01
How Magnesium Contributes to Great Health
Filed Under (Nutrition) by Neil Butterfield on 01-03-2010
When the benefits of minerals to our health are being discussed most of the emphasis seems to be on bulk minerals like calcium and iron. This is unfortunate because our good health truly depends on getting plenty of a wide array of minerals. Magnesium is a mineral that does not receive enough attention. Based on the US RDA, 61% of adults lack sufficient magnesium to stay healthy. This means that most people today could be benefited by a supplementing their diet with magnesium.
Magnesium is especially important for building strong bones. It works with calcium to make bones more dense less prone to breakage. This ability of magnesium to improve the usage of calcium makes it excellent at preventing and even reversing osteoporosis. A serious medical condition, osteoporosis causes the bones to become very weak and easily broken. Magnesium works to bring calcium to the areas of the body where it is needed. This is good since unused calcium can form painful kidney stones or create muscle pains and cramps. Offsetting calcium intake with twice the magnesium can prevent these issues.
Magnesium also helps control high blood pressure. Magnesium does this by relaxing smooth muscles in the arteries that cause them to dilate. Studies suggest that through this action and its ability to work with potassium to manage blood pressure, magnesium helps to prevent hypertension.
Magnesium is also active in the balancing our blood sugar. It is needed to metabolize carbohydrates. Too little magnesium can cause insulin, the enzyme that control the levels of blood sugar, to stop working. Insulin resistance is the term that describes this condition. Insulin resistance is usually a first step towards the development of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is another name for adult-onset diabetes. As insulin becomes less effective, it takes more and more of it to create the same drop in blood sugar. Eventually full-blown diabetes develops. Getting the recommended amount of magnesium will improve the ability of the body to control blood sugar and hopefully prevent diabetes from developing in later life.
Since magnesium has such an effect on diabetes and hypertension, it only seems natural that it would be a factor in cardiovascular health as well. Indeed, it is. Low magnesium is often associated with irregular heart rhythms. Sufficient levels of magnesium also help prevent abnormal clotting of the blood in the heart. Several studies have suggested that magnesium supplements can help lower the risk of stroke and heart disease and may help patients recover from strokes and heart attacks.
Much of the population does not get enough magnesium. This mineral influences a number of vital processes and in the body. This makes it one of the more important minerals of which to get an adequate amount. Supplementation is an excellent way to receive the many health benefits magnesium provides. A recommended supplemental amount of magnesium is twice the amount as any calcium supplements. Another recommendation is to use liquid mineral supplements. Liquid minerals are much more readily absorbed by the body and make a far greater amount of the magnesium available for use by the body’s cells. Don’t you owe it to yourself to make sure you benefit from the correct level of magnesium?
To learn more about the powers of magnesium supplementsas well as other important mineral supplements, visit us online and download your FREE audio Minerals: What your body needs and why. Neil Butterfield is the owner and founder of Mineralife and is also their mineral supplement expert, Mineralife is known countrywide for its quality mineral supplements.





