Hello friends today's episode is a deep dive into the science of magnesium an essential mineral that we need to get from our diet because it is required for 300 different metabolic reactions inside the body and yet almost half of
the US population does not have adequate intake this topic is near and dear to my heart why you may
ask it takes me back to the
early days of my postdoctoral research in the laboratory of dr. Bruce Ames Bruce. You see imparted upon me
his passion or should I say love?
For all
things micronutrients
Bruce's pet Theory the triage Theory of Aging argues that when we have suboptimal dietary micro
nutrient intake for
example, not getting enough magnesium our body
sacrifices the long term for the short term
that essentially by having a diet that is inadequate
in one or many micronutrients
even without the
presentation of clinically over disease. We produce a sort of Insidious damage that accumulates over time that leads to an accelerated.
And of Aging because of the diverse role
magnesium plays in metabolism and the human body and also because of the pervasive inadequacy of its
intake magnesium was ultimately a key focal point of
his theories and our research learn more about dr. Bruce Ames now 95 years old
and his extremely prolific scientific career producing literally
thousands of papers by searching Google
Scholar for his name or simply the words triage Theory.
You can
also check out our throwback old episode together on the triage Theory of Aging episode number four in this episode we go deep on magnesium. Hey, I learned from the best. So stay tuned to learn about why people who
sweat need more magnesium the factors that limit magnesium bioavailability including plant phytates and excessive supplemental
zinc why alcohol consumption makes magnesium deficiency more likely why organic magnesium salts are the best
type of supplement
I told magnesium why you should space out your magnesium supplement intake why supplemental magnesium three and eight isn't the best option for meeting daily magnesium needs
why mental and physical stress can deplete magnesium whether or not magnesium
supplementation improves sleep the associations between magnesium
intake and brain health the
role of magnesium in managing migraines how
magnesium deficiency affects the aging process via
accumulated DNA damage
magnesium's role.
In cancer prevention
why adequate magnesium intake early in life is an investment in your long-term bone health and reducing your risk of osteoporosis. As you age The crucial Synergy between magnesium and vitamin D metabolism. Why inadequate magnesium intake May hinder the body's ability to utilize vitamin D
effectively, even if vitamin D intake is sufficient the role of magnesium in lowering high blood pressure
and the effectiveness of magnesium for the prevention and
Treatment of muscle cramps and so
much more before we dig our teeth into this episode on a deep dive into magnesium.
I want to encourage you to do what's right by your
cognition by that. I mean, you should stop what you're doing right now. Yes, you can hit the pause button and come back and go download my comprehensive guide the cognitive
enhancement blueprint. You
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These Protocols are grounded in scientific evidence and hold great promise for enhancing cognitive health and neuroprotection for those eager to explore a wider array of cognitive enhancement techniques. I encourage you to download this insightful guide visit bdnf protocols.com now to access this invaluable tool and now onto all
things magnesium,
welcome to the found my fitness podcast. I'm your host.
Is Rhonda Patrick there is a lever you can pull every day to significantly enhance your body's ability to repair damage to your DNA
potentially reducing cancer risk in a dose-dependent manner. This is the power of magnesium a
mineral that plays a foundational role in our health yet is often overlooked the stakes of magnesium deficiency are high affecting crucial biological
processes, like DNA repair replication and transcription when
these processes are compromised due to insufficient magnesium. It
can lead to the development.
Element a potentially cancer-causing mutations
more alarmingly recent studies indicate a potential link between insufficient magnesium levels and
accelerated brain volume loss which could hasten the onset of dementia as we
age I'm here to unpack the science behind magnesium often termed as the most prevalent
micronutrient deficiency
and its profound implications for nearly 45
percent of the u.s. Population who was falling short nearly half of the population. The United States doesn't get enough magnesium.
Marilee because our diets lack
sufficient dark leafy greens where magnesium is abundantly found hidden within the chlorophyll that gives plants their vibrant green
color. That means that roughly half of
you watching or listening to this episode right now have inadequate magnesium intake
in the landscape of essential nutrients magnesium is a giant it's
part of a triode of micronutrients that when
deficient have far-reaching impacts on our health. Let's dive deep into the reasons that make
magnesium a key player in maintaining.
In our well-being and how boosting your intake
could be a critical step towards Optimal
Health magnesium is a
cofactor for about 300 different enzymes in our bodies, which are special proteins that perform functions
magnesium is required for these enzymes to work properly. So to put that into perspective our bodies have around 75,000 types of enzymes. So the enzymes that need magnesium make up about 0.4% of all the enzymes in our body this shows that while magnesium's role as specific. It's
crucial for a
A wide range of bodily functions which are we are going to discuss
today? So adult women generally need about three hundred and ten to three hundred and twenty milligrams a day which increases to about 360 milligrams a day during pregnancy adult men require about four hundred to four hundred and twenty milligrams a day and athletes and those that are have high physical activity including people that are also regular sauna users may need additionally about 10 to 20 percent above
the recommended dietary allowance.
Due
to their greater magnesium loss through urine and sweat. There's data from nutritional
surveys like nhanes revealing that the average intake of magnesium in the u.s. Falls
below the RDA. So the typical intake for women is around two hundred and thirty milligrams per
day while men consume about 320 milligrams per day. So this deficit is more pronounced in female
athletes who are at a higher risk of magnesium
deficiency. Such deficiency can potentially lead to serious health
issues including arrhythmias like
Atrial fibrillation as well as muscle spasms and other
complications what makes the situation worse is that the RDA value is based on the absolute
minimum amount necessary in order to prevent severe diseases associated with magnesium deficiency. So even if you're meeting that 300 to 400 milligrams per day threshold, you are still only running at the bare minimum necessary to function
magnesium plays a really
important role in maintaining healthy electrolyte balance.
Preventing dehydration it helps regulate the body's balance of electrolytes, which are pretty important for conducting nerve impulses Contracting muscles.
Also maintaining a healthy heart rhythm. So when the body is deficient in magnesium, it
can disrupt this balance and that could potentially lead to dehydration and other related
complications. So this aspect of
magnesium's role is particularly important for athletes and those again with high physical activity as they're more susceptible to these electrolyte imbalances due to increased sweat and fluid loss good
do
dietary sources of magnesium
include dark leafy greens legumes nuts seeds whole grains brown rice and fish like mackerel the net
absorption of magnesium and the diet is only about 50 percent. It's
even lower with high fiber diets, but most of the studies that have found this are studies where they feed people
super high amounts of
fiber, which most people aren't getting even
when they have a high plant Rich diet. So a big reason for poor magnesium
bioavailability in plant sources it be
Because magnesium is bound to phytate in plants and there are ways to increase bioavailability
of magnesium from plants. And that is by activating phytase has these are enzymes that break down phytate. So for example, if
you heat up oats, or you cook your leafy greens or legumes or you germinate or you sprout your grains and seeds all of these things decrease phytate levels because they activate those enzymes that are called phytase has so as it turns out.
