The Medical Myth Surrounding Calcium and the Importance of Getting Enough Magnesium
Deficiency of calcium is common in aged bone, but, in contrast to what is believed by many doctors and supplement takers, there really is no such thing as a body-wide deficiency of calcium, only normalcy, which is rare, and excess, which is very common.So What Does Magnesium Do for Us?
Just like the class of prescription drugs known as calcium channel blockers, magnesium appears to have the ability to block calcium channels. This ability to block these channels that extend across the cell membranes results in a limitation of the calcium quantity that would otherwise be taken up by the cells – effectively lowering the intracellular concentrations of calcium in the cells throughout the body.Largely because of this effect on excess calcium inside the cells of the body, supplemental magnesium has been documented to be beneficial in asthma, eclampsia, migraines, hypertension, convulsive disorders, stroke, atherosclerosis, acute myocardial infarction, and inflammation in general.
Do You Suffer With Osteoporosis? (Read This)
Because of its unique relationship to calcium, along with its ability to largely normalize calcium metabolism when present in sufficient amounts, magnesium is a very effective anti-osteoporosis agent.As a monotherapy, it has demonstrated the ability to increase bone density and to decrease fracture incidence. In addition, magnesium can dissolve abnormal calcium deposits outside of the bone and keep them in solution until re-utilized in normal calcium metabolism or excreted in the urine.
What Are the Other Biological Effects?
Magnesium has been documented to be a important player in the regulation of insulin action in the body. It has been found to have anti-atherosclerotic effects, and some studies have indicated it plays a role in improving brain function and learning.In large studies, magnesium has been documented to decrease all-cause mortality. This means that the effect of magnesium is so important in the body that its deficiency makes all diseased cells sicker, while its restoration improves the health of all those compromised cells.
Although a large body of work has looked at the effect of magnesium in lessening the chances of death from coronary heart disease, some of these studies have also shown, seemingly unintentionally, that it decreases the chances of death from anything.
A total of 22 grams of magnesium sulfate was given in the patients treated for 48 hours. In both studies, the treated patients had a decreased all-cause mortality rate for a full 5 years following the studies.
The Best Magnesium for Human Consumption
While there is much more significant information on the positive effects of magnesium supplementation, it is beyond the scope of this brief article. When supplementing any mineral like magnesium, you want to have a supplement form that supplies both a desirable anion along with the cation, in this case magnesium. While not the only good supplemental form of magnesium, my recommendation is magnesium glycinate – which also is supplementing an amino acid that is needed in abundance by the body.Large amounts of magnesium in any oral form can cause diarrhea, and the individual needs to determine what their bowel tolerance is for the supplementation form that they take. While any amount of magnesium supplementation is good, if the bowels allow it, a desirable supplementation amount would be between 300 to 500 mg.
There is nothing wrong with taking more if you tolerate it, but having the guidance of a knowledgeable doctor would be a good idea – if you want to go higher. And, if you can only tolerate 100 mg, – then still go ahead and take that amount.