Magnesium oxide is one of several forms of magnesium supplement available for purchase. Magnesium is an essential mineral, meaning that you need to obtain it from dietary sources as your body is incapable of synthesizing it. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, there are over 300 different essential metabolic reactions that take place in your body that require magnesium.
Blood Pressure Regulation
There is evidence that magnesium helps regulate your blood pressure, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. A diet that contains plenty of low-fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables, which contain ample amounts of magnesium, can help keep your blood pressure low. Several other nutrients in this type of diet, mainly potassium and fiber, are also known to contribute to lower blood pressure, but the joint National Committee on Prevention, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure maintains that magnesium-rich diets in particular can be a positive lifestyle modification for high blood pressure patients.
Bone Density
More than 60 percent of your body's magnesium is found in your bones, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Magnesium, which makes up about 1 percent of your bone mineral, is influential in the structure of bone matrix. Despite evidence of an association between bone mineral density and magnesium intake, more study is needed to discern how to best use magnesium in the treatment and prevention of bone thinning, or osteoporosis.
Energy Conversion
When you eat foods containing carbohydrates and fats, your body's magnesium helps convert these nutrients into usable energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Organelles within each of your cells, called mitochondria, use magnesium as part of an ATP-synthesizing protein.
Muscle Contraction
Two of the signs of magnesium deficiency are muscle contractions and cramps, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. That's because magnesium is involved in the transportation of charged molecules, or ions, across the membranes of your muscle cells, a phenomena that is linked to muscle contraction. A 2006 study published in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," states that magnesium deficiency is related to muscle cell damage. Adequate magnesium levels in your blood appear to be necessary for optimal athletic performance.
Blood Sugar Control
Magnesium deficiencies are frequently seen in patients with diabetes, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. This may be due to increased urinary excretion of magnesium in diabetics. The evidence regarding magnesium supplementation as an aid in the management of diabetes is unclear, and more studies are needed to fully understand the implications of using magnesium to treat diabetes.
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