Shout both wheat and yeast also have strong phytase
activity during the baking process. So
there are ways that again, you know, we just heat itself but
also germination and sprouting and heating up. Oh, it's cooking leafy greens. These are all ways that we increase magnesium bioavailability from plant sources because of the activation of the fight Aces the other
really important factor that can limit the bioavailability of magnesium
Is excessive
supplemental Zinc at doses higher than 124 mg a day, which is
quite High that's well
above the RDA and people should not be taking that much think on a daily
basis because it can also
inhibit the absorption of other Trace
elements for example copper there is an exception. So the exception
of people doing a little bit of a mega sort of a higher dose of zinc would be during illness or the onset of illness where higher zinc do supplementation.
In like in the order of for example, 80 milligrams a
day has been shown to
lessen respiratory illness symptoms and decreased duration of illness as well.
So I would say that, you know taking high high
doses of zinc on a very very short-term basis where it's just a couple of days is different than what you know, someone whose daily supplementing with a high dose of zinc because it can inhibit magnesium
absorption diet composition is the main reason
magnesium insufficiency and deficiency are so common.
Typical standard American diet is high in calories. It's low in micro nutrients including magnesium. So eating a calorically dense meal full of processed foods Meats dairy products. These are poor sources of magnesium in contrast green vegetables, like dark leafy greens are rich in magnesium because of their chlorophyll content museum is at the center of a chlorophyll
molecule. Another reason is bioavailability, which we
just discussed magnesium is only so bioavailable from certain foods like
Like the plant sources and so ways of increasing their bioavailability like heating up greens or sprouting and germination. Like we discussed also improves magnesium bioavailability
and the last
reason that magnesium insufficiency and deficiency are common is because there's certain health conditions and lifestyle choices that can Inlet that can lead to increased magnesium excretion. So for example, diabetes leads to this as well as alcohol consumption, so alcohol can increase
The rate at which the body excretes magnesium despite normal absorption rates in the gut because it acts like a diuretic so it leads to increased urine production and then losses of magnesium through urine. So this diuretic effect contributes to a higher rate of magnesium being filtered out by the kidneys and expelled in urine rather than being absorbed and used in the
body. I think the logical question is how do you know if you're getting enough magnesium will naturally one would think a blood test might help shed some light but unfortunately most of the time it does
not and the reason for this
is because magnesium levels are
assessed in plasma and I'm going to take a moment to explain this because I think it's important. So the average person has slightly less than one ounce of magnesium and their body
roughly 60% of all the Magnesium is found in the skeleton. So most of our magnesium is found in our bones about 27% is found in the muscle and six to seven percent is found. In other cells less
than 1% is found outside of ourselves about 1/3 of the magnesium in the
bones is exchangeable in other words. It's
Serves the bones are serving
as a reservoir so that the body can draw from it in times of need. So when magnesium levels are low the body
will draw from the bones to get that magnesium because it's so so important.
So most of the time magnesium will be pulled from the bones into plasma to maintain optimal levels the
body regulates plasma magnesium concentrations within a very narrow range typically around 0.72 1 millimolar per liter if
If plasma magnesium levels drop below this range, it could lead to hypomagnesemia, which is you know can cause all sorts of problems muscle weakness Tremors seizures abnormal heart rhythms and other potentially serious complications. So our body will just continually pull from our bones to prevent magnesium levels from going below zero point seven mmol per liter for this reason plasma magnesium is not a good indicator of magnesium status for most healthy adults similarly.
Bad blood cell magnesium test which measures magnesium inside red blood cells
while it might provide a better indication of magnesium status than plasma levels. It's still may not
fully represent total body magnesium content. So
both tests are more likely to identify.
I would say more severe magnesium deficiency rather than a mild or moderate deficiency or something that we would call magnesium
insufficiency. So really to ensure adequate magnesium
in take the
most practical approach is to track and calculate the Magnesium content in your diet. This
involves being a little more mindful of the Magnesium
rich foods. You consume such as green vegetables, like leafy greens nuts seeds grains fish. The usda's food data central is a good resource for estimating the micronutrient and macronutrient content in various Foods. So that would
include magnesium it still I personally think it's still a good idea to get a
plasma or a red blood cell.
Test just to rule out severe
deficiency, but not to use it as a guide of right whether or
not you have Optimum levels of magnesium or you have sufficient magnesium levels. It's really just to rule out severe
deficiency. So naturally the next question on people's minds are what about
magnesium supplements.
Where do they fit in? What if I don't get enough
magnesium from dietary sources. Can I
supplement? So let's start with
supplemental magnesium
Has
so how much is too much The
u.s. Institute of medicines food and nutrition board has set the upper safe limit for daily supplemental magnesium intake at 350 mg
per day. So this is the level considered, you know that it's unlikely to
cause diarrhea or gastrointestinal issues for most people diarrhea is the first sign of excessive magnesium supplementation. It's often used
therapeutically as a laxative, but this is a bit of a conservative dose.
It does not include magnesium from dietary
sources, so
In other words, there's no evidence that going above the
RDA for magnesium is harmful. In
fact, some evidence suggests that it may even be beneficial
particularly. If the Magnesium is mostly coming from dietary sources
for optimal bioavailability of magnesium supplements. It's also generally more effective
to take the total daily dose in divided smaller amounts rather than a single large dose. So this approach allows for more efficient absorption by the body. It can also minimize
As the potential GI discomfort so smaller spaced out doses. They're processed better by the digestive system. And this also ensures maximum absorption utilization of the Magnesium the bioavailability of different magnesium supplements does vary and it's not fully standardized in studies clinical research on organic magnesium salts. So these include magnesium citrate magnesium glycinate magnesium tolerate these
Magnesium malate is also in there. These organic salt forms of magnesium are generally more
bioavailable and effectively raise plasma magnesium levels compared to inorganic forms of magnesium like magnesium oxide magnesium chloride magnesium sulfate.
So organic magnesium
salt are better absorbed in the digestive tract. It can lead to more significant increase in magnesium levels in the
blood and I think this for this reason it makes
makes them more effective choices for supplementing magnesium and also of course addressing deficiencies, but
just to eliminate any confusion
the term organic in this context refers to the presence of carbon being in the acid molecule. So
we're not talking about
agricultural standard of being organically grown here. It's a different
term magnesium sulfate can be taken orally but in this is an inorganic form, but it's
often more commonly used as Epsom salt for a transdermal.
Through the skin applications when it's taken orally it can act as a laxative and it's used therapeutically
as a laxative the effectiveness of Epsom salt
particularly in Bath's is unclear. We'll talk about this a little bit later because the transdermal absorption of magnesium through Epsom salt baths really hasn't been conclusively proven,
but let's talk about another
form of magnesium called magnesium 308
magnesium 3 and 8 is a form of magnesium that has garnered a lot of
attention because of its potential impact on brain function.
