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#1= How magnesium prevents heart disease "Magnesium may be the most under-rated minerals in human nutrition. It's not only pivotal in preventing heart disease, it also prevents diabetes by helping the body properly regulate sugar metabolism. There are perhaps a thousand benefits for magnesium in the human body, and yet most people are magnesium deficient!"
#2= Magnesium is Vital for Good Health "Very few people are aware of how vital magnesium is for overall health. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies, activating over 300 different biochemical reactions necessary for your body to function properly. "
#3= Magnesium: The Lamp of Life "Magnesium is needed by plants to form chlorophyll which is the substance that makes plants green. Without magnesium sitting inside the heart of chlorophyll, plants would not be able to take nutrition from the sun because the process of photosynthesis would not go on. When magnesium is deficient things begin to die. In reality one cannot take a breath, move a muscle, or think a thought without enough magnesium in our cells. Because magnesium is contained in chlorophyll it is considered an essential plant mineral salt."
tedled's note= based on my personal experiences, the most useful forms of magnesium are: a) milk of magnesia = magnesium hydroxide = good for internal cleansing b) epsom salts = magnesium sulfate = good for plant watering & for human bath-water c) magnesium tablets = magnesium oxide
------- 1 ------- How magnesium prevents heart disease Wednesday, November 04, 2009 by: Mike Adams http://www.NaturalNews.com/027392_magnesium_disease_heart.html
Magnesium may be the most under-rated minerals in human nutrition. It's not only pivotal in preventing heart disease, it also prevents diabetes by helping the body properly regulate sugar metabolism. There are perhaps a thousand benefits for magnesium in the human body, and yet most people are magnesium deficient! Here, we present a fascinating collection of supporting quotes and states about magnesium that we've researched from some of the top health books ever published. Enjoy this collection -- and boost your magnesiumintake! Magnesium and heart disease The benefits of magnesium in treating heartdisease include the well known decrease in ischemic heart disease and sudden death found in communities drinking hard water (magnesium containing), powerful prevention of platelet clumping (clot prevention) known to be caused by magnesium, strong blood vessel dilating properties of magnesium, and effective action to block dangerous heart rhythms in persons taking magnesium. The decrease in number of heart attacks probably resulted from the magnesium in Bufferin. - Transdermal Magnesium Therapy by Mark Sircus
Magnesium calms the nerves. As this mineral mediates digestive processes, a lack is associated with many eating-related problems, including vomiting, indigestion, cramps, flatulence, abdominal pain, and constipation. When under stress, we use up much magnesium. Chocolate cravings may be a sign of magnesium deficiency, because chocolate is high in magnesium. Magnesium deficiency has been implicated in depression, diabetes, heart disease, migraines, and menopausal symptoms. Natural sources of magnesium include dark, leafy vegetables, sea vegetables, and whole grains. - Gary Null's Power Aging by Gary Null
Since food processing refines out a very large portion of magnesium, most Americans are not getting the RDA of magnesium. What is the result of this low dietary magnesium? Low levels of magnesium in the diet and our bodies increase susceptibility to a variety of diseases, including heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney stones, cancer, insomnia, PMS, and menstrual cramps. Magnesium's role in preventing heart disease and kidney stones is the most widely accepted. Individuals dying suddenly of heart attacks have been shown to have very low levels of magnesium in their heart. - The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.
