Originally posted by Dr. Davis on 2017-07-18
on the Wheat Belly Blog,
sourced from and currently found at: Infinite Health Blog.
PCM forum Index
of WB Blog articles.
Why
is magnesium so important?
One of the six core strategies in the Undoctored Wild,
Naked, and Unwashed program for health and weight
loss is restoration of magnesium.
Magnesium deficiency is alarmingly
common in today’s world. Why? Our reliance on
filtered water that has had all of the magnesium removed,
the reduced content of magnesium in modern crops, and the
widespread use of proton pump inhibitors—-drugs prescribed
to treat acid reflux and ulcers while reducing magnesium absorption.
Remember those darned phytates
in wheat and other grains that bind magnesium and other
positively charged minerals in the intestinal tract,
preventing absorption and causing you to pass them into
the toilet? Phytates reduce magnesium absorption by
60 percent, even when consuming just a single bagel
or deli sandwich. It means that for years minerals were
prevented from being absorbed whenever any
phytate-containing grain was in the vicinity, blocking
the absorption of even mineral supplements. Advice to
include grains in every meal and snack predictably
caused deficiencies of positively charged minerals,
especially magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc. Add it
all up, and sadly magnesium deficiency is the
rule, rather than the exception.
Magnesium is at the top of the
list of minerals that have been depleted. Have a breakfast
of cereal with fruit, and nearly all the magnesium from
breakfast is lost in the toilet due to phytates. Have a
lunch of turkey breast on whole wheat bread with lettuce
and tomatoes—and, once again, nearly all the magnesium
from this meal was bound and passed. Popular acid
blocking drugs (PPIs) like Prilosec, Prevacid,
Nexium, and others also block magnesium absorption.
Those with diabetes and prediabetes typically have the
most severe magnesium deficiencies, as they lose
magnesium through their urine. Combine the magnesium
absorption–blocking effect of grain phytates and PPIs
with the removal of magnesium from drinking water via
water filtration, both municipal and home, as well as
the reduced magnesium content of modern crops, and
magnesium deficiency is now the rule. We therefore
start the Undoctored process with profound, body-wide
magnesium deficiency.
Although the health benefits of
restoring magnesium aren’t as dramatic as that of
vitamin D restoration or wheat/grain elimination,
it can still yield some perceptible and measurable
benefits. The fact is, this has real health
implications. Because magnesium participates in many
essential body processes, depletion is disruptive.
Among the effects of magnesium deficiency:
- Higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Ironically, the number-one preferred starting treatment
for high blood pressure among primary care physicians
is thiazide diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide and
chlorthalidone, which cause increased urinary loss of
magnesium (and potassium) and have thereby been
associated with increased sudden cardiac death. In
other words, hypertension that is partly to blame on
magnesium deficiency is “treated” with a
drug that worsens magnesium deficiency–such is
the flawed logic typical of conventional medical care.
- Higher or erratic blood sugar, since magnesium is
required for the body’s enzymes to process blood
sugar. Accordingly, each 100-milligram increase in
daily magnesium intake decreases risk for diabetes
by 15 percent.
- Muscle cramps, particularly in the calves and
fingers, since magnesium modulates muscle tone.
- Heart rhythm disorders, especially premature atrial
and ventricular contractions, atrial fibrillation,
even life-threatening rhythms such as ventricular
tachycardia and torsade des pointes.
- Higher risk for sudden cardiac death and heart attack.
People with lower magnesium levels have double the risk
of people with higher magnesium levels.
- Osteopenia and osteoporosis. Since over half of body
magnesium is contained in bones and provides a
“cross-bridging” function for structural bone proteins,
lack of magnesium can have devastating long-term
implications for bone health.
- Constipation. Ever notice that many laxatives are
nothing more than forms of magnesium, such as milk of
magnesia (magnesium hydroxide)?
- Migraine headaches, with magnesium injections providing
relief in some instances.
The power of magnesium to even be
lifesaving in acute deficiencies is evident in hospitals,
where it is administered intravenously to subdue
life-threatening heart rhythms and does so immediately
and dramatically. But we, of course, do not want to
allow such acute, life-threatening deficiencies to develop.
Magnesium also plays an
important role in prevention or even reduction of
kidney stones (calcium oxalate).
As with other Undoctored strategies,
restoration of magnesium reaches across numerous health
issues because it addresses an intrinsic, fundamental human
need, thereby providing outsize, sometimes life-changing,
benefits. Because most of us don’t want to drink from a
nearby stream or river flowing over rocks and minerals or
forage for wild foods, we are left with nutritional
supplementation. When done properly, magnesium
supplementation can be powerful. When done improperly
(which is what most people who supplement magnesium are
guilty of), you may be obtaining only the benefit of
a laxative without restoration of this essential mineral.
You want to obtain between 400
and 500 milligrams per day of magnesium, often called
elemental magnesium (the weight of magnesium only, without
the weight of the acid, such as malate). Confusingly, some
supplement manufacturers will list the weight of the total
capsule or tablet. For example, one 1,250-milligram tablet
of magnesium malate provides 150 milligrams of
elemental magnesium—the 1,250 milligrams is
immaterial; you are only interested in the quantity of
elemental magnesium. If you find a brand that only lists
the total weight, skip it and find one that lists
elemental magnesium.
If you suffer from constipation,
choosing a less efficiently absorbed form of magnesium may
be preferable. Such forms cause an osmotic effect, pulling
water into the intestines, a benign process compared to
irritative laxatives like phenolphthalein or senna that
exert low-grade damage over time and are even associated
with cancer risk. Taking 400 milligrams (total
weight of magnesium + citric acid) of
magnesium citrate two or three times per day is a good
place to start. If nothing happens after 24 hours,
one or more doses of 800 to 1,200 milligrams will
usually do the trick; then back down to the 400-milligram
dose two or three times per day.
Choose the following forms for
their greater absorptive potential:
- Magnesium malate, in tablet or capsule form (malic acid
is a common component of fruit).
- Magnesium bicarbonate. This is the most highly absorbed
form, but it is available only as a liquid that you make
yourself. You will find this recipe here and
in my UNDOCTORED book.
- Magnesium glycinate. While not absorbed as well as malate,
it is a reasonable choice.
- Magnesium citrate. This is the preferred form if you
desire a modest laxative effect or if you have a history
of calcium oxalate stones (as both magnesium and citric
acid inhibit formation of kidney stones).
- I do not recommend magnesium oxide; although it is
the most inexpensive and most common form, very little
of it is absorbed and the laxative effect is quite prominent.
Because magnesium deficiency is
the rule in modern society, since you cannot obtain
sufficient quantities through modern foods or water,
and because the health implications of deficiency are
so great, everyone needs to restore
magnesium. (The only exception is people with
kidney disease who abnormally retain magnesium.)
Here
are some foods that are high in magnesium content:
- Avocados
- Bananas and Plantains
- Butternut Squash
- Dark Leafy Greens
- Fish
- Nuts
- Peas
- Seaweed
- Seeds (sesame, sunflower and pumpkin)
- Yogurt and Kefir
- And we had to save this one for last: Dark Chocolate
