The Magnesium Miracle

Newsmax, 1/19/17

Research Now Links Depletion of This Simple Mineral to Heart Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Fatigue, and 52 Other Conditions and Most Americans Don’t Get Nearly Enough.

Dr. Carolyn Dean cuts to the chase immediately in her book The Magnesium Miracle with this statement: “Magnesium is by far the most important nutrient in the body.”

And this is NOT just a lot of hype. Dr. Dean lists 56 different health conditions that research now indicates are associated with magnesium deficiency. Here are just a few of them:

Heart disease and high blood pressure

Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases

Arthritis

Bowel disease

Depression and anxiety

Diabetes

Fatigue

Migraines and tension headaches

Osteoporosis

Muscle cramps or spasms, and back pain

Of course, the highest concentrations of magnesium in the body are found in the heart and brain, so it’s little wonder that magnesium depletion leads to problems in these two vital organs.

Perhaps you take good care of yourself, and scoff at the idea that you or your loved ones could be deficient in magnesium. Alarmingly, Dr. Dean also lets loose this bombshell: The majority of people in our country do suffer, usually unknowingly, from magnesium deficiency.

Why? Well, our dietary intake of magnesium has declined significantly since 1900. The National Academy of Sciences reports that most American women only obtain about 70% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium; men average only about 80%.

And the RDA is merely the minimum level to stave off serious deficiency symptoms well below the optimal level for good health, according to many health professionals.

As a population, we have many reasons for becoming depleted in magnesium: diets high in processed foods, magnesium-depleted soil, certain medication interactions, and fluoridated water, which renders magnesium unavailable to the body. Chronic stress elevates the stress hormone adrenaline, which further depletes magnesium.

Last but not least, aging is a risk factor for magnesium deficiency. And in a vicious circle, accelerated aging is also a byproduct of magnesium deficiency.

Magnesium performs hundreds of functions in the body; however, many researchers believe its most important function is cellular energy production. The enzyme ATP, created in the mitochondria of each body cell, is our main source of cellular energy. ATP must be bound to a magnesium ion in order to be biologically active. Unfortunately, most people just don’t have enough magnesium ions available.

Tired? Headaches? ‘Charley Horses’? Because magnesium is so essential to body energy production, common symptoms of magnesium depletion include fatigue, along with headaches, insomnia, and muscle pain, cramps, and spasms.

Unfortunately, the solution is not as easy as walking into your local drug or grocery store and picking up a bottle of magnesium pills. Magnesium comes in many different forms, and quality is also a big issue. While magnesium is one of the safest nutrients you can take, you need to know what you’re doing to optimize your magnesium levels for better health.

Source: Newsmax Health