Magnesium: Element Extraordinaire!

Magnesium is an essential element for normal body function. There are over 300 different enzymatic reactions that involve magnesium. This mineral is necessary for every step of a cell’s energy-creating process, nerve activities, vascular function, and bone formation (to name a few).

Perhaps surprisingly, magnesium is found in your bones (55%), in muscles (26%), in tissues (18%) and in your blood (a small 1%).

Today, medical facilities commonly use magnesium for cardiac care units and to treat eclampsia (hypertensive disorder during pregnancy).

Meanwhile, there are decades of scientific information demonstrating that magnesium is safe and helpful in supporting health when the following conditions apply:

• Vascular and heart diseases
• Hypertension
• Migraine headaches
• Diabetes (particularly type 2)
• Osteoporosis
• Fibromyalgia

Magnesium’s Healthy Role in Your Blood Vessels

One primary enzymatic activity of magnesium is its influence on the vascular system. 

Your vascular system consists of copious amounts of blood vessels (arteries and veins), which are continually pushing blood through your body. Each time your heart beats, it forces much of the blood into the arteries, and from there, arteries and veins are on their own. They are lined with smooth muscle. This muscle contracts and expands pushing blood through the vessels.

There are many factors that influence this smooth muscle’s activity, but at the forefront is magnesium. Magnesium is critical to expanding muscles and opening up the blood vessels.  Conversely, another important mineral, calcium, constricts the blood vessel and therefore increases blood pressure.

A Balancing Act: Magnesium and Calcium

With two important minerals at odds with each other when it comes to blood vessel contraction and expansion, it is important to keep magnesium and calcium in balance. What happens when they are not in balance?  Hypertension.

If the concentration of magnesium decreases while calcium increases, vessels contract longer and your blood pressure goes up.

Other common disorders can occur when these minerals are out of balance – such as migraine headaches.

Migraines occur when the blood vessels of the brain act erratically. The large brain blood vessels are dilated and the small vessels are constricted. Research has found that patients with migraines have low magnesium levels in the brain's blood vessels.

Other Important Functions of Magnesium

This really could be a long list, but here are the highlights of magnesium’s multitude of functions:

• Keeps heart beat regular: Magnesium maintains the heart muscle as well as the nerves that initiate the heart beat.
• Increases bone density: Since 55% of magnesium is found in bone (and teeth of course!) then it obviously important in the formation and maintenance of bone. Magnesium is involved in calcium transport by converting vitamin D into a form that increases calcium absorption.
• Helps carbohydrate metabolism: Magnesium has shown to influence the release of insulin and therefore can control blood glucose levels.
• Relaxes all types of muscles: As mentioned above, magnesium allows the muscles to expand, allowing for muscle relaxation. If you are asthmatic, your lung muscles are tight, correct? Well, magnesium can encourage the lung muscles to expand, allowing you to breathe more freely. Pesky muscle spasms can be the result of magnesium deficiencies too.
• Suppresses PMS symptoms: Magnesium may improve PMS mood changes, fluid retention and premenstrual migraines.

Studies:

• The Magnesium Online Library
• Magnesium supplementation in type 2 diabetes
• Magnesium in cardiovascular diseases and other disorders
• Tucker KL, et al. Potassium, magnesium, and fruit and vegetable intakes are associated with greater bone mineral density in elderly men and women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1999;69:727-36.
• Yamada S, Inaba M. Osteoporosis and mineral intake Clin Calcium. 2004 Dec;14(12):96-9
• Bendich A. The potential for dietary supplements to reduce premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms. J Am Coll Nutrition 2000;19:3-12.

Notes:

1. One handy little reference book is The Magnesium Solution for High Blood Pressure by Dr. Jay S. Cohen. Dr. Cohen, who also wrote The Magnesium Solution for Migraine Headaches and is an expert on medications and side effects. Dr. Cohen’s link: http://www.medicationsense.com/index.html
2. For best absorption, take magnesium with a meal and ensure intake of vitamin B6 and vitamin D in your daily dietary supplement.
3. Magnesium can be taken throughout the day; however, a final dose at bedtime may increase absorption. Magnesium also helps to relax and calm the body, allowing better sleep.
4. The elderly are at increased risk of hypomagnesemia.
5. The elderly are more prone to decreased magnesium absorption, increased urinary loss, and disease states associated with abnormal magnesium status.