Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
After hearing of another study reporting to have found that
taking certain vitamins may actually be bad for you, I just have to ask if that
is really a possibility. I don’t know the answer, but it sure doesn’t make me
want to toss my nutritional support. Common sense would dictate that too much
of even a good substance may be bad for you in abject excess. Hey, even water
can kill you if you drink too much at once. Common sense also says that our
food is lacking in many nutritional areas, even with the best of diets.
Let’s move on to this week’s topic of the vital mineral
magnesium. Overlooking this mineral can lead to calcium imbalance, type 2
diabetes, vitamin D deficiency, lack of energy for your muscles and ill health.
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body. It exists in over
300 different body enzymes. Fifty percent of it is found in your bones. It aids
in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. It is required for making glutathione,
known as the master antioxidant. As high as 80% of Americans are deficient in
magnesium.
Unfortunately, there is not a good blood test for
determining if you have sufficient magnesium. Only about 1% of your body
magnesium is distributed in your blood. The early warning signs of low body
magnesium are just as vague. Loss of appetite and headache, nausea, vomiting,
fatigue and weakness are the potential early signs. Those sound like a lot of
conditions.
There are certain lifestyle factors that are commonly found
in people with low magnesium levels. Certain foods influence your body’s
absorption of magnesium. Excessive alcohol reduces vitamin D, which in turn
reduces magnesium absorption. Eating a lot of sugar causes your body to excrete
magnesium through your kidneys. Excessive soda and caffeine intake is associated
with lower magnesium levels.
Those women reaching menopause show lower levels, as does
aging in general, because absorption decreases with age. Medications including diuretics,
certain antibiotics such as gentamicin and tobramycin, corticosteroids like
prednisone and Deltasone, antacids and taking insulin all reduce body
magnesium. An unhealthy digestive system impairs the body’s ability to absorb
this mineral. Those include Crohn’s Disease, leaky gut and colitis among many.
The evidence of many studies is showing that one step to
prevent type 2 diabetes is to have a proper magnesium intake. The RDA of
magnesium is listed at about 300mg for women and 400mg for men. Unfortunately,
research shows these levels are barely enough to ward off outright deficiency.
A 2013 study showed most people with pre-diabetes had
inadequate magnesium intake. Those with the highest magnesium intake had a 71%
reduction in their risk for blood sugar and metabolic problems.
A 2006 Framingham Offspring Cohort study showed that higher
magnesium intake improved insulin sensitivity and reduced type 2 diabetes risk.
Magnesium is used by every organ in your body, especially
your heart, muscles and kidneys. Some interesting symptoms associated with low
magnesium are unexplained fatigue or weakness, abnormal heart rhythms, muscle
spasms and eye twitches.
Magnesium activates muscles and nerves; it creates energy by
activating ATP; it helps digest proteins, carbs and fat; it is a building block
for RNA and DNA. Lack of magnesium can lead to toxicity of vitamin D.
Conversely, some people having trouble getting their blood vitamin D levels to
a therapeutic level may be low in magnesium.
In an ideal world, we should be consuming between 1000 and
2000 milligrams of magnesium each day. If you aren’t’ getting that in your
food, you should use a high quality supplement. Yes, the first place you should
go to is better food, and juicing lots of green leafy vegetables is a great
option, but may not always be able to be accomplished. To get 1000 mg of
magnesium you’d have to eat 200 grams of pumpkin seeds, 300 grams of flaxseed
or 1000 grams of kale. There’s no way I’m doing that on a regular basis, and I
doubt most people are anywhere close to eating enough magnesium each day.
Taking extra from a supplement will ensure availability for your body systems.
Start today.