The Health Benefits of Magnesium

In today's on-the-go lifestyle that includes fast-food runs and high stress in the workplace, Americans are feeling the effects of magnesium deficiency.

Though once abundant in plant and animal sources, most foods today are overly processed, removing most of the nutritional content. Americans are simply not getting enough magnesium from the foods they consume. In fact, 80% of the U.S. population is magnesium deficient. On average, consumers are receiving about 175-225mg of magnesium a day when the RDA for magnesium is 400-420mg per day for men, and 310-320mg per day for women.

We have a love affair with calcium consumption. Modern marketing would have you believe that consuming excessive amounts of calcium is good for your health. Our grocery stores are full of calcium-fortified foods, and calcium-rich dairy products to ensure everyone gets their RDA of calcium. Unfortunately, magnesium does not have the same marketing awareness, which hinders consumers' ability to receive the proper balance of calcium and magnesium from their diet.

Excessive amounts of calcium to magnesium in our blood can be very unhealthy. Magnesium dissolves the calcium in our blood stream so it can be used by the body. Consuming an imbalance of calcium to magnesium can also contribute to muscle cramping and hypertension.

Proper calcium to magnesium levels are essential, and our bodies work best when these two powerful nutrients are consumed in a one-to-one ratio!

Through an imbalance of magnesium and calcium, you can be susceptible to strains as well as muscle cramping. You may have had them during performances that were caused by dehydration. Even if you are in good physical condition and have well-trained muscles, consuming the right balance of magnesium and calcium is essential.

By consuming the two properly, you'll help your muscles contract and relax. Think of your muscles as a light switch on your wall---calcium enters cells and makes muscles contract, which is like turning the light switch to the on position. Magnesium then pushes the calcium out of the cell and makes muscles relax, which is like moving the light switch to the off position.

If magnesium is deficient, then the body has a hard time turning off the light switch, which leads to muscle tension, cramping, and potential strains. This occurs when the muscle contracts or misfires while in the process of relaxing, and can result in slight to severe tearing of the muscle.

As an athlete, you may have consumed pre-workout supplements that included caffeine. But did you know that this can impact your adrenal levels? Caffeine stimulates the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol. Consuming more than 400mg per day of caffeine can lead to adrenal fatigue, which negatively affects your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Many athletes overuse pre-workout drinks when trying to cope with adrenal exhaustion, but this ends up making matters worse.

This is due to the fact that your metabolic functions begin to break down when your adrenal glands are exhausted. You'll find yourself fatigued, lethargic, and unproductive throughout the day. If you want to combat adrenal fatigue, supplementing with magnesium can do the trick by boosting energy levels.

As stress increases, your magnesium levels will decrease and limit the production of ATP, which is the high-impact energy athletes need during exercise. A powerful nutrient to calm your adrenal glands, magnesium plays a key role in creating energy producing pathways. This will allow you to work harder for improved performances and everyday tasks.

Low levels of magnesium lead to exhaustion, sleepiness, and irritability. This causes poor control of electrical conduction in the neurons within the muscles, and can lead to insomnia. In other words, magnesium serves as a chemical to calm your state of excitement.

Since stress affects sleep, you'll have a repeated pattern of low energy. By supplementing with magnesium, you'll repress the release of stress hormones, and help your body relax for better sleep.

If you can stay rested and mentally focused, you'll maximize performance for greater results. Also known as one of the cofactors of dopamine and serotonin, magnesium will also elevate your mood for better snooze time and less stress.

As depletion of minerals occurs after an intense workout, restoring magnesium is an effective method to speed up recovery.

Sports drinks can help refuel your body after you partake in strenuous exercise, but replacing lost magnesium is essential to reduce lactic acid buildup and balance calcium-magnesium levels in the muscle.

Magnesium and malic acid also play a vital role in ATP production

(the body's energy source). Muscle fatigue is caused by the breakdown of muscle proteins due to a deficiency of oxygen needed for ATP production.

Since magnesium can manufacture ATP efficiently, you'll experience faster recovery to optimize your training.

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 "Definition of Magnesium Deficiency". MedicineNet.com. Retrieved 31 May 2014.

 Swaminathan, R. "Magnesium Metabolism and its Disorders". Clin Biochem Rev. 24: 47–66 PMC 1855626.