In addition, while inorganic magnesium salts often cause diarrhea at higher dosages, organic forms of magnesium generally do not. In general, magnesium is very well tolerated. Magnesium supplementation can sometimes cause a looser stool, particularly magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts), hydroxide, or chloride. Magnesium supplementation must be used with great care in patients with kidney disease or severe heart disease (such as high-grade atrioventricular block). - Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 2 by Michael T. Murray, ND
If you are a heart patient concerned about magnesium, have your doctor monitor levels in your red blood cells, Dr. Sueta suggests. "If your levels are low, you know for sure you're low in magnesium. And if your levels are borderline, you still are probably low in magnesium," she says. You can have normal levels of magnesium, however, and still be low enough to have magnesium deficiency-related heart problems, she adds. If you have kidney problems or heart disease, it's important to take magnesium supplements only under medical supervision. - Prevention's Healing With Vitamins : The Most Effective Vitamin and Mineral Treatments for Everyday Health Problems and Serious Disease by The Editors of Prevention Magazine Health Books
Magnesium is abundant in foods such as wheat bran, almonds, and tofu, but most Americans do not get enough magnesium from food. Magnesium is of particular importance to women, who often suffer magnesium deficiencies. Postmenopausal women, who are especially likely to be low in magnesium, are more vulnerable to dangerous blood clots, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke. In addition to increasing the risk of heart disease in women, low levels of magnesium contribute to another major health problem: osteoporosis. - Earl Mindell's Supplement Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to Hundreds of NEW Natural Products that Will Help You Live Longer, Look Better, Stay Heathier, ... and Much More! by Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
Many patients with CHF have a magnesium deficiency. The level of magnesium in the blood correlates with the ability of the heart muscle to manufacture enough energy to beat properly. Many disorders of heart rhythm are related to an insufficient level of magnesium in the heart muscle. CoQ10 is an important natural prescription for all types of heart disease. Carnitine improves cardiac function in patients with congestive heart failure. - Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised Second Edition by Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
An alternative approach is to use magnesium supplements, because calcium and magnesium both compete for the same receptor sites in smooth muscle. When calcium lands in those sites it induces spasm, but magnesium doesn't. If high enough levels of magnesium are maintained in the blood, the magnesium will land in those sites in place of the calcium and prevent the spasms in the same way that calcium blockers do. This supports the idea that magnesium supplements can play a role in preventing heart disease. - Intelligent Medicine: A Guide to Optimizing Health and Preventing Illness for the Baby-Boomer Generation by Ronald L. Hoffman, M.D.
Experts estimate that 25 percent of people with diabetes are low in the mineral magnesium. The problem is even worse in those who have diabetes-related heart disease or a type of eye damage known as retinopathy. Since low levels of magnesium have been linked to damage to the retinas, it's likely that upping your intake of this mineral may help protect your eyes. Good sources of magnesium include baked halibut, which contains 91 milligrams of magnesium per 3-ounce serving, 23 percent of the DV. - Prevention's New Foods for Healing: Capture the Powerful Cures of More Than 100 Common Foods by Prevention Magazine
Even in apparently healthy senior citizens, it is usually deficient. Magnesium is especially important for men, because a deficiency can cause the arteries of the heart to spasm, resulting in a heart attack. Epidemiological studies have shown that areas with low magnesium in the water supply have a higher incidence of heart disease. Deficiency can occur from decreased intake of foods rich in magnesium, eating foods depleted of magnesium due to poor farming techniques, decreased absorption, and disorders and medications that impair magnesium absorption. - Total Wellness: Improve Your Health by Understanding and Cooperating with Your Body's Natural Healing Systems by Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.
Some controversy exists over the calcium/magnesium ratio, and a few sources recommend equal amounts of calcium and magnesium or even twice as much magnesium as calcium. I have often recommended twice as much calcium as magnesium, but I currently prefer using equal amounts of both. I recommend up to twice as much magnesium as calcium for treating atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart rhythm disturbances, spastic colon, nervous irritability, high blood pressure, and dry skin not helped by essential fatty acids or improved fat absorption. - Optimal Wellness by Ralph Golan, M.D.
Excess vitamin D may lead to magnesium deficiency. Antibiotics, antidepressants, estrogen and heart drugs can all affect magnesium levels. Diuretics are a major cause of magnesium deficiency. Magnesium salts may decrease the absorption of other drugs taken at the same time such as digoxin, tetracycline, iron and phenytoin. People with kidney problems and some heart diseases should not take large doses of magnesium. - The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements and Herbs by Nicola Reavley
Of the minerals inside the cell, all are vitally important, but magnesium has a role that permits perpetuity of function, and the lack of it will impact a cell's efficiency and duration of its useful life. Magnesium is involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions concerning protein, starch, and fat metabolism. Blood sugar regulation could benefit from additional availability of magnesium. Magnesium deficiency in the body is a very serious unrecognized problem. Hard water is a good source of magnesium. People who drink hard water seem to be less prone to heart disease and irregular heartbeat. - Obesity Cancer & Depression: Their Common Cause & Natural Cure by Fereydoon Batmanghelidj
