How Magnesium Contributes to Great Health

March 11, 2010

Most people know that it is important to get enough minerals in their diet. They go out of their way to get plenty of calcium and iron. However, many other minerals are needed to stay healthy and few people know of their many benefits. Magnesium is one mineral that many people neglect. Unfortunately, 61% of American adults do not get adequate magnesium to satisfy the US RDA. Using a magnesium supplement would provide a number of benefits to these adults.

Magnesium is best known for its role in preventing and reversing osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle. Magnesium assists the body absorb and use calcium. It also affects the various hormones in the body that influence bone density and calcium absorption. Getting plenty of magnesium helps increase bone density but helping the body utilize calcium more efficiently. Excess calcium can migrate into the muscles, leading to cramps and pain. It can also move into the kidneys where it solidifies forming kidney stones. Getting adequate magnesium makes sure that more of this calcium is used and may help prevent kidney stones.

Magnesium also helps control high blood pressure. Magnesium does this by relaxing smooth muscles in the arteries that cause them to dilate. Studies suggest that through this action and its ability to work with potassium to manage blood pressure, magnesium helps to prevent hypertension.

Magnesium is also active in the balancing our blood sugar. It is needed to metabolize carbohydrates. Too little magnesium can cause insulin, the enzyme that control the levels of blood sugar, to stop working. Insulin resistance is the term that describes this condition. Insulin resistance is usually a first step towards the development of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is another name for adult-onset diabetes. As insulin becomes less effective, it takes more and more of it to create the same drop in blood sugar. Eventually full-blown diabetes develops. Getting the recommended amount of magnesium will improve the ability of the body to control blood sugar and hopefully prevent diabetes from developing in later life.

Since magnesium has such an effect on diabetes and hypertension, it only seems natural that it would be a factor in cardiovascular health as well. Indeed, it is. Low magnesium is often associated with irregular heart rhythms. Sufficient levels of magnesium also help prevent abnormal clotting of the blood in the heart. Several studies have suggested that magnesium supplements can help lower the risk of stroke and heart disease and may help patients recover from strokes and heart attacks.

Magnesium is an incredibly useful mineral for our body. Sadly, many do not receive the recommended amounts of magnesium to maintain our good health. A supplement many be the only way to make sure that our body gets all the magnesium it needs to perform at its peak. When taking calcium supplements, it is recommended to also take a supplement of twice the amount of magnesium as well. Liquid mineral supplements increase the ability of the digestive system to absorb minerals by supplying them in a form that is readily utilized by the body. Take a liquid magnesium supplement everyday to prevent weak bones, hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. Take the time today to ensure your magnesium intake is sufficient to keep yourself in excellent health by buying a high quality liquid magnesium supplement.

To learn more about the powers of magnesium supplementsas well as other important mineral supplements, visit us online and download your FREE audio Minerals: What your body needs and why. Neil Butterfield is the owner of Mineralife and is also their mineral supplement expert, Mineralife is recognized countrywide for its excellence mineral supplements.