So
generally only a
small portion of the Magnesium ingested in a supplement form reaches the brain and this is due to the intricate active transport symptom systems that control the progression of magnesium from the digestive tract into the bloodstream and then subsequently from the bloodstream across the blood-brain barrier
the body establishes and manages a very tight concentration gradient. It creates a higher
magnesium level in the blood compared to the cerebral spinal fluid
and that allows a
very controlled
Quantity of magnesium that can actually get transported into the
brain. This precise regulation is really important to
maintaining this equilibrium of magnesium necessary for optimal brain function. So in
humans, it's been found that even an increase up to 300% in blood magnesium results in less than
19 percent change in the cerebral spinal fluid magnesium content
and I think this really highlights the significant role
that physiological processes and maintaining magnesium balanced play.
Say which then influence the brain health and function.
So some animal evidence suggests that magnesium three and eight can easily get across the
blood-brain barrier
and at a human equivalent dose of
8.1 milligrams per kilogram body weight. So that would be around six hundred and sixty two milligrams for 180 pound person can improve cognition and decreased amyloid-beta plaques. Now, this is in the brains of mice
and it's thought that the Magnesium three and a is uniquely
effective in crossing the blood-brain barrier.
Year due to its specific molecular structure. So this
form of magnesium is chelated to the ironic acid and that is a metabolite of vitamin C. So this chelation
enhances its ability to pass through the blood-brain barrier or so. It's thought the
precise mechanism by which magnesium 3 and
8 bypasses this tightly regulated concentration gradient between the blood and the brain is not fully understood.
It is believe though that its molecular structure.
Sure, does somehow
facilitate easier entry into the brain, thereby increasing concentration of magnesium in the brain more effectively than other forms of magnesium. That is solely based on a very small and limited number of animal studies when we turn to human studies only a couple have explored the effects of magnesium 3 and 8. So
these studies are I want to point out
industry-funded which does invite us to consider a potential conflict of interest.
So the initial
That I think garnered a lot of attention was published in 2016. It was a small scale study that only had 40 for
participants total those in the treatment group took daily doses of about 1,500 to 2,000 milligrams of magnesium 3 and 8. So this is Mark marketed as mag teen and they
took it for over
12 weeks based. So this was based on their body weight. That's why there's a range in
DOS the findings of this study. I
We think are underwhelming. So the
treatment group only achieved a marginal increase in plasma magnesium levels with no elevation noted in red blood cell magnesium levels compared to the placebo group.
Additionally. There was a significant increase in urinary magnesium which
suggests that most of the supplemented Magnesium 3 and 8 was actually being excreted through urine.
There is some cognitive tests that were also done. There was no
significant difference observed when each of these four different,
Your cognitive tests were looked at in isolation compared to the placebo group.
But if the data was all pulled together, so all
for cognitive tests were then pull together. Then there was a suggested mystically significant difference in cognitive function compared to the placebo group,
obviously the suggest a degree of statistical uncertainty in the
studies conclusions, whether or not it was just due to a small sample size. I said, there's only 44 people in the study.
If there were four hundred and forty-four people there would have been more of a stronger signal and the data wouldn't have had to have been pulled together or maybe there really isn't much of an effect. There's no
telling the second study was also
industry-funded which I think is important to keep in mind. This study was published in 2022
and it involved 100 participants
and the treatment group was given 400 mg of magnesium three and a along
Vitamins C DB 6 and phosphatidyl serine in contrast the placebo group received only 2 grams of a starch
capsule. So despite the absence of any
elevation of serum or brain magnesium levels. The treatment group did have improved cognitive test performance compared to the placebo
group. I would say this study raises pretty significant
questions around causations because the treatment group was not just given magnesium three and eight they were given a variety of
Ottomans, they were given by ottoman see by the B vitamins vitamin D
be 6, but they were also given
phosphatidyl serine.
So I think to a be able to establish a solid
conclusion that magnesium 3 and 8 is responsible for improving cognitive function.
The placebo group should have gotten all those other vitamins and the
phosphatidyl serine but not the Magnesium 3 & 8.
However that was not the way the study was done. So in
my opinion, I think it's an interesting study but really no conclusions can be stated directly.
About magnesium three and eight
itself. So I think a concluding statement with respect to
supplemental magnesium. There's a few concluding statements one to enhance bioavailability. It's advisable to take smaller frequent doses of magnesium supplements organic magnesium salts, like magnesium glycinate were magnesium
tolerate are
generally more readily absorbed than inorganic forms like magnesium oxide.
I also think there's some added benefits of these organic salts for example taking magnesium.
Cesium glycinate also
gives you some accompanying compounds like glycine. So glycine could potentially be beneficial at least According to some studies. Also magnesium tolerate would give you Tarin which also may have some health advantages but that's the subject of another
podcast. There is some caution that should be taken without, you know, not wanting to exceed
super super high doses of magnesium. So 350 mg per day is the safe upper limit and that
For either organic or inorganic magnesium supplements, if you
go above that, you may get GI side
effects. So that's something to keep in mind. I would say a really important take away from this section is
magnesium 3 and 8 is not the best option
for meeting daily magnesium
needs as outlined by the RDA. It shouldn't be included as
contributing to your recommended daily allowance of
magnesium and that is because magnesium
IAM three and eight contains a very
low amount of Elemental magnesium.
So if you are considering supplementing with magnesium three and eight for its potential brain health benefits, which I would say have not been established do not count that
magnesium dose towards your RDA goal.
So to ensure you're getting enough magnesium, you know, you need to calculate what you're getting from your foods, but also consider supplementing with other
organic magnesium forms like
Museum glycinate which does have a higher amount of Elemental magnesium
content as you can tell there are many different forms of magnesium available and natural question is what do I take the answer is a hedge my bets I take a supplement that has many different forms of magnesium salts, which seems logical to me. There are not many products. I have found that offer that one of them is magnesium by Moon Juice the other one. I sometimes take at night as magnesium glycinate by pure encapsulations. There are many different brands. I'm not affiliated with either of those but I know many of
If you want to know what I take, so there you have it the other area. I want to kind of dive into and I find very
interesting with respect to where magnesium plays a role in physiology is the stress response.
So the stress response that your body experiences involves the production of hormones stress
hormones, like adrenaline cortisol. Those stress hormones can potentially lead to a reduction or depletion of magnesium levels in the body. So these hormones are released during times of stress and then some
Quietly your body uses up more magnesium to
try to help manage the stress the stress reactions. So what ends up happening is this can reduce overall
amounts of magnesium available for other functions of the body.
So to better understand how stress
hormones like adrenaline can lead to magnesium deficiency or lower magnesium levels and its clinical implications.
There was a study by white at a law that looked at how
adrenaline which is a well-known stress hormone.
