The Dangers of Magnesium Deficiency
By Dr. Mercola
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body. Researchers have detected more than 3,750 magnesium-binding sites on human proteins1 giving an indication of its wide-ranging health effects. More than 300 different enzymes also rely on magnesium for proper function.
A common estimate is that 50 to 80 percent of Americans are deficient in magnesium, and the health consequences are significant. Magnesium plays an important role in your body’s biochemical processes, many of which are crucial for proper metabolic function. This includes but is not limited to:
- Creation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of your body2,3
- Relaxation of blood vessels
- Muscle and nerve function, including the action of your heart muscle
- Proper formation of bones and teeth
- Regulation of blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, which is important for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.4,5,6,7,8 For example, magnesium is essential for insulin release by pancreatic β-cells, and acts as a messenger for insulin action9
- Magnesium will help keep calcium in your cells so they can do their job better. The ideal ratio between magnesium and calcium is currently thought to be 1:1. Keep in mind that since you’re likely getting far more calcium from your diet than you are magnesium, your need for supplemental magnesium may be two to three times greater than calcium.
Vitamin K2 has two crucial functions, one is in cardiovascular health and the other is in bone restoration. By removing calcium from the lining of the blood vessels and shuttling it into your bone matrix, vitamin K2 helps prevent occlusions from atherosclerosis. Meanwhile, vitamin D helps optimize calcium absorption.
Vitamins D and K2 also work together to produce and activate Matrix GLA Protein (MGP), which congregates around the elastic fibers of your arterial lining, thereby guarding your arteries against calcium crystal formation. Magnesium and vitamin K2 also complement each other, as magnesium helps lower blood pressure, which is an important component of heart disease.
- While the ideal or optimal ratios between vitamin D and vitamin K2 have yet to be determined, Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue (whom I’ve interviewed on this topic) suggests taking 100 micrograms (mcg) of K2 for every 1-2,000 international units (IUs) of vitamin D you take.
- As for how much vitamin D you need, I strongly recommend getting your vitamin D level tested twice a year (summer and winter) to help determine your personal dosage. Sensible sun exposure is the ideal way to optimize your levels, but if you opt for a supplement, your “ideal dosage” is one that will put you into the therapeutic range of 40 to 60 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml).
Sources and References
- 1, 18 GreenMedInfo December 5, 2012
- 2 Journal of Biological Chemistry 1999 Oct 8;274(41):28853-6
- 3 Magnesium 1987;6(1):28-33
- 4 Nutrients September 27, 2013; 5(10): 3910-3919
- 5 ADA Diabetes Care October 2, 2013; DC_131397
- 6 Diabetic Medicine December 2013; 30(12): 1487-1494
- 7 Journal of the American College of Nutrition December 2006; 25(6):486-92
- 8 Nutrients September 27, 2013
- 9 Magnesium Research 2004 Jun;17(2):126-36
- 10 Collective Evolution March 25, 2015
- 11, 12 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition May 29, 2013, doi: 10.3945
- 13 Weston A. Price Foundation July 4, 2012
- 14, 17 Medicinenet.com July 12, 2016
- 15, 16 Medical News Today July 12, 2016
- 19 The Worlds Healthiest Foods, Magnesium
- 20 Authority Nutrition March 2016
- 21 Lifehack, Cocoa Nibs
- 22 Nutrition Journal 2016;15:22
- 23 European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2014 Apr;68(4):510-6
- 24 J Am Coll Nutr December 2006
- 25 Carolyn Dean, Gauging Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms
- 26 National Institutes of Health, Magnesium Fact Sheet
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