You are always being told how important calcium or protein or even iron is for your body's health. What is rarely ever brought up is how important Magnesium is for your total health. Magnesium has been largely overlooked until the last few years. Researchers and physicians are now beginning to understand what an incredibly important thing magnesium really is.
Magnesium is so vital to our overall wellbeing. It's required for over 300 biochemical reactions in your body and helps so many different parts of the body. Your heart is dependent on it to perform at its peak. Magnesium stabilizes the hearts rhythm and helps prevent abnormal blood clots in the heart. This helps to lower the chance of stroke or heart attack and even aids in the recovery of stroke and heart attack. Magnesium deficiency is one of the causes of irregular heartbeats, mitral valve prolapse, stroke, heart attack and high blood pressure. It is so essential to the heart that the heart cannot function properly without it.
Another problem with magnesium deficiency is depression. As far back as 1996, doctors knew of the connection between magnesium deficiency and depression and a study by Dr. Norman Shealy, neuroscientist and colleague Dr. Richard Cox proved this connection. Out of 475 chronically depressed people, 100% were deficient in magnesium. Amazing correlation. In 2009, a study performed in New Zealand showed the same connection. The "why" of these discoveries has yet to be revealed, but the connection is definitely there.
Not getting enough magnesium also plays a role in problems such as type II diabetes, migraines, muscle pain, glaucoma, osteoporosis, emphysema, pre-eclampsia, asthma and kidney stones. All of these diseases are linked to low magnesium. In the case of fibromyalgia, doctors have begun prescribing magnesium because it has a relaxing effect on the muscles.
One of the main reasons that people may suffer from a lack of magnesium is that, even though it is found in foods like Spinach and other green leafy vegetables, it is never in a large quantity. Because of this, the average person does not get enough magnesium in their diet. The average healthy man should be getting 420mg a day. The average woman should get 320mg a day. Most people aren't even close and get less than half of the recommended daily allowance.
Our diet is the recommended source for magnesium, but because of its small quantities in food, it is suggested that one should take a supplement. Due to the recent discovery of some "store brand" supplements being bogus and full of fillers, name brand supplements are recommended. Additionally, it's best to take magnesium with food as it is digested and has better absorption. Make sure to check if any prescription medications you might be taking blocks magnesium or deplete it in anyway. Your doctor may recommend a larger supplement.
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