Own effects from magnesium
levels and what they found I personally thought was an interesting study they found when adrenaline was a infused into people. It didn't just temporarily lower magnesium levels. These levels stayed
significantly reduced
even an hour after
stopping the adrenaline infusion
without showing any immediate signs of bouncing back. So in other words the adrenaline immediately lowered magnesium levels and those levels
Stayed low for quite some time. There have been a range of studies that have found that stress exposure things that are stressful and are known
to increase cortisol. Adrenaline can influence magnesium levels both in blood and urine. So for example, young adults undergoing persistent or even intermittent stress, like for example, anticipating a military conflict,
they experienced substantial
decreases in their overall and plasma magnesium concentrations over three months.
There were similar
results or outcomes found when the impact of short-term. So this is a one-day and also a long
term which would be like a month of sleep deprivation on magnesium levels was examined. So this was done in healthy
men
and both short-term and long-term sleep deprivation causes reduction in magnesium red blood cells. So the the magnesium levels in red
blood cells with the long-term sleep
deprivation.
Being the the most robust
impact another study found an increase in anxiety levels and a
corresponding rise in urinary magnesium excretion in University students during exam time. So that would indicate if you're excreting more magnesium in your urine that you are not absorbing it and using it in your body
and another related study. This was done
over the course of four weeks. This was post exams researchers found a significant reduction in the concentration of magnesium in
Red blood cells among college students yet again sort of solidifying how the stress response will lower magnesium levels.
So yet another
study confirm this this was done in people that were impacted. They were affected by noise exposure. So they had been subjected to noise
exposure and their magnesium
levels, of course went down after the after the noise exposure and their urinary excretion peaked after a few hours.
Ours and it continued for Epi two days. So it seemed like there was some sort of long-term effect with respect to X treating more magnesium through urine, which is something I mentioned that alcohol also does just from that stress response from the very loud noise exposure.
It's interesting how our body magnesium levels respond not only to mental stress, but also physical stress like exercise so acute or short-term
stress can lead to a brief
spike in our blood
That magnesium levels. This is a
phenomenon known as transient hypermagnesemia. This has been observed in the aftermath of like short intense exercise sessions lasting around 20 minutes,
but after pushing your body hard, it appears. It rallies the Magnesium resources probably
to Aid in the energy production, you know and other vital functions, but when you start to engage in a more prolonged, let's say one hour session
that initial elevation in magnesium is not found and it seems
There's a threshold after which your body does not respond in that way
and magnesium levels then have been noted to go below what your Baseline resting levels
are so exercise does deplete magnesium. Let's talk briefly about why mental and physical stress can decrease magnesium. So the body's
neuroendocrine system responds to stress through a process that many will recognize as the fight or flight response. So this is primarily activated by the adrenal glands the hormones adrenaline and
Cortisol, rapidly increased during this response the responsible preparing the body for that for Action Now part of this preparation involves the mobilization of magnesium, which is a
crucial cofactor for enzymes that drive energy production
and utilization in the form of ATP. So during this stress response, the body rapidly pulls magnesium from the cells causes a
temporary surgeon serum serum magnesium
levels, but the catch is this mobilization of magnesium is not an infinite.
Resource so as the stress continues its extracting magnesium and it and then and then expelling it through the body
through urination which then gradually depletes our overall Body store of magnesium and then there's the role of cortisol which is often considered the primer the body's primary stress hormone. So when
cortisol levels rise it signals to the kidneys that they need to kick into
turbo mode and start expelling more magnesium out of the body
this action further reduces our bodies total.
It'll magnesium Supply and then on top of all this stress
also triggers certain hormones that can affect The Balancing Act of magnesium in our
body, especially in organs like the gut kidneys in the bones. So these hormones can result in less magnesium
getting absorbed in the intestines more getting expelled from the kidneys as I just mentioned leading to this downward spiral in magnesium levels. If we don't replenish it properly,
let's move on to another area that has gained popularity the role of
These humans sleep. So the role of magnesium and sleep has recently become a topic of Interest. We know that sleep deprivation can deplete magnesium levels, but does this create a cycle affecting Sleep Quality observational Studies have shown that adults with higher deck dietary magnesium intake often report better
sleep quality.
However, this could be the
healthy user bias. Right people with higher magnesium intake
might also have other
healthy habits contributing to good sleep.
Now when we look at randomized controlled trials the picture gets more complex.
A meta-analysis of some trials suggest that magnesium supplementation
can improve some sleep metrics including scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and also can improve sleep efficiency and duration
yet. The results across different studies are very
very mixed. There's quite a few studies out there showing that magnesium supplementation has no effect on sleep. So it really highlights the need for more research in this field.
I'm not going to say that magnesium supplementation will not improve sleep, but I will say
There is not strong evidence that magnesium supplementation will improve sleep. I do think this I have to go on a little bit of tangent here because randomized controlled trials in this field of
nutrition are very different than the gold standard of randomized controlled trials that are used with pharmaceutical drugs.
So we know that 45% of the population
has insufficient magnesium intake. Okay,
so 55% have sufficient levels of magnesium, so
When you're starting a clinical trial in nutrition with something like magnesium half the population in that trial are going
to are going to need that magnesium supplement and the
other half really aren't because they've already got sufficient magnesium intake. This is very different from a drug trial everyone at the start of a drug tile
trial has the same amount of drug in their system, which is
zero. So you either give the
person the drug or a placebo and
it's very clear that if there is an effect that it's because of the drug.
And that if there is not an effect, it's because the drug did not have an effect but in the case of magnesium, if you are not identifying
who is deficient or has insufficient magnesium at the start of the
trial then you're not going to know whether or not giving them a
supplement really is
important or going to make any difference because they might already have sufficient magnesium. So I think this really illustrates why it's so
important for nutritional randomized controlled
trials.
To account and to measure or at least at the very least look at dietary intake and magnesium and figure out
you know, who at the
start of this trial is deficient in this
nutrient that we are investigating. Let's start with that
population because essentially you're what you're looking at is giving some you're trying to avoid
deficiency, right and that and that's the real important thing here to avoid deficiency.
So with that said when I say
There's a lot of mixed results in these randomized
controlled trials with respect to magnesium and sleep or with respect to magnesium and fill-in-the-blank
effect, right? Whatever outcome we are looking at I think
it is very important for people to keep
in mind particularly poor
people that are you know, doing clinical trials in the medical field that have this mentality that randomized controlled trials are the gold standard because they are coming from this pharmaceutical background.
Keep in mind that nutrition is different because we
all have different
Starting levels of nutrients
and and it is very very important to measure these nutrients or in some way figure out at the start of the trial if our starting
population is low
in that nutrient if they're not then it's not, you know, then that's another question. That would
be is supplementing, you know, Supra levels going to do anything, right? That's a completely different question than avoiding deficiency.
All right, so sorry for that tangent, but I do think it's very important.