Through the years the best information about magnesium has come from renowned magnesium researchers Dr. Mildred Seelig, and Dr. Jean Durlach. Seelig has watched, observed and researched every phase of life affected by magnesium. In this book we have written about magnesium's effect on birth, life and aging, sexuality, menopause,osteoporosis, various illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease prevention. We have seen how easily many diseases can be cured or avoided when we bring sufficient attention to our magnesium needs. - Transdermal Magnesium Therapy by Mark Sircus
With preeclampsia, pregnant women can develop convulsions, nausea, dizziness, and headaches; in hospitals, this is treated with magnesium infusions. Adequate levels of magnesium are essential for the heart muscle. Those who die from heart attacks usually have very low magnesium but high calcium levels in their heart muscles. Patients with coronary heart disease who had been treated with large amounts of magnesium had a better survival rate than patients who had received drugs. - The Natural Way to Heal: 65 Ways to Create Superior Health by Walter Last
We suspect that magnesium is another mineral that offers more benefits to health than realized by nutritionists, who've long considered magnesium as essential to the nervous system. It's also a part of some key enzyme systems. It's possible, though, that magnesium has an important role in preventing heart disease. Low levels of the mineral have been linked to higher risk of heart attack. What's more, magnesium is found in bone, raising concern that a healthy intake of the mineral may help in the war against osteoporosis, too. - The Healing Foods: The Ultimate Authority on the Curative Power of Nutrition by Patricia Hausman & Judith Benn Hurley
In addition to preventing atherosclerosis, magnesium promotes dilation of blood vessels and improves the functioning of the heart muscle. While taking extra magnesium by mouth may help prevent heart disease from developing, magnesium injections are usually necessary once the disease is already established. Fortunately, intramuscular or intravenous magnesium therapy is of great benefit in many cases. As early as 1958, a South African physician reported that patients frequently responded to magnesium injections in a "dramatic and almost unbelievable manner . . . - Natural Medicine, Optimal Wellness: The Patient's Guide to Health and Healing by Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. and Alan R. Gaby, M.D.
The widespread shortage of magnesium, not calcium, in the western diet is attributed to the high rates of sudden-death heart attack. Adequate levels of magnesium are essential for the heart muscle. Those who die from heart attacks have very low magnesium but high calcium levels in their heart muscles. Patients with coronary heart disease who have been treated with large amounts of magnesium survived better than those with other drug treatments. Magnesium dilates the arteries of the heart and lowers cholesterol and fat levels. - Transdermal Magnesium Therapy by Mark Sircus
Chocolate contains large amounts of magnesium, and a craving for chocolate may be an indicator of a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium by itself can cause diarrhea, so unless you are constipated, be sure to take it in a multivitamin, in combination with calcium, or in the form of magnesium glycinate, gluconate, or citrate. You can take 300 to 400 mg of magnesium daily as a supplement. - Bottom Line's Prescription Alternatives by Earl L. Mindell, RPh, PhD with Virginia Hopkins, MA
Although the mechanism is unclear, magnesium supplements (430 mg per day) lowered cholesterol in a South American study. Others have reported that magnesium deficiency is associated with a low HDL cholesterol level. Intravenous magnesium has reduced death following heart attacks in some, but not all, studies. Though these outcomes would suggest that people with high cholesterol levels should take magnesium supplements, an isolated trial reported that people with a history of heart disease assigned to magnesium supplementation experienced an increased number of heart attacks. - The Natural Pharmacy: Complete Home Reference to Natural Medicine by Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC
Decreases in magnesium intake have been more prevalent in our American diet with additions of supplemental vitamin D and calcium, dietary phosphorus, and refined or processed carbohydrate foods. Drinking soft water decreases magnesium intake, while diuretic drugs cause magnesium loss, as do alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. Decreased blood and tissue levels of magnesium have been shown to be related to high blood pressure,kidney stones, heart disease and, particularly, heart attacks due to coronary artery spasm (magnesium helps relax and dilate coronary arteries). - Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine by Elson M. Haas, M.D.
------- 2 ------- Magnesium is Vital for Good Health Monday, February 09, 2009 by: Tony Isaacs http://www.NaturalNews.com/025567_magnesium_calcium_health.html
Very few people are aware of how vital magnesium is for overall health. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies, activating over 300 different biochemical reactions necessary for your body to function properly. The U.S. minimum RDA for magnesium is about 320 mg per day for women and more than 400 mg per day for men, while optimum daily amounts are closer to 500 to 700 mg per day - yet studies show that most people regularly take in about half of that and that over 8 out of 10 people do not take enough daily magnesium for even the minimum daily amounts recommended. Recent research has revealed that this lack of magnesium may put your heart - and your health - at significant risk.
Magnesium protects against heart disease and heart attacks, high blood pressure and stroke, type II diabetes and much, much more. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them.
Contrary to popular misconceptions, it is magnesium that is actually most important in building strong bones and preventing bone loss.
Magnesium is a muscle relaxant, while calcium is a muscle constrictor.
