breads.
Common Signs Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency
Magnesium is an essential mineral that is involved in many important functions in the body. It plays a role in the structure of bones, helps to convert food into energy, and is necessary for the proper functioning of muscles, nerves, and enzymes. A deficiency in magnesium can cause a variety of symptoms, including:
- Fatigue and weakness: Magnesium helps to convert food into energy, so a deficiency can lead to feelings of fatigue and weakness.
- Muscle cramps and spasms: Magnesium is necessary for proper muscle function, and a deficiency can cause muscle cramps and spasms.
- Numbness and tingling: Magnesium is important for nerve function, and a deficiency can cause numbness and tingling in the extremities.
- Mood changes: Magnesium plays a role in the regulation of neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that transmit signals in the brain. A deficiency can cause mood changes such as anxiety and depression.
- Poor appetite and nausea: Magnesium is necessary for proper digestion, and a deficiency can cause poor appetite and nausea.
- Abnormal heart rhythms: Magnesium is important for maintaining a normal heart rhythm, and a deficiency can cause abnormal heart rhythms.
It’s important to note that these symptoms can also be caused by other factors, so it’s important to see a doctor if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. The doctor can help determine the cause and recommend appropriate treatment.
10 Health Benefits Of Magnesium
1. It helps you sleep
Magnesium is essential for your brain’s GABA receptors to function optimally, which play a role in regulating your sleep-wake cycle. In fact, studies have shown that people with insomnia were able to improve their sleep with regular magnesium supplementation. (1)
2. It reduces headaches
Many people with chronic headaches and migraines are deficient in magnesium and many others have genetic mutations that make metabolizing magnesium difficult. Magnesium helps headache sufferers find relief as it works to relax blood vessels in the brain that are constricted during times of headaches.
3. It alleviates muscle cramps
Have you ever been jolted awake out of a dead sleep from a muscle spasm? If so, you might not be getting enough magnesium since this nutrient is responsible for proper neuromuscular transmission and muscle contraction.
4. It keeps you regular
Constipation is no fun, especially chronic constipation. Many supplements designed to get you moving again are formulated with magnesium because of its ability to quickly give you relief. Magnesium works by increasing the amount of water in your intestines to loosen up your stool and move it through. While this is great for constipation, be careful with taking too much magnesium in supplement form or you might just experience the opposite problem!
5. It enhances cognitive function
Magnesium can do wonders for your brain in more ways than one. Not only does it help improve short- and long-term memory, it also improves neuroplasticity (your brain’s ability to adapt and heal) to improve your memory in the present as well as preventing age-related memory loss. (2)
6. It boosts your energy
Feeling tired every day might be common, but it’s certainly not normal. Whether you are suffering from chronic fatigue due to a magnesium deficiency or just looking to enhance your energy with magnesium’s ability to regulate cortisol levels – the hormone that contributes to adrenal fatigue when out of balance – magnesium supplementation can help! (3)
7. It calms anxiety
In cases of anxiety, your excitatory NMDA receptor in your brain has gone out of control. It’s a case of “too much of a good thing” and magnesium can help calm this down to reduce symptoms of anxiety.
8. It strengthens your bones
Magnesium really does everything doesn’t it? Studies have even shown that magnesium is necessary for healthy bones to reduce your risk of fractures and breaks as you age. (4)
9. It helps manage ADHD
Due to magnesium’s role in brain function and neurotransmitter activity, studies have shown its ability to help calm symptoms of the neurodevelopmental disorder ADHD, with regular supplementation. (5)
10. It supports cardiovascular health
High blood pressure has long been associated with poor cardiovascular health. Studies have looked at the correlation between magnesium and heart health, with results showing a significant decrease in both blood pressure (6) and overall heart disease risk (7) when magnesium supplements were added.
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