Magnesium is a mineral that’s crucial to the body’s function. Magnesium helps keep blood pressure normal, bones strong, and the heart rhythm steady.
One of its main roles is to act as a helper molecule in more than 600 reactions in your body, including energy production, protein synthesis and neuromuscular regulation.
It also plays an important role between your brain and body.
It acts as the gatekeeper for the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. These are found on our nerve cells and aid brain development, memory and learning.
In healthy adults, magnesium sits inside the NMDA receptors, preventing them from being triggered by weak signals that may stimulate your nerve cells unnecessarily.
When your magnesium levels are low, fewer NMDA receptors are blocked. This means they are prone to be stimulated more often than necessary.
This overstimulation can kill nerve cells.
Apart from this it also counteracts calcium which generates heart contractions.
When calcium enters your heart muscle cells, it stimulates the muscle fibres to contract. Magnesium counters this effect, helping these cells relax.
This movement of calcium and magnesium across your heart cells maintains a healthy heartbeat.
When your magnesium levels are low, calcium may overstimulate your heart muscle cells. One common symptom of this is a rapid and/or irregular heartbeat, which may be life-threatening!
Not only this but magnesium is also required for an enzyme that generates electrical impulses via the sodium-potassium channels. Some electrical impulses can affect your heartbeat.
It acts in the same way for skeletal muscle connection as well.
If your body doesn’t have enough magnesium to compete with calcium, your muscles may contract too much, causing cramps or spasms.
This is why magnesium is commonly recommended to treat muscle cramps
As magnesium deficiency gets worse, other symptoms may occur, including numbness, tingling, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms and coronary spasms.
Rich sources of magnesium are greens, nuts, seeds, dry beans, whole grains, wheat germ, wheat and oat bran.
The recommended dietary allowance for magnesium for adult men is 400-420 mg per day. The dietary allowance for adult women is 310-320 mg per day.
Although it’s found in a variety of foods ranging from leafy greens to nuts, seeds, and beans, many people don’t get enough in their diet. This is when supplements come in.
However, magnesium in dietary supplements and medications should not be consumed in amounts above the upper limit, unless recommended by a healthcare provider. Common side effects include diarrhoea and cramps.
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