The Benefits of Magnesium and the Real Reason You Might Need to Supplement

You might often hear about magnesium and its importance to the human body. And yet, a staggering 50% of people in the United States are magnesium deficient. Not only does this affect a person’s health and well-being, but lacking magnesium in the body can put you at risk of certain issues later down the road. What is magnesium and why is it important for your health? Let’s discuss more below.

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium is an important mineral that the human body needs, which can be found in foods or taken as a dietary supplement. It is a cofactor in over 300 enzyme systems that carry out various, important regulatory processes in the body.

• It helps with energy production as well as healthy sleep!
• It regulates protein synthesis, a process that creates protein molecules in the body.
• It is involved in proper muscle and nerve function.
• It controls blood glucose or blood sugar and also regulates blood pressure.
• The body needs magnesium to produce energy as well as glycolysis (breaking down glucose to extract energy) and oxidative phosphorylation (oxidation of nutrients to create energy or adenosine triphosphate ATP in particular.
• It plays a key role in the transport of potassium and calcium in the body.
• It is a requirement for DNA, RNA, and glutathione synthesis.

We get 60% of magnesium in the food we eat, and it is stored in the bones. However, when the body is lacking magnesium, it will dip into the reserves for soft tissues and muscles.

Are you magnesium deficient?

According to a study from The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association that 50% of Americans are magnesium deficient. And as a result, they cannot metabolize vitamin D properly.

Despite taking vitamin D to improve calcium and phosphate levels, the body can’t absorb the vitamin properly due to a lack of magnesium in the body. Unfortunately, not many people are aware that they are magnesium deficient or getting less than what they need.

According to the NIH, the recommended daily amount of magnesium for people aged between 19 and 30 years old is 310 mg of magnesium for females and 400 mg for males. For those who are 31 years and older, it is 320 mg for females and 420 mg for males.

Are you getting enough magnesium?

Check out some of the signs of magnesium deficiency below:

• Appetite loss
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fatigue/weakness
• Abnormal heartbeat (extreme)
• Muscle cramps, contractions, and tingling (extreme)
• Seizures (extreme)

The real reason we may need to supplement with Magnesium

What can cause magnesium deficiency? Aside from not eating enough foods that contain magnesium, there are other possible causes. Food that used to contain plenty of magnesium now have less than ever due to poor farming rotation practices, soil overuse, and due to the ultra processing of our food supply.

Nevertheless, if you suspect that you are magnesium deficient or just want a thorough check, it is advised to consult with your doctor. Do note that a blood test alone is not an accurate measure of magnesium levels in the body. This is because magnesium is found in bones or cells.

Your practitioner may also want to check the saliva and/or urine, or perform a hair minerals test to be able to accurately measure the level of magnesium in your body.

The magnesium you need

There’s no doubt that magnesium is important in the body, but you’d be surprised to know that there are 11 different types of magnesium that can be found in food and supplements. Which ones are the most important?

Let’s start with magnesium glycinate.

1. Magnesium Glycinate

It is very helpful in increasing the level of magnesium in the body. Needless to say, it is one of the best types of magnesium to take because it is easily tolerated and absorbed by the body. It is the gentlest magnesium to the tummy.

What are the benefits of magnesium glycinate?

• Promotes and improves bone health
• Relieves stress
• Boosts performance in physical activities like exercise
• May help reduce the frequency of head pain.
• Maintains the right serotonin levels to help with mood
• For women, it can help with premenstrual syndrome symptoms (PMS)
• Can help with managing blood sugar
• Helps regular heart rhythms
• Decreases blood pressure stress
• People with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease may see improvement with dietary magnesium intake

2. Magnesium Malate

What is magnesium malate? You get this compound when magnesium and malic acid are combined. Malic acid is used as a food additive and is responsible for the sour taste in fruits. Just like magnesium glycinate, magnesium malate is highly absorbable, making it one of the widely taken types of magnesium as well.

Why take magnesium malate? It can help with:

• Magnesium malate may help improve bowel movements. It can be taken as a natural laxative that brings water to the intestines that will help move food through the digestive tract.
• It can act as a natural antacid that can help with heartburn and hyperacidity.
• May help in boosting one’s mood; this study shows that people who had very low daily magnesium intake were at a higher risk of mood related issues
• May help control blood sugar and insulin sensitivity; insulin is a hormone that transports sugar from the bloodstream to the body’s tissues, and insulin sensitivity helps in regulating blood sugar
• May help improve your exercise performance in terms of producing energy, absorbing oxygen, and balancing electrolytes; a study also found that malic acid can help promote muscle recovery in athletes as well as reduce fatigue
• May reduce pain from fibromyalgia; a two-month study of 24 people was done and the result showed that those who were taking 3 to 6 tablets of 50mg magnesium and 200 mg malic acid twice a day experienced reduced tenderness and pain in the muscles

3. Magnesium Taurate

As you probably could’ve guessed, magnesium, when mixed with taurine, forms magnesium taurate. This is the third type of magnesium that we included in our magnesium complex.

What is taurine? It is an amino acid that plays a key role in creating bile that supports digestion as well as detoxifying the liver, thus improving a person’s metabolism.

So why is it a good partner for magnesium? That’s because taurine transports magnesium in and out of cell membranes. But that’s not all, what’s unique about taurine is that it can change how it functions depending on the type of cell whether it is a heart cell, skin cell, nerve cell, or immune cell. Another reason is that the presence of taurine can help increase magnesium concentrations in a cell, a study shows.

What are the benefits of magnesium taurate?

• Magnesium taurate supports the nervous system by helping maintain the right calcium levels, which are essential for the proper functioning of neurotransmitters and GABA in the brain.
• Both magnesium and taurine work together to control blood sugar levels in the body to reduce the risk of diabetes or its complications. And at the same time, magnesium taurate helps improve insulin sensitivity.
• Feeling restless? Magnesium taurate may help improve sleep by relaxing the mind. Not only will this improve your sleep quality, but it may also help fight insomnia.
• Magnesium and taurine are known to be able to lower blood pressure. As a result, blood vessels do not contract.
• There is also improved blood flow around the body because taurine assists the heart to pump blood more effectively. Thus, the powerful partnership of magnesium and taurine can also help regulate your heartbeat or heart rhythm.
• Not only can magnesium taurate relax the mind, but it can also help a person feel calmer in stressful situations.
• To add, taurine can also boost brain health by helping the brain produce new brain cells, which then helps delay the decline of cognitive function.
• For a boost in exercise performance, magnesium taurate can be of help, too. It gets rid of toxins and waste products in the body that are responsible for muscle fatigue. You can enjoy more stamina, endurance, and less muscle pain and aches during physical activities.

Sources of magnesium and supplementation

Wondering where you can get magnesium? Your best option has always been to eat magnesium-rich foods, however, as mentioned earlier, farming practices have changed the magnesium content of our food. However, the best natural sources are unprocessed foods, including:

• Beans, legumes, and lentils
• Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach
• Nuts and seeds (sesame, pumpkin, chia)
• Whole grains
• Unrefined grains
• Fish, but the best source is halibut
• Fruits, but the best ones are dried figs, blackberries, and bananas

Now we all know that relying on natural food sources alone can be a challenge. This is where magnesium supplements come in. For those who cannot achieve the recommended daily amount of magnesium, taking supplements will come in very handy. Taking a formula that contains magnesium glycinate, magnesium malate, and magnesium taurate is incredibly powerful and can really boost overall health and wellness.

Interested in learning more about our Magnesium Complex? Click over to check it out, wherever you prefer to shop.