The Essential Macro Mineral - Magnesium
Magnesium is not a mineral we often associate with our nutritional intake and supplementary needs. But what if we told you that not one, not two, not three, but 300 enzymatic reactions! Magnesium underpins a host of metabolic processes and bodily functions. But problematically, most adult diets are insufficiently composed of magnesium-rich foods, supplements come to the rescue, as always. This blog quenches your curiosity regarding magnesium - how much of it does your body need, what are the benefits, and what are the things to keep in mind while taking magnesium supplements.
Magnesium is the fourth-most present mineral in our body. Fail to maintain your magnesium levels, and you leave yourself vulnerable to Alzheimer’s diseases, cardiovascular issues, migraine, and type 2 diabetes. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include cramping, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, and physical exhaustion.
Though our bone health is largely affected by adequate stores of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D, magnesium plays an important role in regulating the levels of calcium and vitamin D in our bones, and also improves bone density. Especially for post-menopausal women, magnesium helps in alleviating the risk of osteoporosis. For menopausal women, magnesium aids in reducing the side effects of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), by reducing bloating and frequent mood swings.
Magnesium levels also impact our mood regulation in general, with low magnesium levels and intake directly associated with higher anxiety.
As magnesium is also essential in regulating our hormonal levels and thus metabolic processes, sufficient levels ward off the risk of type 2 diabetes by controlling glucose levels and insulin metabolism.
With congestive heart failures becoming worryingly common, magnesium supplementation greatly helps our heart from the risk of arrhythmia (irregular/abnormal heart rhythm).
Being one of seven macrominerals, it - as the name suggests - is required by our bodies in relatively large portions: a minimum of 100 milligrams per day. For adults, the daily medically recommended intake of magnesium varies for men and women. While women should ideally consume 310-320 milligrams, men should have a higher intake of 400-420 milligrams.
The good news is that, unlike many other nutrients that are primarily animal-sourced, magnesium is abundantly found in cereals, green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds, which is excellent news for vegans!
However, since macrominerals need to be replenished in our bodies regularly, expecting our diet to be monotonous enough to consist mostly of these foods is impractical. This makes supplementation critical.
As we’ve mentioned in our previous blog, pairing your nutrient demands in one supplement has the added benefit of limiting our supplement consumption to a few, important supplements. The Swisse Ultiboost Magnesium, Calcium + D3 tablets not only address your day-to-day magnesium requirements, which aids nervous system functioning, energy production, and immune strength, but also improve bone health, joint support, and muscle recovery.
If it is a vegan-friendly supplementation you’re after, the Swisse Ultiboost Magnesium, which is composed of a bioavailable form of magnesium: Citrate, helps in maintaining and improving muscle functioning, metabolism, and stress-relief immunity.
The dosage for both our supplements is recommended by healthcare professionals to be one tablet per day, during or immediately after a meal.