magnesium is one of the most important maybe the most important mineral for humans unfortunately magnesium deficiency is very common today and can lead to wide-ranging problems in this video I want to talk about what magnesium is its role in the body and how to get enough magnesium which means we will talk about proper supplementation at the end of the video let's start by discussing what magnesium is and why we need it magnesium is an essential dietary mineral meaning we need to get it from food and cannot produce it ourselves the recommended dietary allowance for adults
in the U.S is between 400 and 420 milligrams daily for men and between 310 and 320 milligrams for women just as a side note the body of a 155 pound or 70 kilogram man will have stores of magnesium of around 24 grams most of which is in the bones or directly in the cells there it is used as an electrolyte or as a cofactor for enzymes and chemical reactions nowadays scientists have identified over 300 enzymes that require magnesium which makes it difficult to describe them all let me still list a few of the most important
ones first magnesium helps maintain electrical charge in the cell together with potassium magnesium is an intracellular electrolyte meaning it is found mostly inside the cells this is unlike calcium and sodium which are found in higher concentrations outside the cells the body can pump magnesium into the cell and also pump out calcium and sodium out of the cells which sets up an electrical charge that keeps the body functioning correctly it is also responsible for a healthy water balance in the blood and tissues as it attracts water this is also the reason magnesium can be used as
a laxative because it draws so much water into the intestines another important role of magnesium is in our body's energy metabolism and muscle function you see magnesium activates the energy molecule adenosine triphosphate also known as ATP which cells need to function properly you might have heard of ATP in relations to creatine which helps replenish ATP more quickly meaning it allows you to lift more weight in the gym well you can supplement all the creatine you want if your body is low in magnesium your strength will not increase much because your entire energy metabolism is lacking
its most important nutrient because magnesium also helps with muscle relaxation and magnesium deficiency is usually associated with a low energy level and muscle cramps which together are a recipe for disaster for every athlete last but not least magnesium is also involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates unfortunately this is something very few people are aware of together with chromium magnesium is the most important mineral for diabetics and anyone with blood sugar issues that's because it regulates insulin secretion from the pancreas so without it your insulin secretion is dysfunctional and your glucose tolerance will be lower meaning
your body doesn't handle sugar from Foods very well so in conclusion the most important functions of magnesium are that it regulates energy metabolism it relaxes the muscles and nervous system it contributes to maintaining healthy bone function and it helps regulate blood sugar and blood pressure when we look at this list we can easily understand why a magnesium deficiency is so dangerous not only will you have less energy but your body will not be able to calm down after activity because it doesn't have magnesium to relax the muscles and nervous system consequently your sleep will suffer
and stress levels Skyrocket unfortunately this very scenario is not uncommon as magnesium deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies out there the three main reasons for this are one food processing refining grains removes up to 80 percent of magnesium so for instance 100 grams of whole wheat flour have close to 140 milligrams of magnesium whereas the same amount of white flour only has 22 milligrams the same applies to processing sugarcane into refined sugar or whole grain rice into white rice next is stress I've talked about this before basically when you're stressed your body
loses magnesium through the kidneys and losing too much magnesium through your urine can then lead to even higher levels of Stress and Anxiety continuing the Vicious Cycle caffeine and alcohol can also accelerate the rate of magnesium excretion so please don't use either as a way to reduce stress in your life and third is intense exercise even though exercise is healthy of course it is a form of stress for the body one study found that strenuous exercise increased magnesium lust through sweat and urine by 10 to 20 percent and that athletes are at a high risk
for deficiency okay at this point you're probably wondering how to avoid a deficiency so let's talk about magnesium foods next in general the food's richest in magnesium are green leafy vegetables whole grains and nuts and seeds however all three come with a caveat certain green leafy vegetables such as spinach come with oxalic acid which binds to magnesium and therefore lowers the amount you actually Digest same with phytic acid and whole grains and nuts that binds not just to magnesium but also other essential minerals such as calcium and zinc while the negative effects of oxalic and
phytic acid are hotly debated I would recommend that if you eat a lot of grains for example a bowl of oatmeal every morning to soak them the night before to lower phytic acid that way the magnesium in the ulcs will be a lot more bioavailable also certain spring waters are rich in magnesium here it really depends on the individual brand and where they Source their water so definitely make sure to check the label before we get to the last part of the video which is magnesium supplements I quickly want to talk about how to effectively
measure magnesium levels in the body to check for a deficiency while you might think you should get a blood test this doesn't really make sense for magnesium and many other minerals you see less than one percent of magnesium is actually stored in the blood the remaining 99 is found on the bones muscles and soft tissue and in case blood levels drop your body will then quickly pull out magnesium from these storage sites into the blood compensate for the loss so you could be magnesium deficient in your bones and tissues even though your blood results came
back normal that's why I'm not a big fan of magnesium blood tests and usually recommend a hair analysis instead I talk about how to easily get a good mineral hell analysis in a different video okay on to the final part of this video magnesium supplement do you need them and if so how much should you take to answer the most important question first yes you probably need a magnesium supplement that's because the reasons I mentioned earlier so increased magnesium loss stress and exercise along with a lower intake because of food processing apply to almost everyone
to some degree and magnesium deficiency is very common from my experience the average diet simply doesn't provide enough magnesium to compensate for the stressful lives we all live to quote my favorite research-based nutrition website examine.com magnesium deficiency is common in developed countries and is associated with diabetes and other conditions a prolonged lack of magnesium in the diet can lead to muscle cramps raise blood pressure and reduce insulin sensitivity of course I don't want to force anyone to take supplements and you can try to get enough by making smart adjustments to your diet but it will
be very difficult to get enough especially if you have an existing deficiency where you need more than the RDA to fix it okay so if you decide to supplement how much should you take what's the ideal magnesium dose it's difficult to give you a one-off answer here because your ideal dosage depends on your current magnesium level in general most people will need to supplement between 300 and 500 milligrams per day of Elemental magnesium you will want to spread this out over two to three doses because taking large doses at once can be difficult for the
body to absorb especially if you take it together with other minerals I usually take 150 milligrams for breakfast lunch and dinner magnesium supplementation is very safe but overdosing can lead to diarrhea and or upset stomachs if you have trouble taking a supplement because it leads to heart palpitations or sudden drops in blood pressure then this is usually due to a deficiency in the Magnesium antagonists such as calcium and or sodium and that's pretty much it for this video as you now know magnesium is crucial to your health and involved in countless processes in the body
so if you're not getting an adequate intake of this mineral through food you definitely want to consider supplements before though make sure to get your levels checked with a properly done hair analysis
