What is Magnesium?
Magnesium is a mineral that is essential for healthy muscles, nerves, bones, and blood sugar levels. Magnesium plays an important role in assisting more than 300 enzymes to carry out various chemical reactions in the body like building proteins, regulating blood pressure, and aiding in muscle and nerve function. Magnesium also acts as an electrical conductor that contracts muscles and makes the heart beat steadily.
Magnesium is found naturally in plant foods like legumes, dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. It is also in fish, poultry, and beef. Getting enough magnesium through diet alone may be difficult for some people, which is why a magnesium dietary supplement may be beneficial. Not having enough magnesium in the body has been linked to many negative health outcomes, including high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as depression and overall weakness in the body. Bone mineral density, which is a measure of bone health, is also closely linked to the amount of magnesium in the body.
How Do I Know If I Have a Magnesium Deficiency?
Magnesium deficiency, also known as hypomagnesemia, is often an overlooked problem as the symptoms can vary and include both physical and mental indicators. Certain health conditions such as diabetes, chronic diarrhea, poor absorption, and celiac disease are associated with low levels of magnesium in the body. Alcoholism can also result in a severe magnesium deficiency.
Some common symptoms of magnesium deficiency include:
- Muscle Twitches and Cramps
- Nausea
- Migraine Headaches
- Numbness or Tingling in Hands or Legs
- General Body Weakness
- Irregular Heartbeat
- High Blood Pressure
- Anxiety/Depression
- Abdominal Cramps
Diagnosing a magnesium deficiency can be difficult because the symptoms associated with it can be symptoms linked with other ailments. However, a genetic test can accurately identify a magnesium deficiency and suggest supplemental magnesium would be helpful.
How Genetic Testing Can Uncover Magnesium Deficiency
The 10X Health genetic test uncovers nutrient deficiencies in your body so that you can make changes and improve your overall wellness. Our genetic test gives you the best snapshot of your current well-being by analyzing your major actionable genes to figure out which ones are having an impact on your day-to-day function.
Tackling nutrient deficiencies is the best way to give your body the upper hand in avoiding some serious wellness issues. If nutrient deficiencies, including magnesium deficiency, are left untreated, they will negatively influence your well-being.
Uncovering a magnesium deficiency through our 10X Health genetic test allows us to offer recommendations to alleviate the deficiency and get your body working at its optimal potential. Our expert medical team analyzes your saliva sample and provides you with a personalized comprehensive report on how your genes are currently functioning.
The Health Benefits of Magnesium
As mentioned above, the right amount of magnesium is needed for the body to function properly. Magnesium affects so many processes in the body, that being deficient in the mineral may cause some severe issues within the body. The proper magnesium intake provides many benefits to the body, including:
Maintaining Healthy Brain Function: Magnesium acts as the gatekeeper for your N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which are found on your nerve cells and aid brain development, memory, and learning. It prevents nerve cells from being overstimulated, which can kill them and may cause brain damage.
Sustaining a Stable Heartbeat: Magnesium helps your heart muscle cells relax by countering calcium, which stimulates contractions. These minerals compete with each other to ensure heart cells contract and relax properly. Magnesium has an effect on your cardiovascular health.
Regulating Muscle Contractions: Magnesium acts as a natural calcium blocker, helping your muscle cells relax after contracting. When magnesium levels are low, your muscles may contract too much and cause symptoms such as spasms or muscle cramps.
Lowering Blood Pressure: About half of the adults in the United States have high blood pressure. Magnesium may act to lower blood pressure by not only counterbalancing the calcium in your body but also by preventing injury to your blood vessel walls. Magnesium helps bind up harmful substances that injure blood vessels and make them stiff, which causes blood pressure to rise.
Reducing the Risk of Heart Disease: Magnesium has strong anti-inflammatory properties, may prevent blood clotting, and can help your blood vessels relax to lower your blood pressure. An analysis of 40 studies with more than one million participants found that consuming 100 mg more of magnesium each day reduced the risk of stroke and heart failure by 7% and 22%, respectively. These are two major risk factors for heart disease.
Improving Blood Sugar Control in Type 2 Diabetes: As mentioned before, those with Type 2 diabetes commonly have low magnesium levels. Magnesium helps regulate insulin and moves sugar out of the blood and into the cells for storage.
Boosting Sleep Quality: Magnesium supplementation may promote better sleep by calming the nervous system, relaxing muscles, reducing anxiety, alleviating restless leg syndrome, and helping regulate your circadian rhythm.
Tackling Migraines: Studies have found that people who have migraines tend to have lower levels of magnesium than people who don’t get headaches. Some scientists believe that magnesium blocks signals in the brain that lead to migraines with an aura, or changes in vision and other senses. Research also suggests that magnesium stops certain chemicals that cause pain.
Decreasing the Symptoms of Depression: Depression is one of the most common mood disorders and can affect the way you think, feel, and act. Magnesium plays an important role in brain signaling within the body which partly explains its link to reducing depression. The association between magnesium and depression has been observed in several studies.
Higher magnesium levels have been linked to a variety of benefits for your well-being. Knowing how much magnesium to take is important to reap all of the benefits it may provide.
How to Regulate Your Magnesium Intake
There are sources of magnesium found in many foods — both plant-based and animal foods. There are also fortified foods available, but according to dietary surveys, many American adults still aren’t getting the adequate intake of magnesium they need, even from magnesium-rich foods. In fact, nearly half are consuming less than the estimated average requirement of this important mineral.
