Magnesium is a mineral that we talk about a lot at Elevate. We consider it one of essentials in our daily supplement stack and we recommend it to many patients as part of their elevated health plan. It's reported that up to 40% of people are deficient in magnesium and even more folks have less than optimal levels which may be affecting their overall health.
Today we take a deep dive into this vital micronutrient and its many important benefits. You may be familiar with its role in muscle function, but did you know that this unsung hero plays a vital role in several aspects of our well-being?
Let’s unravel the amazing health benefits of magnesium, backed by some scientific firepower.
**1. Muscle Magic 🏋️♂️**
Let's kick things off with a shout out to your muscles. Magnesium teams up with calcium to regulate muscle contractions, helping you move, groove, and crush your workouts. It also plays a role in muscle tension regulation which is key in recovery and injury prevention. Whether you're lifting heavy at the gym, cycling mountains or doing your daily dance routine, magnesium ensures your muscles perform - and rest - at their best [1]. So, next time you’re working out, remember who's got your back – magnesium!
**2. Sleep Superhero 😴**
If you're struggling with quality sleep, magnesium can be your secret weapon. This mineral has been linked to improved sleep quality and duration [2]. How does it work? Magnesium relaxes your muscles and calms your nervous system, promoting rest and recovery. Adding magnesium-rich foods like nuts, seeds, and leafy greens to your evening menu can help ensure you have adequate daily intake, plus we recommend a high-quality magnesium supplement 1 hour before bedtime.
**3. Stress Buster 🧘♀️**
Stressed out? Magnesium can help with that!. It plays a role in regulating your body's stress response by influencing neurotransmitter function [3]. Studies have shown that magnesium supplementation can help reduce feelings of anxiety and worry [4]. Daily supplementation of magnesium helps with stress resilience and stress management allowing you to better cope with the business and craziness of modern life.
**4. Heart Health ❤️**
Your heart is the ultimate workhorse! It beats over 100,000 per day and more than 2.5 billion times over your lifetime and magnesium is here to support its hard work. This mineral helps maintain a healthy heart rhythm and supports blood vessel function including a role in regulating blood pressure and maintaining arterial health. [5]. Research even suggests that an adequate magnesium intake is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular issues [6]. So, give your heart a hand by ensuring you're meeting your daily magnesium quota.
**5. Bone Builder 🦴**
We often associate calcium with strong bones, but guess what? Magnesium plays a crucial role too. Magnesium helps with the absorption of calcium into your bones, promoting bone density and overall skeletal health [7]. This is especially important for women and older adults.
**6. Brain Booster 🧠**
As we’ve already mentioned, Magnesium has many roles in supporting the nervous system. As well as promoting sleep and supporting stress resilience, Magnesium supplementation has been shown to reduce depression, lower severity and frequency of headache and migraines and show overall pain reduction.[8][9] Not bad, right?
To boot, increasing brain levels of Magnesium have been shown to improve memory and cognition. Wow! [10]
Choosing the appropriate formula of Magnesium and working with dosage and timing is key to maximizing these effects.
**7. Energy Elixir ⚡**
It’s always stated that magnesium participates in over 300 biochemical reactions in your body - which is true. Many of which are involved in energy production. [11] Magnesium plays a crucial role in ATP production within our mitochondria. Without it, none of our cells would work making life very difficult. Magnesium is also a cofactor for many enzymes and plays a role in maintaining the health of mitochondria in our cells. [12] Mitochondrial health is a hot topic at the moment with many conditions and toxins affecting our ability to produce and use sufficient energy. It’s also key in healthy aging. Adequate magnesium intake is an easy way to start supporting your mitochondria.
Conclusion on magnesium
There you have it, the scoop on magnesium and its incredible health benefits. From muscle might to stress relief and heart happiness, this mineral wears many hats in the world of elevated health.
So, how can you make sure you're getting your magnesium? Incorporating magnesium-rich foods into your daily diet – think nuts, seeds, whole grains, dark leafy greens, and legumes – is a great start. At Elevate, we recommend high-quality magnesium supplements as indicated and required.
Magnesium supplements come in many different types and formulas (to be continued in another blog post..),so it’s important to seek advice on which supplement is appropriate for you.
So, let's raise a toast to magnesium, the unsung hero that keeps our bodies rocking and rolling!
Remember, this info is just the tip of the magnesium iceberg. We continue to learn more about magnesium and other micronutrients and how they play a role in elevated health.
Reach out to us with magnesium related questions or comment below!
Yours in elevated health,
References:
1. Rude RK. Magnesium. In: Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, Tucker KL, Ziegler TR, eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 11th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2014.
2. Abbasi B, et al. The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Res Med Sci. 2012.
3. Boyle NB, et al. The effects of magnesium supplementation on subjective anxiety and stress—a systematic review. Nutrients. 2017.
4. Tarleton EK, et al. Role of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial. PLoS One. 2017.
5. Rosanoff A, Weaver CM, Rude RK. Suboptimal magnesium status in the United States: Are the health consequences underestimated? Nutr Rev. 2012.
6. Del Gobbo LC, et al. Circulating and dietary magnesium and risk of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013.
7. Castiglioni S, et al. Magnesium and osteoporosis: Current state of knowledge and future research directions. Nutrients. 2013.
8. Sun-Edelstein, C., & Mauskop, A. 2009. "Role of magnesium in the pathogenesis and treatment of migraine." Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 9(3), 369-379.
9. Tarleton, E. K., Littenberg, B., & MacLean, C. D. 2015. "Magnesium intake and depression in adults." Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 28(2), 249-256.
10. Slutsky, I., Abumaria, N., Wu, L. J., Huang, C., Zhang, L., Li, B., ... & Zhao, M. G. 2010. "Enhancement of learning and memory by elevating brain magnesium." Neuron, 65(2), 165-177.
11. Volpe SL. Magnesium in disease prevention and overall health. Adv Nutr. 2013.
12. Schneider, H., et al. 2015. "Effects of magnesium on the phosphate nucleotide system in mammalian mitochondria." In Magnesium research, 28(1): 8-18.
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