Because until we address these
trial flaws these fundamental methodological oversights. We're going to continue to
have conflicting data in the field of nutrition. So I think we need to improve study designs. We need to consider individual nutritional bass lines, you know, and until we do that we're going to continue facing confusion uncertainty
and a lot of
conflicting data with respect to nutritional
trials. Okay? So on that note, let's dive into brain health
With there's some pretty recent research that suggests. There's a potential
association between dietary magnesium intake and brain health. So this was an observational study using data from over six thousand participants. They were age 4273. It was UK biobank data and
those who reported a higher
magnesium intake had on average larger brain volumes which could convey up to approximately one year of reduced brain aging compared to those with lower magnesium
intakes. So the results
The old that said the higher dietary magnesium consumption. This was about five hundred and fifty milligrams per
day seem to correlate with larger gray matter and hippocampal volumes
than the average intake of about
350 mg per day, which is actually closer to the RDA.
This was actually
particularly notable in women, I would say this is an intriguing link obviously interpretation of these results have to recognize that these are observational studies. So they really can't provide a cause and effect.
Relationship only suggest a costs a possible Association. So the data is based on self-reported dietary intake that could be influenced
by other overall, you know dietary patterns or other factors, like lifestyle habits or health conditions to really I would say conclusively say state that magnesium is improving brain health by increasing brain volume is particularly gray matter in the hippocampal region of the brain. We would need to clinical trials, you know to substantiate that
Potential relationship those probably aren't going to be done. So kind of just have to look at this data and make what you want out
of it magnesium has been
linked to the development and progression of various age-related brain disorders higher cerebral magnesium levels have been shown to decrease oxidative stress and inflammation and improve synaptic plasticity also counteract other mechanisms leading to
neurodegeneration. So there was a recent systematic
review that revealed individuals with Alzheimer's disease.
Aziz also
have significantly lower
plasma magnesium levels compared to healthy controls. The researchers looked at a lot of data from different sources, like blood serum plasma the fluid around the brain the cerebrospinal fluid which help them sort of be more confident about their
findings. However, when they specifically
check the fluid the cerebral spinal fluid, it wasn't entirely clear.
So there was a hint that Alzheimer's patients might have lower
magnesium in the cerebral spinal fluid, but it wasn't as clear cut as in the plasma in the blood for
But in serum and a study that followed over 1,000 middle-aged
adults for 17 years researchers found that those who ate the most magnesium so they were getting at least a hundred ninety six milligrams
per day had a 37 percent lower chance of getting dementia when they got older compared to
those who ate the least magnesium so they were getting 174 mg per day or less. There was another study in people aged 60 and above who did not have dementia also showed that eating more magnesium. So this was at least
and 34 mg might help them from getting mild cognitive impairment, which is the stage before dementia
the numbers from this study suggest that
you know, the risk was much lower for those who ate more magnesium
and again another
observational study. This was 2000 over 2500 older adults who are mentally healthy again found higher magnesium intake this was over four hundred and seven milligrams per day was also linked to overall better brain function, but this benefit was actually only seen in women.
So again, all these studies are observational.
They're really only so showing Association. They really can't prove that higher magnesium intake directly causes these health benefits. We need more controlled trials clinical research to really establish that definitive link,
but we do know that magnesium is a vital coenzyme that plays a
crucial role in a variety of biochemical processes in the brain. So it serves as the key.
Factor in a variety of brain
specific enzymes. So adenosine triphosphate cases. These are ATP, ase's they're
crucial enzymes that control our ability to hydrolyze ATP, which is the major energy source for all of our cells very important in the
brain. So magnesium is a cofactor. It's
essential for those enzymes to properly function and you know, this is really important for the sodium potassium
atpase and the calcium
80 PS which helped establish this
electrochemical gradient across our cellular membranes in our brain. It's essential for neuronal function. Another enzyme would be involved with creatine. So everyone you've guys have heard of creatine.
Most people think about it in the context of bodybuilding muscle muscle mass but it also
is important in the brain as
well. So creatine passes
phosphate groups from phosphocreatine to
ADP to make
make
ATP that energy currency and so, you
know the enzymes that are doing this again require
magnesium to do
it. So
another reason why when magnesium would be important for the brain.
It's also important for another enzyme called glutamine synthetase. So this enzyme it
enables the conversion of glutamate into ammonia and glutamine and magnesium is required for the appropriate function of this enzyme
because and this is really critical because
Containing that
glutamate to glutamine balance and the brain is important for preventing
excitotoxin City. So this could
potentially lead to neuronal
damage. If you're not maintaining that balance you might have too much
glutamate which could lead to that excitotoxin citee and neurotoxicity. Right? So too much excitatory activity from
glutamate, you'll end up you could end up with a neuronal damage. So magnesium plays a this is just three examples of enzymes in the
brain where magnesium plays a critical function.
Ian and why magnesium is so crucial for brain function, I
would say one area with respect to
the brain where the data is a bit stronger is
migraines. So magnesium might
play a role in managing migraines, which is a condition that affects many people worldwide. There's recent randomized controlled trials that have really shed some light on magnesium's potential benefits for those suffering from
migraines. So what is happening in the brain during a migraine one key element is something
called cortical spreading depression. So it's a
kind of wave of
Activity that leads to visual and sensory changes. We often associate with migraine or has
so interestingly magnesium supplementation
seems to help prevent these waves, but there's a
little more to it magnesium may
also decrease the release of certain chemicals in the brain like substance p and glutamate which are known to transmit pain signals. So by reducing their release magnesium could play a role in lessening the pain
associated with migraines. Also it
might prevent the further narrowing of brain blood vessels.
Caused by serotonin another term neurotransmitter involved in migraines. So as it turns out
individuals who suffer from migraines are
often found to be deficient or have insufficient
magnesium. Now, this might not be entirely
surprising when we consider that nearly half the u.s. Population doesn't get enough magnesium in their
diet, but it does highlight
a potential link between widespread nutrition nutritional
gaps and specific health conditions, like migraines understanding these connections can offer us insights I think into simple yet.
Look for ways to improve our health. So there's results of Rome and randomized controlled trials that we're going to discuss
there were five randomized controlled trials that indicate that magnesium
supplementation can effectively reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine relapse has so magnesium
is believed to work by preventing cortical spreading
depression. The brain signaling waves often responsible for migraine Aura. We just talked about and additionally magnesium reduces those the release of those pain transmitting chemicals like substance p
He and glutamate the effective magnesium dose for preventing migraines seems to be around 600 milligrams per day, which is almost twice the suggested upper limit to minimize gastrointestinal discomfort. I think it's advisable to divide the dose into smaller amounts such as 200 mg taken three times throughout the day. This can really help minimize the, you know, the irritation on the digestive tract while still providing an effective dose for migraine.
Management so I mentioned this data comes from five
different randomized controlled
trials. I do think that while there's only a few studies the implications could be significant, you know migraines. They're not just
headaches. They're really complex neurological
events. So understanding how something is accessible
as a magnesium supplement for some people could mitigate these symptoms. I think is really
it's it offers New Hope in a potential new
Avenue for relief for
Some people so it's a great example of how diving deep into some of the brain science and understanding magnesium's role and looking at some of the clinical studies can kind of help lead to some practical everyday health
benefits. Let's move on to aging magnesium depletion is a slow process. So marginally low
intake would likely take years to
manifest but it would still take a toll. It's likely a factor in aging and the development of chronic disease. So I want to take a moment to discuss the concept that has been a significant focus in the field of nutrition
particularly.