The upside is that with some planning, you can get the right amount of dietary magnesium that you need each day. Adult men need 400 to 420 milligrams per day, and adult women need 310 to 320 milligrams per day (more if pregnant or breastfeeding).
The top five magnesium-rich foods include:
- Seeds: Many varieties of seeds–including flax, chia, and pumpkin–contain high amounts of magnesium. In addition to being rich in magnesium, seeds are abundant in iron, monounsaturated fat, and omega-3 fatty acids. They are also extremely high in fiber. A one-ounce serving of pumpkin seeds provides you with around 40% of your DV (percentage daily intake of a nutrient needed).
- Leafy Vegetables: Leafy greens with significant amounts of magnesium include kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens. A one-cup serving of cooked spinach provides 37% of your DV. Greens are also high in iron, vitamins C, K, and A and contain many beneficial plant compounds which protect your cells from damage and may reduce cancer risk.
- Legumes: Nutrient-dense legumes include lentils, peas, chickpeas, beans, and soybeans. They contain a lot of protein as well as magnesium. A one-cup serving of black beans provides you with 29% of your DV.
- Nuts: Nuts are an excellent source of not only magnesium but also fiber and monounsaturated fat. Nuts are also anti-inflammatory, supportive of heart health, and can reduce appetite when eaten as a snack. A one-ounce serving of cashews has 20% of your DV.
- Whole Grains: Whole grains contain many nutrients, including magnesium. Grains like wheat, barley, and oats as well as pseudocereals like buckwheat and quinoa are high in B vitamins, and fiber. A one-cup serving of cooked buckwheat contains 20% of your DV. Whole grains have also been shown to reduce inflammation and decrease the overall risk of heart disease.
Magnesium that is naturally present in food does not need to be limited. Magnesium taken in supplement form should not exceed the recommended daily limit, as too much magnesium can cause some side effects. If your diet does not include the above-mentioned foods in the correct amounts to obtain the magnesium you need daily, a magnesium supplement can result in significant improvements.
Magnesium Supplements
Absorbing enough magnesium in your body means your body can function at its optimal level. Everything from sleeping well, being in a good mood, fighting off certain diseases, and lowering the risk of other health conditions comes with getting enough magnesium in your diet.
Although magnesium is found in a variety of foods, magnesium supplements can offer benefits, especially for people with low magnesium intake or the inability to absorb magnesium properly. There are various types and dosages of magnesium supplements and choosing one isn’t always simple.
Magnesium dietary supplements come in many different forms, some of which are easier absorbed by the body than others. Types of magnesium that are better absorbed include:
- magnesium citrate
- magnesium lactate
- magnesium aspartate
- magnesium chloride
- magnesium malate
- magnesium taurate
Your genetic make-up as well as whether you have a magnesium deficiency can also affect how well your body absorbs the magnesium supplement. The form that the supplement is taken in, pills, powders, liquids, or gummies, should have no effect on how the supplement is absorbed. Magnesium citrate seems to be the most popular magnesium supplement because it is easily absorbed and relatively inexpensive.
Magnesium Citrate Supplement
Magnesium citrate is a type of magnesium that is bound with citric acid, the acid commonly found in citrus fruits that give them their sour flavor. Combining citric acid with magnesium is what makes this type of supplement so easily absorbed by the body.
Magnesium absorption is so important when considering a supplement because if your body can’t easily take in and use the magnesium compound, you’ll miss out on all of the health-promoting benefits. On the other hand, if it’s readily absorbed and usable by your body — what scientists call bioavailable — then you’re in luck.
A small 2021 study that included 24 people with metabolic syndrome demonstrated that treatment with 400 milligrams of magnesium citrate per day for four weeks led to significant reductions in blood pressure and levels of the long-term marker for blood sugar control hemoglobin A1C compared to a placebo group. The magnesium supplementation group also experienced increases in their Vitamin D levels.
The benefits available by incorporating a magnesium citrate supplement into your daily regimen are numerous. Always choose supplements from trusted sources, and speak with a healthcare professional before starting any supplement.
10X Health Magnesium Supplement
10X Health offers a 120mg magnesium citrate supplement that is easily absorbable and provides many potential wellness benefits. Improved muscle function, enhanced sleep quality, reduced stress and anxiety levels, and cardiovascular support are all benefits that may be gained by adding the 10X Health magnesium supplement to your routine.
This supplement, as well as all supplements offered by 10X Health, is made with only the finest high-quality ingredients on the market. Our supplements are pure and not diluted with fillers. We also take the extra step by checking in to see if your supplements are working for you and recommend changes or alterations if they are not.
By taking the 10X Health genetic test, the need for taking magnesium supplements, and any other supplements, will be clear. By analyzing your specific genetic makeup, we are able to pinpoint exactly how your genes are operating and suggest ways to optimize their function resulting in improved overall wellness for you.
Adding the 10X Health magnesium supplement to your diet can have some very substantial benefits. If you believe you suffer from some of the symptoms of low magnesium, reach out to 10X Health to schedule a genetic test and receive comprehensive feedback on what you can do to optimize your wellness.
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Interested in learning more about how supplemental magnesium may benefit your overall wellness? Reach out to 10X Health today to learn more and get on the path to your best self!
