Most of us don’t know, but Magnesium plays a lot of vital roles in our bodies. It is the leading mineral that is present in our collection. That is the rationale why more than 80 percent of adults show symptoms of magnesium deficiency, either low or severe. Doctors and dietitians not only prescribe Magnesium to patients but also advise them to increase their natural intake by eating more magnesium-rich foods. You can get Magnesium at your local drugstore or grocery store, or you can order Magnesium plus online and receive it at your doorstep without any hassle.
The word Magnesium comes from the root word magnesia. It is one of the most essential minerals that our bodies need to perform a host of functions.
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What Is Magnesium?
It is one of the most important minerals in our body, as well as being an electrolyte. As we all know, we all need electrolytes to perform almost all our bodily functions. Our bodies are dependent on electrolytes for a host of an automated process that occurs due to the charge that electrolytes provide With us. Whether it’s our tissues, our muscles, nerves, or any other organ, they need the proper proportion of electrolytes to ensure that they perform their duties and that our bodies stay healthy.
What does Magnesium do?
Magnesium is part of these electrolytes, and the body requires it for various procedures including:
- regulating our blood pressure
- It is necessary for keeping our bones healthy
- It regulates the amount of nitric oxide that is present in our bodies
- Essential in babies and children so that they can show the proper growth
- It supports our tissues, muscles, as well as our nerves so that they can perform their duties.
- Balances stomach acid.
- The prevention of constipation and enables our intestines to move the stool through them.
It is not only vital for humans but plants as well. It helps them with the formation of chlorophyll through the process of photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is the chemical that plants need e to get the sunlight and turn it into energy.
It controls primarily through our kidneys. They maintain the level of Magnesium in our bodies and pass on the additional amount so that it can be excreted through the urine every day. It though not present in our bodies as much as other electrolytes, still play a crucial role in our body’s metabolism, energy production, and enzyme function, among others.
Why Do We Need to Keep the proper amount of Magnesium in our bodies?
So far, we know that Magnesium is not present in our bodies as much as other electrolytes, yet it is still one of the most important elements in our bodies. This is why we must ensure that it is always present in our bodies in the required amount as it is one of the building blocks of our cellular structure. Without Magnesium, our bodies won’t be able to make enough electric charge that it needs for the day to day functions of our nerves, muscles, and tissues. We can either take the required amount through eating magnesium-rich foods or take one of the several supplements that are in the market that provide us with a daily dose of Magnesium. It is absolutely necessary for us as we lose a lot of Magnesium daily because it is necessary for a whole lot of functions in our bodies. These include muscle movement, heartbeat, and hormone production, among others. It takes a lot of Magnesium to enable all these functions and make sure that they keep on going all the time.
What Foods are high in Magnesium?
There are a lot of foods that have Magnesium in them, whether naturally occurring or synthetically added. Some of the best choices for you if you are trying to replenish your levels of Magnesium are:
- Dark leafy greens like spinach
- Beans
- Avocado
- Almonds and others.
Although taking foods containing Magnesium is the best possible solution, doctors and dietitians prescribe magnesium supplements to people when they have a severe deficiency of Magnesium that cannot be replenished quickly by just eating magnesium-rich foods. These can include people who have shown magnesium deficiencies in their lives, or people who have become weak or going through turmoil or a lot of stress.
How Magnesium is beneficial to us
It Is Involved in Hundreds of Biochemical Reactions in Your Body
Every cell in our body contains Magnesium. It is what they use to provide us with energy. Around 60 percent magnesium that our body contains in the bones. The rest of it can be found in our muscles, blood, and to some extent, in our soft tissues.
Since Magnesium is an electrolyte, it produces the electric charge that is essential for reactions, and it is also called a ‘helper molecule.’ It is called that because one of the main roles that it performs in our body is to act as a helping agent or a catalyst so that the enzymes can perform the operations that they need to perform n a regular basis. According to sources, Magnesium is involved in no less than 300 reactions in our body that happen every day. These include, but are not limits to, DNA and RNA synthesis, insulin metabolism, ATP metabolism, cardiac excitability, etc. Moreover, it enables us to change the food that we eat into the energy that we need as well as taking the amino acids and using them to develop proteins. If our magnesium levels drop, we would have trouble with moving our muscles.
It May Boost Exercise Performance
Since it is necessary for our muscular movement, it has a vital role to play in our exercise performance. When you go to the gym and start your workout, you need more Magnesium than when you were resting. That is because it helps regulate the blood sugar in our muscles during the workout, and it gets rid of the lactate that builds up in our muscles while we are exercising. Lactate can cause muscle pain, which can hamper our activity. According to several studies, when we increase the level of Magnesium in our bodies for the exercise, it can greatly enhance our performance. And not just for the fit and the athletic, it can do so for the elderly as well as people who are suffering from some chronic disease.
A study was conducts on volleyball players. It shows that 250mg of Magnesium was injected by players every day as per the requirement, their performance was boosted. And they could jump and move their arms better than before. Similarly, studies done on other athletes showed the same results. Athletes and professional performers experienced better performances when they increased their magnesium intake for a month, whether they were into cycling, running, swimming, or doing a triathlon. Not only did their performance improve, but they also showed lower levels of insulin as well as decreased amounts of the hormones that are related to stress.
Magnesium Fights Depression
It helps not only our muscles but also our brain functions and directly affects our moods. According to studies, a low level of Magnesium’s can be the cause of depression and other symptoms. One study that was done with more than 8000 people reports that people who were 65 or younger and suffer from decreased levels of Magnesium were 22 percent more at risk of falling prey to depression. If you eat food that is low on Magnesium or if you don’t take any supplement. There are other mental illnesses that can harm you, not just depression.
It Has Benefits Against Adult-onset diabetes
As if the above benefits were not enough, it also plays a vital role for the people who are suffering from adult-onset diabetes. As we all very well know that adult-onset diabetes is a lifelong disease. People who have adult-onset diabetes cannot use insulin the way it has to be used. That is why they are said to be insulin resistant. It is also called adult-onset diabetes since people who are middle-aged or older are more prone to fall prey to it. But due to obesity, kids and teens can also be affected by it.
Studies and tests have indicated that people who are suffering from adult-onset diabetes have decreased magnesium plasma levels. Decreased levels of Magnesium hamper with insulin’s ability to regulate blood sugar. Also, people who have low levels of Magnesium in their diets are more prone to develop adult-onset diabetes.
Conclusion
An exhaustive study that is conducted over a period of 20 years and observed around 4000 people found that people who kept their magnesiums levels up had a 47 percent chance that they will not develop adult-onset diabetes than their counterparts.
If you want to lead a healthy life, then you need to make sure that you are taking enough Magnesiums. You can do this by eating magnesium-rich foods, or you can take supplements for it.
