Magnificent Magnesium
Recently, while enjoying a barbecue lunch at a friend’s home, I became engaged in a conversation with a gentleman, Richard, who, besides being a litigation lawyer, was one of Amazon.com’s top product reviewers. His product line of choice to review? Nutraceuticals.
And so began our discussion of the important nutritional supplement magnesium (strange luncheon conversation, I know). I happily told Richard that I did, indeed, take this supplement as it was included in my calcium citrate supplement. But when he asked me what form of magnesium I took, I hadn’t a clue. This learned man then began to school me in the different forms of magnesium available on the market—and which had the best absorption rate. I was all ears.
As I have since followed up our conversation with some research of my own, I did find, not surprisingly, that all magnesium supplements are not created equal. In fact, the supplement Richard recommended, magnesium L-Threonate, has been shown to have the best absorption rate, by far, and is the only supplement with the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, delivering this important mineral direct to your master command center!
The National Institutes of Health estimate that over half of all Americans are deficit in this mineral which enables 300 different enzyme reactions to occur within the body enabling healthy nerve transmission, muscle contraction, blood coagulation, energy production, nutritional metabolism and bone and cell formation.
The benefits of being adequately supplied with magnesium—beyond all the metabolic processes it enables within the body—are numerous. It decreases constipation and acid reflux, fights off nighttime leg cramps, and it has been used in the treatment of many health issues, including migraine, ADHD, chronic fatigue, Lyme’s disease, and fibromyalgia.
Magnesium is depleted from our bodies when we are under high stress, regularly drink carbonated, caffeinated, or alcoholic beverages and eat sugary foods, or take certain medications such as diuretics, heart or asthma meds, birth control pills, or estrogen replacement therapies.
The best food sources of this magnificent mineral are: pumpkin and flax seed, almonds and cashew nuts, fresh basil and parsley. The recommended daily allowance of magnesium is about 350 mg/day—a little more for men, a little less for women. A little dose of magnificent magnesium sure does go a long way!