Among essential minerals, magnesium is truly essential. Always has been. Always will be. It’s only gained more prominence in recent years because of the heightened occurrence of mineral and vitamin deficiencies in many of us. They are deficiencies that have only been exacerbated in this era of protracted, chronic stress.

The important role that essential minerals in general and magnesium in particular play in the maintenance of good health is one that has been recognized for decades. Above and beyond the proliferation of daily stress in our lives, what is new is the science around just how important magnesium is to vital organs and key body processes. Combine that with the fact that over 40 percent of Canadians – two in every five of us — are magnesium deficient!

It’s such an important health and wellness issue because magnesium is crucial for the normal function of our cells, nerves, muscles, bones and heart. In fact, magnesium is a co-factor in over 300 enzymatic processes in the body. It’s not surprising, therefore, that entire body systems can be thrown off when we lack essential vitamins or minerals such as magnesium.

Magnesium is essential in the maintenance of our bones and teeth. It is vital in the regulation of muscle contractions and overall muscle function. Magnesium also helps to metabolize our food and regulate blood pressure and nerve transmission. That’s why adequate levels of magnesium are required in order to for body to produce enough serotonin naturally so as to maintain balanced mental function. Note that serotonin helps regulate our mood, appetite and sleep as well as cognitive functions such as memory and learning.

No outline of the importance of magnesium to health and wellness is complete without acknowledging that it has also been used intravenously in hospital settings to reduce the risk of death after an acute heart attack. It is also deployed in managing acute asthma in emergency situations.

Over the course of time, we have typically received the significant amounts of this macro mineral that we need from a balanced, nutritious diet comprised of nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens and unrefined whole grains. Yet many of us are falling short in this era in which the soil that is the foundation for the nutrients we consume is itself depleted of minerals. Add to that the modern issue of chronic stress, which releases adrenaline and triggers a series of metabolic processes. Since the body’s reaction to stress in turn further depletes the magnesium supplies in our body, the vicious circle continues and we become more reactive to stress.

With many people supplementing daily with 350 mg of magnesium, I recommend one teaspoon daily of PURICA Magnesium Bisglycinate Effervescent as it is a highly absorbable form of magnesium. That’s the good news in an era where many of us are not getting the levels of this essential mineral that we need to function optimally.

By Tawnya Ritco, RHN

References:
1. Magnesium in Prevention and Therapy. 2015 Sep; 7(9): 8199–8226. Published online 2015 Sep 23. doi:  3390/nu7095388/ Nutrients
2. The Importance of Magnesium in Clinical Healthcare Scientifica (Cairo). 2017; 2017: 4179326. Published online 2017 Sep 28. doi:  1155/2017/4179326
3. A study on the mineral depletion of the foods available to us as a nation over the period 1940 to 1991. Nutr Health.2003;17(2):85-115.
4. Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis Open Heart. 2018; 5(1): e000668. Published online 2018 Jan 13. doi:  1136/openhrt-2017-000668Ter Arkh. 2015;87(9):114-122. doi: 10.17116/terarkh2015879114-122.
5. Magnesium deficiency and stress: Issues of their relationship, diagnostic tests, and approaches to therapy. Ter Arkh.2015;87(9):114-122. doi: 10.17116/terarkh2015879114-122.
6. Magnesium for treatment-resistant depression: a review and hypothesis. Med Hypotheses.2010 Apr;74(4):649-60. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2009.10.051. Epub 2009 Nov 27.

About the Author: PURICA Team

PURICA is a Canadian wellness company that specializes in medicinal mushrooms. PURICA is the coming together of “Pure” and “Care” and their products are inspired by Nature, skillfully formulated natural and whole food products solidly backed by science.