Products sold as weight-loss aids ordinarily fall into two categories -- stimulants that speed the metabolic system and appetite suppressants, which either reduce your appetite chemically or contain lots of dietary fiber to make you feel full. Magnesium, a naturally occurring mineral, is neither of these. According to an early study carried out by Professor W.E.C. Wacker of Harvard Medical School, magnesium is an activator to a host of enzymes, including those that regulate the storage and processing of the fat in our diet. This is the main reason it's associated with weight loss.
Weight-Loss Aid
Magnesium has a key role in the way we use and store energy. It may seem a contradiction that you can be overweight and at the same time suffer from malnutrition, but this is often the case. Unhealthy foods are often void of the essential vitamins and minerals needed to nourish the body enough to perform essential functions. Without sufficient levels of magnesium, the body cannot maintain a stable production of insulin. This affects our blood sugar levels and, therefore, also the amount of surplus energy we ultimately store as fat.
Nutritional Essentials
According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, 300 chemical reactions in the body rely on magnesium. If your diet was perfect in every other way except for lacking magnesium, it wouldn't properly process fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Magnesium is essential for bones and assists the absorption of calcium and potassium, which inhibits the undesired calcification of soft tissues such as muscle, ligaments and tendons. More noticeable effects of magnesium deficiency are fatigue, irritability, insomnia, poor memory, raised blood pressure and painful periods.
Stress and Weight
Magnesium is a vital nutrient for controlling how our body deals with stress. As magnesium supports healthy adrenal glands, it moderates the body's instinct to secrete excessive adrenaline unless it's really necessary. The second stress regulator in the body is cortisol, and the production of this is related to enjoying plenty of deep sleep. If cortisol levels rise -- as they will if you lack sleep and the body is deficient in magnesium -- body fat levels simultaneously rise.
Magnesium in Food
Ohio State University Medical Center lists dairy products, fish, meat and seafood -- as well as leafy green vegetables, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, whole grain cereals, nuts and cocoa -- as good sources of magnesium so it should be easy to maintain magnesium levels with a healthy diet. But if levels have been depleted, a supplement may be the fastest way of getting back up to desirable levels.
Magnesium as a Supplement
The amount you need to supplement your diet depends on your needs and lifestyle. For instance, heavy exercisers need more magnesium because of minerals used and sweated out during physical activity. So refer to the guidelines on the specific product you purchase. One of the characteristics of the supplement sprayed on the skin is that it "tingles" while you are deficient. As your levels increase, the skin's sensitivity reduces.
Warning
If you have kidney or heart problems, check with your medical practitioner before taking a magnesium supplement. As with all vitamins and minerals, elevated doses don't necessarily mean increased benefits, so follow the manufacturer's guidelines.
Member Comments