Magnesium in the human body

One essential mineral that is essential to maintaining the health of our bodies is magnesium. It’s vital for many body processes, including blood pressure regulation and the support of muscle and nerve function, despite being frequently disregarded. Insufficient magnesium can have a rapid negative impact on our health.

Magnesium is not naturally produced by our bodies; instead, we must obtain it from our diets or supplements. Although a lot of common foods, such as whole grains, nuts, and leafy greens, are high in magnesium, it’s simple to consume too little of it if we’re not careful about what we eat.

This post will discuss the significance of magnesium, signs of a deficiency, and ways to make sure you’re getting enough of this essential mineral.

A little statistics ..

Magnesium deficiency affects about 40% of people worldwide, with women experiencing it three to four times more frequently than men. things related to the physical attributes of women, such as menstruation, childbirth, etc. The human body contains roughly 25 grams of magnesium in total.

What is the importance of magnesium?

Magnesium is the fourth most important mineral for the human body after potassium, calcium and sodium. It has been proven that magnesium is involved in more than 300 biochemical reactions: * Improves the absorption of calcium, sodium and potassium by the body, helping them penetrate into the cell. Thanks to which the bones are hardened, the heart muscle is strengthened, metabolism is improved. * Promotes the penetration of nutrients into all cells of the body and the removal of toxins (waste products of microbes and viruses, poisons) and waste products (for example, carbon dioxide). * Participates in the synthesis of DNA in cells (a molecule that carries genetic information that it passes on from generation to generation), as well as in the division and restoration of all cells in the body. * Promotes the absorption of vitamins (B1, B6, C and others), as well as their transfer into cells. * Participates in the synthesis of protein (the main building material of all organs and tissues). * Improves the transmission of nerve impulses. * Regulates the tone and contractility of skeletal muscles, blood vessels and the heart, stomach, intestines, gall bladder. * Thus, without magnesium, the coordinated work of the entire body is impossible.

How magnesium works in the body?

Nervous system

Magnesium plays a role in nerve impulse transmission, which lowers neuromuscular excitability. Lack of magnesium causes the nerve cells in the body to become rigid, making a person more sensitive to stress, prone to headaches and sleeplessness, tearful, and easily fatigued. It has been demonstrated that under stress, nerve cells absorb magnesium very quickly and use it to transmit nerve impulses and resolve issues. In other words, a person’s body stores less magnesium the more stressed they are, which exacerbates nervous system disorders. Thus, a vicious cycle emerges.

Bone-muscular system

Calcium and magnesium – physiological partners: Without magnesium, calcium is not absorbed in the intestines and is not absorbed in the bones. Therefore, calcium settles in the joints, leading to their ossification and a decrease in mobility, and in the bones – to the development of osteoporosis. And at the same time, calcium, with a lack of magnesium, rushes to the muscles. And calcium is a mineral that causes muscle contraction, preventing it from relaxing. That is why there are often convulsive muscle contractions: tics, twitching, cramps in the calf muscles (in 75% of cases, it is the lack of magnesium that is the cause of all cases of cramps in the calf muscles). In addition, a lack of magnesium sometimes leads to the fact that calcium settles in the kidneys and gall bladder, leading to the formation of stones.

Cardiovascular system

About a fifth of all magnesium contained in the body is normally found in the heart muscle and blood vessels (most of all in the blood vessels of the brain). It is important to remember that with a lack of magnesium, calcium also rushes into the heart muscle, which does not allow it to relax. Normally, magnesium relaxes blood vessels and maintains their elasticity, improving blood circulation in all organs and systems (brain, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and others). Thanks to which they receive more oxygen and nutrients. In addition, magnesium thins the blood, preventing excessive blood clots. Magnesium improves the conduction of impulses and the contractility of the heart muscle, and also normalizes its metabolism.

Therefore, when taking magnesium:

– Vascular spasm is the basis for headaches, which are less frequent. For instance, researchers at the University of Tennessee (USA) have demonstrated that taking magnesium reduces migraine patients’ headache frequency, intensity, and duration by 80%. – There are fewer arteriosclerotic plaques on the blood vessel walls. – The body gets rid of cholesterol. Controls blood pressure and heart rate, halts the onset of stroke.