Really
a theory put forth by my mentor. Dr. Bruce Ames who has introduced what is known as the triage Theory and
published several studies on it. It's really a fascinating
way to understand how our bodies deal with micronutrient scarcity like with
magnesium. So, dr. Ames has published several papers on this topic highlighting how Nature has possibly evolved a mechanism to
prioritize certain biological processes over others when micronutrient resources are limited. So magnesium for example is the
Key player in numerous biological functions some of these are critical for immediate survival and preventing diseases that could lead to acute life-threatening conditions.
However, magnesium is also
pivotal for long-term Health processes like DNA repair so deficiencies in DNA repair might not cause immediate harm
but they can lead to a gradual
accumulation of DNA damage
mutations that over time can then
become oncogenic or cancer-causing so the
triage Theory posits that in the face of
Limited magnesium the body will prioritize its
use for enzymes involved in essential short-term
survival such as enzymes like energy production. This means that other processes that are vital for long-term Health like DNA repair might get
less of this magnesium.
What's the end result? Well, we might not be getting enough magnesium. We might be getting enough to avoid acute deficiency even
pulling it from our bones to maintain levels in our muscles and other tissues.
Choose we could be, you know setting the stage for chronic health issues like osteoporosis down the
line. So I think this inadequate intake of magnesium and
micronutrients in
general can accumulate it's Insidious damage over time
in the context of magnesium when DNA repair and replication which both do require magnesium to properly function. They aren't functioning
optimally do to those inadequate levels. The accumulation of this damage can lead to these mutations cell
dysfunction and potentially cancer development
and it's a clear example
Ample of how you know subtle long-term effects of micronutrient
inadequacy or magnesium it can inadequacy in this case
can contribute to the aging process and the development of chronic disease. So we're talking about cancer. Let's dive in a little bit more into that topic magnesium does play a
crucial role in DNA repair
and this has implications
for cancer prevention.
So every day our DNA is facing damage from both internal sources like
Ilysm and
external forces things like UV radiation
pollution things like that as we age our DNA repair
mechanisms naturally slow down like everything
else. But when we're also low in magnesium, it's kind of like throwing gasoline on a fire
the risk of DNA damage
escalates magnesium is essential
for the proper functioning of DNA repair
enzymes. So consider
the sheer frequency of cell division in our
bodies.
Of cells divide daily with some tissues like our
skin and an intestinal lining they have exceptionally High turnover rates. So DNA replication, which is necessary to make a new cell is really vital for that, you know process of making a new cell and magnesium plays a
role in DNA replication as well. It's essential for the proper functioning of those enzymes called DNA polymerase has these are essentially the workhorses of cell division
without a
Adequate magnesium these processes can
be compromised and this could lead to potential errors and mutations when you are making new
DNA. Now, let's dive a little bit into the role of magnesium in what's called
Matrix metalloproteinase has or mmps. So
these are enzymes. They're they're more like agents of extracellular Matrix breakdown. They're
involved in critical processes, like tissue remodeling wound healing
and magnesium deficiency.
Upset the delicate balance here
with the activity of these MMP enzymes that also could potentially Aid in cancer cell Invasion and progression. So it plays a little Downstream role in cancer progression and cell Invasion.
But again, I think it really highlights the sort of broader impact of magnesium on cellular health cancer prevention and it's really an important
micronutrient that is just it's fundamentally, you know intertwined with our body's ability.
Duty to maintain what's called genetic integrity and to prevent the formation of you know, oncogenic cells which are cancer cells.
So let's talk about a study that followed
about over 66,000 men and women aged fifty to seventy six years
old. So this was part of the vitamins and lifestyle study or the vital study. It was from 2000 the year 2000 to 2008 among the 5151
participants who ended up developing pancreatic.
It cancer those with magnesium intake
below the RDA had a significantly higher risk of pancreatic cancer
specifically those getting seventy five to ninety nine percent of the RDA. The
risk was increased by 42% and for those with less than 75 percent of the RDA that wrist jump to 76 percent.
But what was even more striking about that study was that for every 100 mg per day decrease in magnesium intake there was a
an increase in a 24% increase in pancreatic cancer incidents. So this was in a dose-dependent matter every 100
mg decrease was associated with a 24% increase in pancreatic cancer incidents
and what's particularly interesting here is also the role of magnesium supplementation. So the inverse association between magnesium intake and pancreatic cancer risk seem to be more pronounced among
those who took magnesium supplements either from a
Vitamin or even as an individual supplement. So in other words what I'm saying is that within that cohort it wasn't just dietary intake.
It was also supplemental intake and people that were also supplementing with magnesium that was associated with a stronger decreased risk in pancreatic cancer. Obviously, it's important to approach findings with a very nuanced understanding right. This is still observational data still means correlation can't really
Establish causation there could be a variety of other factors that could influence this as well. So it's always important to keep in mind when we're talking about observational data. There was another study this was this was the Paris perspective study to which followed about 4,000 men aged 30 to 60 over 18 years old and and that study found that men with a highest magnesium levels that that was associated with a 40% lower all-cause mortality and a 50%
Or decrease in cancer death compared to those with the lowest magnesium levels
yet again all the caveats. I
just mentioned this was also an observational study.
So,
you know, the
I think the beauty of observational studies on honestly is is in their ability to reveal
these patterns these associations in large populations over extended periods.
So that is that is
really the beauty of observational data
and then you know, once you get that observational data, you kind of
need to approach it.
With a little bit more of a critical eye and and sort of also try to turn to some Interventional studies as well with respect to cancer incidence that's going to be very challenging because cancer takes decades to develop so having a randomized control trial with a supplement like magnesium is going to be challenging if not impossible to do so, that's also something to keep in
mind, but let's dive a little deeper into a meta-analysis that examined both
dietary and supplemental.
Intake and their effects on mortality risks. So diet dietary magnesium intake was linked to a significantly lower risk of both all-cause mortality and cancer mortality. So specifically for every additional 100 milligrams per day of dietary magnesium. There was a 6% reduction in all cause mortality
and a five percent
reduction in cancer mortality. And again, this was in a dose-dependent manner so for each 100 mg increase per day, that was you
Those reductions
so I do want to point out that this
was from dietary sources and not from supplemental sources. So it really could could be that. There's just a barrage of things going on because you're talking about getting magnesium from you know sources of healthy foods. So
what I'm trying to say is because foods that are high
in magnesium, like leafy greens,
they come with a they're packed with the plethora of other vital
micronutrients and phytonutrients.
