Magnesium is one of the essential minerals for human beings to maintain a healthy life, which has an important influence on human health. This article will summarize the 8 health benefits of magnesium for your reference and hope it will be helpful to your daily health care.
What is magnesium?
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body. It plays an important role in the reaction of more than 300 enzymes in the human body.
Therefore, if the daily intake of magnesium is insufficient, it will have some adverse effects on people’s health. Studies have shown that various lifestyle factors, such as a large number of processed foods in the diet, alcohol dependence, or long-term high-pressure work, can lead to insufficient and lack of magnesium intake.
8 health benefits of magnesium
1.How does magnesium relieve anxiety?
When a person is under stress and anxiety, the body will increase the excretion of magnesium. Therefore, if the reserves of magnesium are not replenished, it may seriously affect your mood.
Studies on mice have shown that there is a relationship between insufficient magnesium intake and increased anxiety, and magnesium supplementation can help relieve anxiety in mice.
Magnesium helps improve brain function. It affects the part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which helps regulate the pituitary gland and adrenal glands. These glands are responsible for your stress response.
When you feel stressed, your body is likely to be in a sympathetic state for a long time, and over time, you will feel exhausted. If magnesium can be properly supplemented at this time, it can help you enter a state of rest and digestion, or activate your parasympathetic nerves, thereby relaxing your body, calming emotions, and alleviating anxiety.
2. Magnesium helps you better sleep.
At present, the number of patients with insomnia in the world has been on the rise due to the accelerated pace of life, increased work pressure, irregular schedules and other factors. According to a 2012 Iran study, nearly 50% of the elderly suffer from insomnia. Magnesium can effectively reduce insomnia in the elderly. When the researchers added magnesium supplements to the diets of elderly subjects, they experienced longer sleep times and had better sleep efficiency.
Some people suffer from insomnia because they can’t seem to turn off their brains at night. Magnesium can slow your thinking by regulating a neurotransmitter called GABA. And help your body maintain a healthy level of GABA, so you have better sleep. GABA can also help you stay calm while preparing for sleep. This calm ritual can naturally improve your circadian rhythm.
Magnesium can be used as a sleep supplement, it can induce muscle relaxation and relieve stress, help people fall asleep faster, and maintain a long sleep so that the body can enter a more natural sleep cycle, and feel refreshed when waking up.
3. Magnesium can prevent and relieve migraine.
Studies have shown that migraine sufferers may have lower levels of magnesium in their blood and body tissues than others. Magnesium deficiency can cause neurotransmitters and limit vasoconstriction, which is a related factor that triggers migraine. Therefore, proper magnesium supplementation can help prevent or relieve migraine.
The American Migraine Foundation has issued a report that the human body guarantees a daily intake of 400-500 mg to prevent migraine.
4. Magnesium can strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis.
Although most people think that calcium is the most important for bone health, in fact, magnesium is also essential for the formation of healthy bones. More than 50% of magnesium is stored in the skeletal system, and the rest is in muscle, soft tissue and body fluids.
Magnesium can improve bone health directly or in brief. It helps regulate the level of calcium and vitamin D in the body. Studies have shown that proper amount of magnesium supplementation can increase bone density and promote the formation of bone crystals, thereby reducing the risk of osteoporosis in the elderly.
5. Magnesium is good for type 2 diabetes.
In 2015, a review report in the World Journal of Diabetes pointed out that most diabetic patients have low magnesium content, and magnesium may play a role in diabetes management. This is because magnesium has a positive effect on glucose control and insulin metabolism.
Some studies have confirmed that magnesium deficiency can lead to impaired insulin secretion and decreased sensitivity. And aggravating insulin resistance usually occurs before type 2 diabetes. Researchers have found that for every 100 mg increase in magnesium intake per day, the risk of type 2 diabetes is reduced by approximately 15%. A daily intake of 300 to 365 mg of magnesium can improve insulin sensitivity.
6. Magnesium helps reduce high blood pressure.
Experts at Harvard Medical School list magnesium as one of the key minerals for maintaining a healthy blood pressure. This is because magnesium helps relax blood vessels, which are important for regulating blood pressure, so it helps keep blood pressure levels in the normal range.
If enough magnesium is taken, it can help the body reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and high blood pressure.
7. Magnesium can relieve premenstrual syndrome.
For many women of childbearing age, periodic mood swings, abdominal distension, breast tenderness, and menstrual migraine have become a major problem in life.
Magnesium can induce muscle relaxation, relieve stress, and relieve emotions. Thereby, the menstrual symptoms mentioned above can be relieved.
8. Magnesium helps improve digestion and relieve symptoms of constipation.
Magnesium relaxes the muscles, including the relaxation of the intestinal wall, thereby promoting digestion. Some magnesium salts, such as magnesium glycinate and plum citrate, draw water into the intestines and promote bowel movements.
And foods rich in magnesium usually also contain fiber, which can prevent constipation. So if you suffer from constipation for a long time, it is recommended that you try to supplement magnesium. Maybe the constipation will be improved.
How to supplement magnesium?
Magnesium plays such a vital role in maintaining our health, but the human body cannot produce magnesium. We need to get it from food or supplements.
- Foods rich in magnesium:
Vegetables: dark leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard;
Dairy: plain low-fat yogurt and milk;
Nuts: almonds and cashews;
Fruit: bananas, dried apricots;
Legumes: peas, black beans, and peanuts, soybeans, tofu;
Whole grains: brown rice, wheat bran, oats.
- Recommended magnesium supplements:
If the daily diet cannot guarantee adequate magnesium intake, or it has been found that the lack of magnesium affects the health of the body, then taking the internal supplements is a good choice.
Here is recommended an easily absorbed magnesium supplement, magnesium glycinate. It is one of many magnesium supplements that is easily absorbed by the body. Besides, it has few side effects and will not cause adverse reactions such as indigestion even when taken in high doses.
The bottom line:
In summary, magnesium has so many positive effects, which can help you relieve some of the life troubles caused by health problems. The best way is through food supplements.
If you want to take supplements, it is recommended that you consult your doctor before taking it.
