..many people debate the various ratios of #macronutrients like #protein, #fat, and #carbohydrates in their diet to find their optimal health. Which is great as we are #bioindividuals but most miss out on #micronutrients like #vitamins and #minerals.
The way our bodies are able to use the #macronutrients is fully dependent on how our #enzymatic pathways are influenced by various #micronutrients. One of the most important amongst is #magnesium.
#Magnesium serves as a faciliator of more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the human body which clearly play a role in how we utilize our #nutrients. Beyond this role magnesium serves important structural and functional roles in things like #proteins, #DNA and our #mitochondria.
We generally consume #magnesium in our #diets when we eat #vegetables, #seeds, #nuts, #fish,#fruit, #meat, and #dairy. In an ideal world these foods should adequately take care our individual needs. Unfortunately #organic or otherwise it does not happen in our modern life.
Reason 1: our soils are depleted of these #micronutrients (also #copper; #zinc.. etc) so in turn plants and then animals have less of these which then turn to #deficiencies on us as well… Reason 2: most people consume highly processed and refined foods which depletes it further.
Example: There is an 82% reduction in #magnesium in white flour, 83% loss in polished rice, while white sugar has 99% of the magnesium removed. Even wheat has lost 20% of its magnesium content since 1968.
In addition to all of that above…many commonly used prescription and over the counter #medications can actually lead to lower than optimal #magnesium levels. 🤯
Did you know that low #magnesium drives #metabolic issues like elevated blood pressure, overweight, and obesity. Low levels of magnesium are associated with an elevation of C-reactive protein, a blood marker for increased #inflammation.
Low #magnesium levels can a threat to health and functionality of so many areas of our body. For example: in women there is a proven link between low bone density and low magnesium in both pre-and post-menopausal women. But why?
The science behind this #bonedensity and #magnesium relationship may stem from the fact that when magnesium is low, there is a reduced blood supply to the bones as well as increased inflammation, both of which degrade bone tissue….but there is more! 🤯
Low #magnesium can decrease #vitaminD (which is a hormone btw) and that can also affect bone health. In order for vitamin D to function properly, magnesium is required as an important cofactor for conversion of vitamin D into its active form.
In #data from NHANES a strong correlation between lower #magnesium levels and elevation of serum uric acid were revelaed. Elevation of #uricacid has long been associated with increased risk for gout and #kidney stones.
Emerging research clearly identifies that elevated uric acid has a central role in diverse #metabolicissues including elevated blood sugar, #overweight and #obesity, elevated blood pressure, #dyslipidemia and elevated #triglycerides.
So…what should we do to ensure that we have adequate amounts of these critically important #micronutrients in our body?
1. You can ask your healthcare provider to check your levels… however ask a test that is called: “a red blood cell or #erythrocyte magnesium level” which can give far more meaningful information than a standard blood test as about 99% of magnesium is in the red blood cell.
Eat more #magnesium rich foods: almonds, spinach, roasted cashews, black beans, avocado, brown rice, bananas…etc and consider taking a quality supplement.
I highly recommend to eveyone to read the #book by Morley to understand the holistic mechanisms of these micronutrients in your body and how one effects the other and your overall well-being. 
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