These components collectively contribute to overall health. There are also a part of a food Matrix that enhances their benefits
the analysis also looked at
supplemental magnesium intake
and here's where things get intriguing the supplemental magnesium intake showed a
nonsignificant positive association with cancer mortality risk based on three studies. It's
important to note that nonsignificant
doesn't mean that there was no
effect. In fact the
p-value that's used to determine
Determine significance can actually be quite arbitrary but that's a whole other tangent. But
I do think it highlights the
complexity of interpreting data. Similarly. There was a
total magnesium intake which looked at both dietary
and supplemental sources
and that
really didn't show any significant association with cancer mortality or
all-cause mortality, but there was a lot of what's
called heterogeneity between studies in other words. Some studies did see an effect other studies saw no effect. And so again it comes down.
To that mixed mixed
data
really those sorts of things those sorts of differences come down to you know differences in study design population other factors that can just add all these layers of complexity to our
understanding. I think these findings reinforce the idea that getting
magnesium from dietary sources might be the most beneficial approach. They also underscore the Nuance nature of nutritional research write the variation in these studies the arbitrary nature of statistical significance the heterogeneity between studies they
All really point to this careful interpretation a deeper understanding of how nutrients like magnesium are impacting our health and again to
how
trials and nutrition and just how complex trials and nutrition are and you know the need to sort of standardize some of these trials as well so that we can get better
data. I do want to shift gears and talk a little bit about
osteoporosis. So magnesium also plays a role in bone
health. We already
discussed how roughly 60% of the
Bodies magnesium is stored in the bones. It serves as a reservoir during times when you need magnesium your body will pull it from your bones to to get that source of magnesium
as a person
ages magnesium losses from the bones increase and this is partly because the body strives to maintain a very narrow stable range of magnesium in the plasma
when our dietary intake is insufficient
the body compensates again by pulling magnesium from the bones, which is
is a reservoir. I know I'm being repetitive here, but it's important to understand that just like the muscle is a reservoir for
amino acids are body pulls amino acids out of muscle
when we need to get when we need amino acids, and when we're low on protein, which is not a good thing because then you end up losing muscle mass while the
same concept here. Your body is pulling magnesium from your
bones. That's a reservoir for magnesium, but pulling from the bones,
especially when you're talking about over a Lifetime right you're talking about
In older adult this can contribute to a decrease in a very large decrease in bone magnesium content. In
fact over a lifetime nearly half of
the Magnesium content of bone is lost in people
and and there's some evidence that suggests that
this magnesium loss in the bones over decades contributes to osteoporosis.
So adequate magnesium intake early in life really honestly is like an
investment in your long-term bone health
Right because
if you are getting enough magnesium
from your diet and supplemental sources, your body's not going to have to pull on the Magnesium from your bones to get it what it needs.
So Studies have shown that magnesium Rich diets
in pre-adolescents positively positively affect bone density in young adulthood particularly in the heel bone. There's
been a year-long magnesium supplementation
study that found that magnesium
Limitation for one year can enhance bone mass in the hips of Perry pupil pupil girls
and I think this highlights
again magnesium is crucial role Beyond just calcium in building strong bones and preventing osteoporosis. A lot of people think about the role of calcium also very important for bone
health by getting enough magnesium early in life is I think really important so I'm not talking about
supplementing with magnesium later in life.
Life when you already have osteoporosis, I'm talking about preventing your body from pulling that magnesium out of your bones so that you don't you do not going to get much so that you lower your risk of osteoporosis later in life. So, you know magnesium is important for ensuring stronger bones as you age and I think again think of it as an investment strategy earlier in life. You're going to make make sure that your body is not going to pull that magnesium from your bones year after year after year after decade after decade.
Cade eventually depleting, you know, 40% of your your body's bones, you know reservoir of magnesium,
I think on a very similar note, let's get into vitamin d and vitamin D metabolism
vitamin D also plays a role in bone
health, but I think even
more important here is the role magnesium plays in vitamin D metabolism. So it's just another layer of you know, a
connection that magnesium has to our
on health
because we know vitamin D plays a role in bone health as well.
So vitamin D
is important for calcium absorption and bone health magnesium
by acting as a cofactor for several enzymes that
metabolize vitamin D. Then helps make sure that we're getting
vitamin D and using it effectively magnesium
directly contributes to bone density because it's it makes up the bone, right so it but it also plays an important role in bone health indirectly.
By contributing to vitamin D metabolism, which is a key player in bone health. So the Synergy between magnesium and vitamin D metabolism. I think is a perfect example of how interconnected our nutrient intake is with, you know, overall bodily functions and how some of these micronutrients are sort of working together and synergizing and why some trials where you're just giving one micronutrient may not be enough because another one is needed because they work in
concert. So let's
is this a little bit high intake of magnesium whether from the diet or supplements or both
is linked to a lower risk of having low levels of vitamin D. There's also a notable interaction between magnesium and vitamin D intakes that influence the risk of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency.
So what do I mean for example, if a person's magnesium intake is adequate this can enhance the body's ability to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D.
On the other hand if magnesium intake is
low like 45 percent or half the population roughly of the u.s.
That may hinder the body's ability to utilize vitamin D effectively, even if vitamin D intake is sufficient. So this study found that the benefits of having higher vitamin D levels in reducing the risk of death, especially from cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer were more significant in
Jules that had above average intake of magnesium building on the insights of those observational studies. I just mentioned a randomized controlled trial help shed further light on how magnesium
supplementation influences vitamin D
status. So magnesium is
key for enzymes that convert vitamin D3 into
25 hydroxy
vitamin D, which is the main circulating form of vitamin D in our bodies. It's what we typically measure on a vitamin D blood test.
So this trial showed that for people with
Low, 25 hydroxy vitamin D levels, which usually
can indicate vitamin D deficiency
magnesium supplementation
effectively increase these levels. It appears
that magnesium is aiding in the conversion of vitamin
D3 into this more stable form of vitamin D, which is 25 hydroxy vitamin D.
So what this tells us is that magnesium's influence on vitamin D status is not a one-size-fits-all. It really varies based on your
Existing vitamin D levels.
It's playing a critical role in either helping stabilize vitamin D in the body converting that vitamin D3 into that active that that stable circulating form or it's also activating that stir that circulating
stabilized form 25 docs you vitamin D into the act of steroid hormone, depending on your individual
needs. I think this study really I like this study. It offers a deeper
understanding of
Like the intricate relationship between magnesium and vitamin D. They're both crucial micronutrients. Although vitamin D actually functions as a steroid hormone in the body,
but it also adds layers of complication to randomized controlled trials using vitamin D and perhaps there's a
negative result where you're
getting no effect after giving a vitamin D supplement. Well if half the u.s. Population is not getting enough magnesium and magnesium is required to make vitamin D.
Shin as an act of steroid hormone, then you're going to have a problem those trials. Are there going to be flawed at the get-go? And again it just it highlights the important role of thinking
about nutrition differently than pharmaceutical drug trials.
