Top 5 Benefits Of Magnesium
Magnesium is a "super nutrient" involved in over 300 functions in the human body—including immune system performance, supporting blood pressure, regulating blood sugar, maintaining nerve and muscle function, and mood support.
However, as important as this mineral is, studies show that 50% of Americans aren't meeting the recommended daily magnesium intake to support these functions. So it's no surprise that the United States is known for its heavy use of prescriptions and over the counter medications—because we aren't' getting an adequate amount of this vital nutrient into our bodies.
Some signs that you may not be getting enough magnesium into your diet include:
If you have any of those symptoms it's possible your magnesium levels are sub-optimal.
You aren't to blame for this. There are several reasons why magnesium levels are at an all-time low. Due to modern mechanical farming techniques, magnesium levels in our soil have plummeted. This means fruits, vegetables and other crops that would normally be rich in magnesium, have very little traces of it anymore. Also, when our water supply goes through a reverse osmosis process, it completely removes magnesium, which is another reason magnesium levels have declined.
And get this—some of the foods your doctor recommends that you eat to maintain a healthy diet, actually lower the amount of bioavailable magnesium you have in the body. I'll share some of those foods to stay away from at the end of the article.
With that said, the decline of magnesium in our foods and water supply is only a fraction of the problem.
The biggest challenge we face towards improving magnesium levels in the body is that most folks like you (and even most doctors) don't know that trying to orally consume more magnesium is the most inefficient way to go about it. The reason is because magnesium is a very difficult nutrient for your body to absorb into the bloodstream after it enters into your digestive tract.
But the good news is, there is a way around this. Studies show the most efficient way to improve your magnesium levels quickly is to rub it into the skin. For example, a recent study published in the journal, Nutrients, found that by rubbing magnesium into the skin, it enters the bloodstream faster. And patients who rubbed magnesium into the skin saw an improvement to their magnesium levels within weeks, while those who took an oral magnesium supplement had to wait 4-12 months before noticing any difference at all.
Another 2019 study from the Herbal Research Center found folks who applied magnesium spray to the skin saw up to a 262% increase in cellular magnesium levels—which like I mentioned earlier, is going to improve so many functions in the body for better overall health and quality of life.
Now, as a word of warning, most magnesium sprays can leave an "oily" feeling after applying it that most people find uncomfortable. But there is one magnesium spray in particular that folks love because it doesn't leave a sticky residue feeling, and is the most potent form of magnesium in the world. You can check it out here. I'll also link to it at the end of the article.
But first, take a look at the top 5 benefits of magnesium so you know just how important it is for improving your health and life.
1) Balances Blood Sugar
Magnesium helps to manage insulin and blood sugar levels. In fact, some doctors are now calling magnesium deficiency the "new root cause" of most diabetes and prediabetes cases because of the direct connection between blood sugar levels and the amount of magnesium one has in the body.
According to the latest research, 1 in every 2 people in the United States have diabetes or prediabetes. Magnesium deficiency affects 1 in every 2 Americans as well. And a 2019 study published from a prestigious medical university in Belgium, shows folks who are insulin resistant also have a magnesium deficiency.
In another study published in the journal, Diabetes Care, researchers tested the effects of magnesium on patients with type 2 diabetes. All 63 patients in the study had low magnesium levels. Those who were given a magnesium supplement saw improvements in fasting glucose levels, A1C and insulin sensitivity.
2) Lowers Blood Pressure
Magnesium improves blood sugar levels, which is going to naturally support blood pressure as well. But magnesium doesn't only improve blood pressure as a result of improving blood sugar. It powerfully boosts heart health and circulation.
Researchers from the Indiana University School of Public Health reviewed 47 studies connecting magnesium supplementation with blood pressure and found that patients who took a magnesium supplement had a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings compared to the placebo groups.
Another study published in Nutrition Journal found folks with higher magnesium levels in the body have a lower risk of hypertension than those who have insufficient magnesium levels.
3) Calms Anxiety
Scientists have found a link between low magnesium levels and high anxiety.
A recent 2017 review of 18 studies found that increasing magnesium intake can be a natural remedy to calm anxiety. The studies looked at people with mild anxiety, anxiety during premenstrual syndrome, postpartum anxiety, and generalized anxiety. Each study was measured by "self-reports" meaning the improvements were based on the point of view of the subjects.
Magnesium helps to reduce anxiousness by supporting the part of the brain responsible for helping us handle stress well (the hypothalamus), and by lowering the amount of "bad bacteria" in the gut that can cause inflammation and stress in the body.
4) Supports Brain Performance
A recent rat study published in the journal, Cell Press, found that by supporting magnesium levels, one can improve learning and memory. The researchers even went as far to say that increasing magnesium can "be a useful new way to enhance cognitive abilities."
The reason magnesium helps brain performance is because it promotes the density of synapses in the hippocampus part of the brain. This helps prevent loss of synapses and maintains synaptic plasticity which protects cognitive function.
Also, a 2018 study discovered magnesium boosts the effects of vitamin D. Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for neuromuscular activity and supports how the brain communicates with the rest of the body.
5) Boosts Longevity
A study published in the Journal of Hypertension found, "Individuals reaching a hundred years of age have higher total body magnesium and lower calcium levels than most elderly people." This indicates the healthier magnesium levels you have, the longer you'll live.
And a 2012 study from the International Space Station discovered that in space, magnesium levels begin to deplete at an accelerated rate, and that the reason aging happens faster in space could be due to this magnesium deficiency.
However, by improving magnesium levels in the body, it's likely that you'll slow down the aging process. Not only that—but because magnesium plays such a big role in hundreds of processes in the body, you won't only live longer by boosting magnesium levels... you'll also live better.
What Should You Do Next?
Now that you're seeing how important it is to improve magnesium levels in the body, I'm sure you're ready to get started today.
Like I mentioned earlier, there are some foods that have a history of being rich in magnesium (like figs, cacao, almonds, bananas and coffee). However, these foods have a MUCH lower magnesium content than they did decades ago. Plus, we already looked at studies showing that oral consumption of magnesium rich foods and magnesium supplements is NOT the most efficient way to support healthy magnesium levels because it's so difficult for the body to absorb it into the bloodstream from the digestive tract.
Plus, there are certain "health foods" that contain a group of compounds called oxalates and phytic acid—which have been shown in studies to basically "lock up" your body's magnesium and make it useless.
But the good news is, there's a way to naturally boost magnesium levels in the body without running into any of the roadblocks I just mentioned...
And that is by spraying magnesium on the skin and rubbing it in. Like I mentioned earlier, magnesium absorbs into the bloodstream quickly when it's applied to the skin. And studies show this is the fastest way for it to take effect—even as soon as a few minutes after application.