Magnesium and diabetes

Magnesium increases the permeability of the cell membrane and helps the pancreas produce more insulin. thus making it easier for glucose to enter cells. Thus, magnesium supplementation lowers the risk of diabetes mellitus in individuals with a genetic predisposition to the condition.

The role of magnesium in child development

Magnesium is an essential mineral from the moment of conception of the child, as well as for the entire period of its intensive growth and development. Judge for yourself: magnesium helps a woman to bear a pregnancy, improves the supply of oxygen to the fetus and much more. However, the most important task of magnesium is to help the child adapt to society and the world, which make excessive demands on him. The very first and greatest stress the baby experiences when he, leaving the womb of the mother, appears in the dazzling big and noisy world. Having grown up a little, the baby begins to attend kindergarten and school, takes exams, tries to find mutual understanding with peers and teachers, he is negatively affected by family troubles and so on. Of course, such events are stress for the baby"s fragile nervous system. Although at the initial stage, stress has a beneficial effect on the child"s body, helping to mobilize forces to solve the problem. For example, in the first days of school, a child enthusiastically talks about his peers, how he wakes up in the morning and does his homework on his own. However, later on, his strength is exhausted, and the child becomes irritable, whiny, etc. And how the child copes with problems depends on a lot. After all, one child easily endures school days (gets good grades, easily finds a common language with peers). Whereas another child is so frightened by all the events of school life that he gets stomach pains, headaches, loses his appetite, etc. Such a child needs help. Because, the more the stressful situation increases, the more magnesium consumption by cells increases, and the less magnesium in the body, the more the nervous system suffers.

How to understand that a child needs additional sources of magnesium?

Symptoms of stress

• Up to two years

The infant stops eating, gets agitated, and has abruptly and unexpectedly interrupted sleep (for instance, by refusing to nap or waking up too early).

The child might start wetting his bed or pants again, or go back to the pacifier. Excessive fear, aggressive behavior, uncontrollable angry outbursts, crying in response to everything new, and hyperactivity all develop in him.

On our website, you can read more about children’s hyperactivity in the following articles:

The child frequently complains of unjustified stomach pain and discomfort (occasionally accompanied by vomiting), and he or she avoids going to school and interacting with friends.

He experiences unexplained anxiety or fear, as well as stereotypical movements (head turns, arm or leg movements, finger bending and unbending, etc.), repetitive at certain intervals, and nighttime nervous tics (twitching of the eyelid, neck muscles).

The child frequently suffers from low self-esteem, irregular sleep and eating patterns, and diminished memory. Usually at this age, the child starts to realize that every child is unique. Competition results, and this can have a negative impact on a child’s nervous system.

The role of magnesium in women"s health

For every woman, magnesium is the most important mineral. Given that it is essential for both a healthy menstrual cycle and libido, or sexual desire, as well as for lowering premenstrual syndrome symptoms like irritability and tearfulness.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that magnesium must be replenished because it is rapidly eliminated from the body when using oral contraceptives.

A woman’s body retains water when she is deficient in magnesium. As a result, she rapidly loses her beauty: her skin becomes less elastic and she appears pale, swollen, and exhausted.

Moreover, magnesium plays a key role in the healthy progression of pregnancy, childbirth, and fetal development, along with a number of other minerals and vitamins (potassium, folic acid, and others). See our article on magnesium for more information on this. significance for a woman during pregnancy and the growth of the fetus

The most common causes of magnesium deficiency

• All kinds of diets. Young women who are trying hard to lose weight are especially at risk. In this case, magnesium is not supplied in sufficient quantities.

• Abuse of laxatives, since food passes through the gastrointestinal tract in transit, and magnesium and many other nutrients do not have time to be absorbed.

• Consumption of large amounts of easily digestible carbohydrates (for example, sweets, pastries), carbonated drinks. Since magnesium absorption in the gastrointestinal tract is impaired.

