Magnesium is an essential mineral that the body does not produce and therefore must be provided by the diet. What we could easily call the Magnesium Deficiency Epidemic is thought to stem from the Western diet’s preponderance for junk food and processed food which inherently strips away most of the nutrients that existed in the original, unprocessed, whole-food ingredients.
Many experts in the fields of nutrition and medicine will state that magnesium is the single most important micronutrient to human health and physiology. Magnesium seems to have a hand in nearly every physiological process within the body.
As you read this, your body is undergoing billions if not trillions of chemical reactions to produce a continual supply of enzymes needed to function properly. Magnesium plays a direct role in over 300 types of these reactions.
While calcium, potassium and sodium are responsible for firing off brain cells, and muscle contractions, its magnesium that allows a smooth transition back to a relaxed state. Without magnesium your brain cells fire too much causing anxiety, irritability, hostility, fatigue and insomnia.
At the same time, without magnesium, your muscles find it difficult to release themselves fully and go back to a resting state. This can contribute to tight muscles, muscle soreness, cramps and muscles twitches.
Magnesium also plays a critical role in human energy production, metabolism, immune function, bone formation and destruction, nueurotransmission and is essential for proper heart and cardiovascular system function.
3 Main causes of magnesium deficiency
1) Stress
2) Diuretics (coffee, caffeine, energy drinks, alcohol, blood pressure meds)
3) Sugar (refined carbohydrates)
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency
Mental
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Lack of focus (ADD or ADHD)
Physical
- Fatigue
- Muscle tension
- Muscle soreness
- Muscle cramps
- Muscle twitching
Physiological
- Bone Loss
- Constipation