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It is astonishing how little people know about the role of magnesium and how easily they overlook information that could prove life-saving. Among the minerals that play a key role in health and in the proper functioning of our cells — zinc, calcium, selenium — magnesium holds a special place. It takes part in the body’s energy balance and in more than 325 enzyme processes. Just as the body needs water, it uses up magnesium every day — and so it must receive it every day.
In brief
- Magnesium is essential for energy, muscles, nerves, heart rhythm and strong bones.
- Without enough magnesium, the body cannot make proper use of calcium either.
- Stress, alcohol, sugar, certain medicines and a poor diet deplete magnesium.
- The daily requirement is around 400–600 mg; magnesium is taken in through food, supplements and the skin.
Calcium is not everything
In many medical circles, the prevailing view is still that the most important and most commonly lacking mineral is calcium. But if magnesium is in short supply, increasing your calcium intake through food and supplements will not produce a good mineral balance. Excess calcium is deposited as spurs in the joints, stones in the internal organs, plaque and clots in the blood vessels; persistent constipation appears, or constipation alternating with diarrhoea; and neuromuscular excitability rises to painful levels. The body needs magnesium in order to process and absorb the calcium it requires.
An adult body contains 30–50 g of magnesium — far less than calcium (around 1 kg). But magnesium is extremely dynamic: it is quickly absorbed and easily excreted, so it needs constant replenishing. While calcium is rarely needed in amounts above 800–1000 mg a day, the recommendations for magnesium are 400–600 mg — and according to a number of specialists, even these figures are too low.
What magnesium does in the body
- Energy. Enzymes drive every chemical reaction in a living organism, and without magnesium hundreds of them simply cannot work. The most important reaction is the creation of high-energy bonds through the activation of ATP — the main molecule in which cells store energy. Magnesium is also involved in the metabolism of glucose, fatty acids and amino acids, and helps to form glycogen in the muscles and the liver.
- Heart, muscles and bones. It maintains a steady heart rhythm, normal muscle function and strong bones. It can lower blood cholesterol and protect against blockages in the arteries and veins and against dangerous arrhythmias.
- Hormone and vitamin metabolism. It helps the body absorb many other minerals and vitamins, most hormones, as well as acetylcholine and nitric oxide, which regulate the nerves, the blood vessels and the immune system.
- Immunity and glands. It keeps the immune and endocrine systems healthy.
- DNA. In the cell nucleus, more than half of the magnesium is bound to nucleic acids and proteins. It is needed for the integrity of the DNA double helix, which carries our genetic information.
- Protection from toxins. A good magnesium intake helps the body cope with heavy metals and the other poisons typical of modern life.
- Nervous system. Magnesium is the “anti-stress” mineral — together with the B group vitamins it normalises the work of the entire nervous system, and especially its higher centres.
- Reproductive system and pregnancy. It has a beneficial effect on the reproductive system; during pregnancy, together with folic and pantothenic acid, it protects the mother’s health and supports the normal development of the baby — on a doctor’s advice.
A healthy cell contains plenty of magnesium and little calcium. In theory, our biochemical age could be determined by the ratio between the two minerals in our cells: in a sense, magnesium is the mineral of rejuvenation, protecting the organs and tissues from the calcification that comes with ageing.
Stress and magnesium — a vicious circle
Modern life is a relentless stream of stress, and stress increases the need for magnesium. The stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline narrow the blood vessels and raise blood pressure and pulse. If magnesium is lacking during stress and mental strain, a deficiency develops, showing itself as exhaustion, tension and irritability. And a lack of magnesium leads to still more exhaustion — and still more stress.
Magnesium is easily lost through sweat and urine, while large amounts of sugar and alcohol speed up the excretion of both magnesium and calcium. That is why our bodies find themselves under constant stress because of this chronic shortfall.
Signs of deficiency
When magnesium is lacking, you tire quickly, become irritable and sleep poorly, and women become more tearful. Noise seems too loud, light too bright, emotional reactions are exaggerated, the heart pounds as if it will burst, and the brain is too excited to fall asleep. Muscle cramps appear, along with constipation or constipation alternating with diarrhoea.
It is thought that a large proportion of people — by some estimates as many as two thirds — are deficient in magnesium without even suspecting it.
Why we are short of magnesium
- Diet. Eating on the go, poor-quality foods — refined, over-salted, over-fried and stale — and too few raw plant foods. As a result, we not only take in little magnesium, but the body also absorbs it less easily.
- Alcohol, tobacco and toxins. Both occasional heavy drinking and regular “moderate” alcohol consumption lead to serious deficiency. To varying degrees, the same is true of tobacco, drugs, heavy metals, fluoride and pesticides.
- Medicines. High doses or prolonged use of calcium supplements, antibiotics, steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, laxatives, sedatives, insulin, cardiac glycosides, diuretics, cytostatics and contraceptives.
- Depleted soils. One-sided fertilising and other factors have reduced the magnesium in our food several times over in recent decades.
- Stress — rushing, uncertainty, irritation and anxiety use up magnesium especially quickly.
Who needs more magnesium
- People with diabetes — high blood sugar means more urine is produced, and with it more magnesium is lost. Magnesium is also needed for the production, action and transport of insulin.
- Children and adolescents — between the ages of 3 and 19, magnesium is particularly important for normal physical and mental development, concentration and cognitive activity.
- Older people — requirements do not decrease with age, yet physical activity and food intake do.
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women — on a doctor’s recommendation.
- Athletes — they lose magnesium through sweat; see the article on magnesium and sport.
Here is a list of conditions in which, according to the author, it is especially important to pay attention to magnesium — do discuss your intake with your doctor:
- heart disease, blood pressure problems, stroke, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, varicose veins;
- premenstrual syndrome, pregnancy and breastfeeding, puberty;
- diabetes and neuropathy;
- migraine, muscle pain and cramps, chronic pain, bone spurs, osteoporosis;
- skin conditions, brittle hair and nails, hair loss;
- frequent use of laxatives and diuretics, chronic diarrhoea, eating disorders, weight-loss diets;
- apathy and depression;
- active sport.
And this was supposed to be a short list — and even it is not complete.
How to get your magnesium
The main source is food — green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, pulses and wholegrain foods. In addition:
- Intravenously — routine practice after a heart attack, for example, but only in hospital and under medical supervision.
- Orally (as a supplement) — possible side effects include upset stomach and stomach pain.
- Transdermally (through the skin) — it has long been known that the skin can absorb various substances, including medicines (pain-relief ointments, for instance). This is why the purity of the product is crucial.
The transdermal method is the newest of all. Applied directly to the skin, magnesium chloride is absorbed through it and acts quickly on both acute and chronic pain. It also suits athletes, who need a great deal of magnesium — with injuries and tired muscles, magnesium taken orally is not as effective. Heat combined with magnesium chloride stimulates circulation and the removal of waste products, while magnesium baths draw inflammation out of the muscles and joints.
Magnesium from the sea
The products made with Black Sea lye and mud, Le’Spa and ANCHIALO, are rich in magnesium salts and minerals. Black Sea lye is a concentrated natural solution of magnesium salts (MgCl₂ and MgSO₄) — with it, magnesium is absorbed through the skin via baths, compresses and rubs, or through massage gels and oils.
Read more: magnesium for chronic pain, magnesium and the heart, magnesium for healthy skin, healthy hair and nails.
Author: Martina Ivanova. Source: svoizbor.com
About Luga.bg
Maker of natural products with Black Sea lye and liman mud from Pomorie. We have been writing about lye, mud and sea minerals since 2015 — with doctors, physiotherapists and our own experience.
