Magnesium: What is it?

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant.

Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Dietary magnesium is absorbed in the small intestines. Magnesium is excreted through the kidneys .

•    Supplementation improves athletic performance through increasing erythrocyte and hemoglobin levels
•    High acid load can cause magnesium deficiency
•    Has neuro-protective effects
•    Deficiency a factor in the increase in serum lipids of diabetes
•    Level of intake an indicator of anemia
•    Low in muscle fatigue
•    Absorption mechanism
•    Anti stress effects
•    Deficiency causes small intestine inflammation
•    Supplementation fights gallstone disease in men
•    Role as chronic cell regulator
•    Decreases inflammatory markers (c-reactive protein) in heart failure
•    Deficiency contributes to metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and eclampsia
•    Little correlation between ionized and total magnesium
•    Intake lowers systemic markers of inflammation
•    Deficiency leads to excess inflammatory response to oxidative stress
•    Deficiency contributes to lens opacifiction
•    Supplementation has positive affect on pediatric asthma
•    Supplementation has positive affect on metabolic profile of diabetics
•    Supplementation reduces symptoms of PMS
•    Deficiency contributes to insulin resistance