• Any gastrointestinal diseases (gastritis, colitis, biliary dyskinesia, peptic ulcer). Magnesium deficiency is caused by impaired digestion, so it is not absorbed sufficiently in the intestines.

• Smoking and alcohol abuse, since nicotine and alcohol remove magnesium from the body.

• Endocrine diseases (for example, decreased or increased thyroid function), taking hormonal contraceptives. Since the absorption of magnesium by cells is disrupted and its elimination from the body is accelerated.

• Eating disorders: oversalted food, large quantities and regular consumption of fast food, smoked foods, dried foods, abuse of coffee, etc. Such a diet contributes to the rapid elimination of magnesium from the body.

• Long-term use of medications (especially for the treatment of chronic diseases), since they wash magnesium out of the body.

How to determine magnesium deficiency?

Since 99% of magnesium is found in cells and only 1% is in the blood, laboratory tests cannot accurately determine the body’s magnesium levels.

Thus, it is preferable to concentrate on

symptoms of magnesium deficiency:

• Changes in the gastrointestinal tract – a tendency to constipation, difficulty swallowing and a lump in the throat, causeless spasmodic pain throughout the abdomen without a clear localization (location).

• Nervous system — insomnia, irritability, tearfulness, unreasonable fears, headaches and sudden dizziness, memory impairment, sudden mood swings, nightmares.

• Musculoskeletal system — convulsive contractions of muscles (most often – calf muscles), tics, muscle weakness and rapid fatigue, decreased sensitivity of the limbs.

• Cardiovascular system – high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, aching pain in the heart, vascular spasm (therefore, the extremities are often cold).

Note

These same symptoms can also be present in other illnesses. Thus, the fact that the symptoms of magnesium deficiency go away after magnesium preparations are prescribed supports a correct diagnosis.

How much to hang in grams?

A healthy adult needs between 350 and 400 mg of magnesium per day.

The amount of magnesium that children require varies according to their age: 40 mg for up to six months, 60 mg for six months to a year, 80 mg for one to three years, 120 mg for four to six years, 170 mg for seven to ten years, 280 mg for eleven to fourteen years, and 350–400 mg for over fifteen years.

Magnesium is an essential mineral that is necessary for the maintenance of general health and for the support of processes like energy production, nerve and muscle function, and muscle movement. It supports a strong immune system, helps control blood pressure, and fortifies bones. For both children and adults to ensure appropriate growth, development, and wellbeing, a balanced magnesium intake is necessary.

What foods contain magnesium?

Bran, dried fruits, almonds, walnuts, bananas, peanuts, pistachios, buckwheat and barley, peas, beans, seaweed, oatmeal, millet, almonds, fresh vegetables, and fruits are the foods highest in magnesium.

Additionally, if a person is in good health, consuming these products will provide him with enough magnesium.

Nonetheless, the body requires more magnesium during pregnancy due to nervous stress and all illnesses.

Furthermore, it’s important to keep in mind that a large portion of magnesium is destroyed during heat treatment. Consequently, the body requires a higher intake of magnesium.

Function of Magnesium	Importance
Maintains muscle and nerve function	Helps prevent cramps and supports healthy nerves
Regulates blood sugar levels	Aids in keeping blood sugar balanced
Supports the immune system	Plays a key role in keeping the body healthy
Maintains bone health	Essential for strong bones
Produces energy	Needed for energy production in the body

One important mineral that is necessary for many body processes is magnesium. It is evident that magnesium plays a critical role in maintaining heart health as well as supporting muscle and nerve function.

Magnesium deficiencies that result in health problems like fatigue, cramping in the muscles, or even more serious conditions can be avoided with a balanced diet high in magnesium. To make sure your body gets enough of this crucial nutrient, it’s important to include foods like leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and whole grains in your diet.

Seeking advice from a healthcare provider is always a good idea if you think you may not be getting enough magnesium. If necessary, they can advise you on dietary adjustments or supplementation. Making magnesium a top priority in your diet is an easy way to keep your health and vitality levels stable.

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