We have to think about not only the varying levels and different levels people
have of these nutrients at the start of the
trial but how these nutrients are interacting with each other and if a deficiency in one is going to
affect the function of another then giving that supplement of the other isn't going to do much if you're still deficient and the
important micro nutrient that is needed to make that other one properly
function. So again, I just I just want you guys to understand why nutritional trials are so complicated and why they're so much
mixed data out there. It's just it's incredibly hard to design the trial properly and to think of all these things
And to get enough funding to do them as well. So lots
of things to keep in mind when it comes to interpreting the results of a trial. Okay, let's shift
gears and talk now about blood pressure
hypertension the role of magnesium in lowering blood
pressure. So hypertension or high blood pressure. It's
actually a pretty prevalent issue. So it affects nearly half of us adults including twenty percent of young adults aged 18 to 39, which wow,
it's kind of important twenty percent of young adults aged 18 to 39 have
hypertension. It's it's really crucial
for people those young adults people in their 20s and 30s to be aware of their blood pressure
elevated blood blood pressure is not
only going to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, but it also significantly raises the risk of dementia later in life.
And what's the most important factor for that is
the cumulative exposure to high blood pressure. So the earlier
Life you get high blood pressure, the more the risk
you have of dementia later in life. And this is because sustained high blood pressure can lead to damage in the small vessels of the brain and that impairs cognitive functions and potentially leads to conditions like dementia as a person ages.
So monitoring and managing blood pressure from a young age. I think is
a really important and can be crucial for mitigating these dementia risk is cardiovascular disease
risk. So where does magnesium come into this while magnesium helps control?
Low blood pressure by boosting the production of substances like process cyclin and nitric oxide which relax blood vessels and improve overall cardiovascular health
it also AIDS in the widening of blood vessels
which reduces blood pressure so vasodilation. It makes it easier for the heart to pump
blood also magnesium's ability to fight inflammation and protect against damage
to blood vessels also is another way that it can support cardiovascular
health and I
This shows, you know, there's a lot of
different ways that magnesium plays a vital role in helping maintain and keep the cardiovascular system healthy.
So there was a comprehensive meta
analysis involving 34 different randomized controlled trials. There was over 2,000 participants and researchers
discovered that magnesium
supplementation at an average dose of 368 mg per day notably lowers both systolic and diastolic blood.
Pressures this effect which is slightly influenced by the dose and duration of magnesium. I think
does underscore the potential for magnesium to play a role in blood pressure management, perhaps in some people
there are laboratory studies that also back this up that have
found magnesium ability magnesium's ability to adjust vascular smooth muscle function. It can reduce back vascular resistance. It can combat hypertension prevent vasoconstriction.
Also, it's been shown to have antioxidant properties in the vascular system. I think all these things help mitigate vascular damage caused by oxidative stress and other factors as well. And I think
this latest research including a comprehensive meta-analysis really does a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials really does highlight that magnesium may
could play a role in help managing blood pressure effectively in some
people also integrating, you know
magnesium rich foods.
To the diet also is an important way as well and there's been a lot of studies out there showing
things like a dash diet which are
which include a lot of foods that are rich in magnesium is another great way to manage hypertension or high blood pressure as
well. So let's move on to an area that has really I would say
garnered significant interest and that is the effect of magnesium supplementation for the prevention and treatment of muscle cramps.
This Interest really I think stems from magnesium's role in muscle function. It's essential for muscle contractions relaxation deficiencies in magnesium could potentially lead to increased muscle excitability and cramps making supplementation in area of interest for those with low magnesium levels or those prone to muscle cramps such as athletes or elderly individuals or those with certain medical conditions. However, when we look at the data surrounding,
Magnesium supplementation and its effect on muscle cramps.
It's really a mixed bag
some studies suggest benefits, especially in pregnant women, but the broader
picture is a little more complex. I think this complexity likely stems from the fact that not all studies check
if participants were, you know deficient in magnesium or had insufficient magnesium at the start of the trial as we've already
discussed also another layer of complexity.
She is the fact that
muscle cramps have a diverse, you know array of causes so not are all related to magnesium
levels. So considering only about half the u.s. Population might actually have a low magnesium intake supplementation would only affect perhaps the half of the
pop, you know population. That would not be getting enough magnesium.
And so you might you might
expect that there would be some mixed data with respect to some of these trials.
Based on on those
facts, I would say overall the data is
not very strong supporting magnesium supplementation
and its effect on it and its
effects on reducing muscle
cramps, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't have any effect again. Like I've been
really sort of trying to drive home throughout
this podcast is that the
nutritional trials in you know, nutrition micronutrient things like
magnesium are flawed at the get-go and so in a way
Way, you're almost setting you're almost setting yourself up for failure. And when you actually get a positive result in my opinion, it's kind of like almost just amazing because of all the hurdles that need to
be overcome with respect to designing randomized control trials in nutrition the
other area that I think with respect to muscle cramps and magnesium
that's got a lot of interest is the Epson salt baths and we talked a little bit about this earlier in the podcast. And and this is where I think we really go into scientifically unchartered Waters.
There's a debate on whether whether or not magnesium so magnesium from Epsom salt is in the form of magnesium
sulfate and there's there's a debate on whether or
not the skin can effectively absorb magnesium and sulfates from these kinds of Bath's to influence muscle and tissue health.
I would say there are some studies that suggest the
pathway for magnesium penetration
via the sweat glands and hair follicles.
They're representing.
A very small fraction of the Skins overall surface area.
So the clinical
significance of absorption remains a question not to mention that there's never been any indication that epson salt soaking in Epsom salts can actually increase
any plasma
magnesium levels. Like that's I have not seen that study showing that
there are I would say there have at least been some studies showing that Epsom salt particularly dead sea salt also dead sea salt is
High in magnesium it
can improve Skin Barrier
function and anhydrite hydration as well. But
with respect to muscle cramping, 's you know, I would say that there's no real scientific validation that epson salts or going to improve muscle cramps.
Nonetheless. I would say that you know, ultimately if you find relaxation and a sense of
well-being by taking an Epsom salt bath as I do then you
should continue to do that because
Was at the end of the day
that's what's most
important as we wrap up today's deep dive into the world of magnesium and its Myriad of roles in health and disease prevention. I think it's clear that magnesium holds a pivotal place in the
intersection of Neuroscience physical Health and
Longevity magnesium's
contribution extends far beyond its role in muscle function
and bone health. It's touching on crucial aspects of metabolic Health
cardiovascular function and even cognitive processes
for individuals aiming for longevity and Peak Performance, I think.
Standing this subtleties of magnesium's effects particularly in the context of dietary
intake
potential supplementation is important
the evidence suggests that a tailored approach
recognizing that while some may benefit significantly from increased magnesium others particularly those with
already sufficient levels may not see
much of a factor improvement with increased magnesium intake or
supplementation and this really highlights
the importance of a sort of personalized data driven approach to nutrition.
Mission one that considers individual health statuses and
goals. So that brings us to the end of today's
discussion friends. I really appreciate your tuning in and sharing this deep dive into the fascinating realm of magnesium and its pivotal role in evidence-based nutrition. Thank you for your curiosity and commitment to understanding how this essential mineral influences our health.
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