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All You Need to know about Magnesium’s Anti-stress Competence


Sat 12 Jan 2019 | 12:49 PM
Norhan Mahmoud

By: Dr Magdy Badran , Pediatric Consultant

CAIRO, Jan. 12 (SEE)- Magnesium is a basic element of life much like water and air . It is one of the most important minerals in the body and every cell in the body contains it and needs it. It is the fourth most abundant ion in the human body, with a distribution of 50% in bones, 49% intracellularly in all body organs and 1% in blood serum.

Human cells use magnesium as a type of fuel source for biological processes to function. Magnesium acts as a helper molecule in the biochemical reactions continuously performed by over 300 enzymes, including: energy creation, aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, regulation of metabolic pathways, cell proliferation, membrane stabilization, protein formation, gene maintenance, muscle movements and nervous system regulation.

Magnesium is an important mineral to the brain. It regulates mood and stress by nourishing the nervous system. Recent research suggests that magnesium plays a role in neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the nerve cells in the brain to compensate for injury or disease and to adjust their activities in response to new changes in their environment. Supplementation with this important mineral could help to prevent Alzheimer's disease and other forms of age-related dementia.

Increased stress increases magnesium loss. Cellular magnesium levels stimulate serotonin production which improves mood. Magnesium improves brain health and cognition, it improves brain memory formation and it improves learning abilities. Magnesium therapy can treat symptoms of anxiety by relaxing nerves, assisting in digestion, relieving muscle tension and conducting healthy nerve responses.

Magnesium deficiency afflicts 90% of all people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and triggers symptoms like restlessness, poor focus, irritability, sleep problems and anxiety.

Hypomagnesemia has been associated with stressful conditions such as photosensitive headache, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, audiogenic stress, cold stress and physical stress. Magnesium supplementation has been linked to improvements in symptoms of major depression, postpartum depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.

People who get the most magnesium have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Magnesium helps lower blood pressure in people with elevated levels but does not seem to have the same effect in those with normal levels.

Magnesium is to the body like oil is to a car’s engine and if we are deficient problems will arise. The higher amount of both physical and mental demands in our lives, the higher the rate our bodies deplete magnesium sources. Magnesium deficiency is often misdiagnosed because it does not show up in blood tests as only 1% of the body’s magnesium is stored in the blood.

Early symptoms of magnesium deficiency can include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, tiredness and weakness. Although many people are not getting enough magnesium, deficiency is rare and symptoms usually indicate an underlying health condition. Long-term magnesium deficiency may have adverse effects on bone density, brain function and digestive system.

Moreover, magnesium helps to prevent and manage asthma attacks. Magnesium has been shown to help fight inflammation. Magnesium role in asthma includes, it assists the relaxation of bronchial cells, it exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect by stabilizing the allergy T cells and suppressing the allergy mast cells which release inflammatory mediators.

Oral magnesium supplementation was associated with the following positive outcomes, improved pulmonary function, decreased airway reactivity and wheezing, less frequent asthma flare ups, less use of inhaled corticosteroids and decreased skin response to allergens.

Environmental contaminants in our food expose our bodies to a higher amount of toxins and impurities than in the past. Magnesium assists in detoxifying the body of acids, toxins, gasses and poisons. Magnesium has a laxative effect and it relieves constipation by improving the motility of the gastrointestinal tract.

Magnesium has to be in a proper balance with calcium in order to maintain healthy bone density and bone health. When magnesium is pulled from the bones resulting from cellular magnesium deficiency, the concentration of calcium to magnesium becomes imbalanced leading to the calcification of bones and joints leading to osteoarthritis.

Despite the known health benefits of magnesium, half of the population does not consume the recommended daily dietary allowance of magnesium. We get most of our magnesium from plants. Intensive agricultural practices rob the soil of magnesium and don’t replace it. As a result, many core food crops—such as whole grains—are low in magnesium.

Food processing, antacids, diuretics, caffeine and alcohol can decrease magnesium absorption. The following foods are good sources of magnesium: pumpkin seeds, green leafy vegetables, figs, avocado, banana, nuts, seeds, legumes, salmon, mackerel, tuna and dark chocolate.