Can't sleep? Struggling with your mental health? More than 50% of the US population is deficient in Magnesium due to the excessive consumption of processed food, farming practices, and magnesium-depleted soils caused by soil erosion. This vital mineral has a remarkable ability to calm and relax the body and mind.
Studies have shown that magnesium deficiency has a grave impact on our overall wellness. In this article, we will dive more into Magnesium and what happens when we are deficient.
What is Magnesium?
Let us start with the basics. Magnesium is an abundant mineral in the body that serves an essential role in the physiological function of the heart, brain, and skeletal muscle. It also provides many mental and physical health benefits.
Magnesium controls and regulates diverse biochemical reactions like blood pressure control, energy breakdown, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose, and protein fusion. Every cell in your body contains this mineral and needs it to function efficiently.
As essential as this element is and how it is involved in most bodily functions necessary for life, more than 50% of people in the US are deficient due to the excessive consumption of processed food, farming practices, and magnesium-depleted soils caused by soil erosion. While getting magnesium from your diet is the ideal way, magnesium supplementation should be considered to receive the recommended daily intake.
The recommended daily amount is about 300mg-500mg. The amount needed each day increases with age because the body gets less effective at metabolizing magnesium as people get older. Magnesium deficiency is often an often-overlooked health problem because it is difficult to diagnose. After all, early damage is not readily detectable.
What are the Signs of Magnesium Deficiency?
Fatigue Muscle Weakness
Severe and persistent feeling of weakness or tiredness is often a sign that your body is low on magnesium.
Insomnia
If you are experiencing a lack of sleep or waking up frequently during the night, this may be due to the reduced level of melatonin produced by the body.
Irregular heartbeat
Magnesium deficiency can cause an imbalance of potassium levels inside and outside of heart muscle cells which can lead to heart-related problems like high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, stroke, and even heart failure.
Mental health disorders
Studies have shown that magnesium deficiency has a grave impact on mental disorders like depression, anxiety, bipolar, and schizophrenia
Migraine headaches
Low levels of magnesium have been linked to the cause of migraines and headaches.
Osteoporosis
Lack of magnesium contributes to decreased bone density and further hastens the onset of osteoporosis, especially in the elderly.
Insulin resistance
Magnesium plays a role in glucose and insulin homeostasis and evidence suggests that magnesium intake is associated with insulin resistance and therefore magnesium deficiency has been associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes in adults. Studies have shown that higher dietary magnesium intake is strongly associated with the attenuation of insulin resistance
Increased Inflammation
Low magnesium in our daily diet is linked to increased levels of inflammation, which plays a key role in aging and chronic disease. One review of 11 studies on PUBMED concluded that magnesium supplements decreased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, in people with chronic inflammation.
Low levels of magnesium in our daily diet can harm us in the long run. Speak to your professional healthcare provider if you are experiencing any of these symptoms and take back control of your health and wellness.
Sources: PubMed, PubMed, https://journals.plos.org, DiabetesJournals.Org