Low magnesium intake is associated with muscle spasm, tremors and convulsions. Most Americans, particularly women, have been advised to consume 1200-1500 milligrams of calcium daily. Virtually none of these women have been told that calcium in single doses that exceed 500 milligrams are not absorbed and that they only need an additional 400-600 milligrams of supplemental calcium since their diet already provides about 800 milligrams of this mineral.
Since 99 percent of magnesium resides inside living cells, blood serum levels are not a good indicator of magnesium deficiency. Blood tests for magnesium are notoriously inaccurate.
Only 1 percent of the total body magnesium pool exists outside of living cells. So blood serum levels are notoriously inaccurate. [Clin Chem Lab Med 37: 1011-33, 1999]. In other words, your doctor can`t easily tell you by a blood test if your magnesium levels are low.
Most Americans, 8 in 10, do not consume enough magnesium.
The countries that have the highest mortality rates in the world are the Scandinavian countries and New Zealand where more calcium is consumed from dairy products, while for comparison the lowest mortality rates in the world are in Portugal and Japan where calcium-rich dairy products are not consumed regularly.
Americans consume about 800 milligrams of calcium daily (milk drinkers may get 1200-1500 mgs from their diet alone), but only consume about 275 milligrams of magnesium. Thus the dominance of calcium over magnesium produces symptoms of muscle spasm.
Migraines, eyelid twitch, heart flutters, back aches, premenstrual tension, leg cramps and constipation are all linked to calcium overload. Excessive calcium may also result in kidney stones (1 in 11 Americans) and heart valve calcifications (mitral valve, 1 in 12 Americans). A significant percentage of American adults consume more than 2000 milligrams of daily calcium, the point where side effects of overdosage begin to be reported.
Magnesium has been called the "The Forgotten Mineral" and the "5-Cent Miracle Tablet" by medical researchers. Numerous researchers have reported that the provision of this mineral in the population at large would greatly diminish the incidence of kidney stones (1 in 11 Americans), calcified mitral heart valve (1 in 12 Americans), premenstrual tension, constipation, miscarriages, stillbirths, strokes, diabetes, thyroid failure, asthma, chronic eyelid twitch (blepharospasm), brittle bones, chronic migraines, muscle spasms and anxiety reactions. [Pediatric Asthma, Allergy Immunology 5: 273-79; Journal Bone Mineral Research 13: 749-58, 1998; Magnesium 5: 1-8, 1986; Medical Hypotheses 43: 187-92, 1994] That`s a lot of health benefits for a nickel. Sufficient provision of magnesium in the American population would likely reduce health care costs by billions of dollars.
When we get too low on oxygen, water or food, the consequences are serious.
Yet, we often don`t realize the consequences of magnesium deficiency.
The improper use of magnesium among health professionals and the population in general, is deeply responsible for many of the failures encountered daily in treating chronic health conditions nationwide.
In addition to the ones listed above are:
Insomnia Sleep-disorders Fatigue Body-tension Headaches Heart-disorders Low energy High Blood Pressure PMS Muscle tension Backaches Constipation Kidney stones Osteoporosis Accelerated aging Depression Irregular-heartbeat Anxiety Muscle cramps Spasms Irritability
and the list goes on.... It is reported that 90-95% of us are deficient in magnesium, including many of those who already supplement it.
Why?
Due to the misleading information presented in common magnesium texts.
As a result, magnesium remains largely misunderstood, largely misused and the problem goes on undetected.
Magnesium and the Heart - One Mineral Can Make Or Break Your Heart`s Rhythm
Low blood levels of magnesium can significantly affect the way your heart pumps blood throughout your body. And even if you think you`re living a healthy lifestyle, you may not be getting enough of it.
Magnesium May Prevent Sudden Death Heart Attacks
More than 300,000 sudden-death heart attacks are reported annually in the US (more than 80 per day) which are believed to be related to excessive calcium and a shortage of magnesium. Modern medicine`s answer to the problem is to prescribe billions of dollars of calcium-blocker drugs. Magnesium is a natural calcium blocker, but this goes unrecognized by most physicians. Researchers warn that adults who consume excessive amounts of caffeine or alcohol, or who take water pills (diuretics), are prone to experience irregular heart beats and should consume more magnesium. The same is true for diabetics and people with low thyroid. Most Americans consume tap water that has been softened (sodium added) which worsens the problem. American adults need to supplement their diet with 200-400 milligrams of magnesium. The only side effect of too much magnesium is loose stool. Reducing dosage resolves this problem.
In the 1990s a preliminary report showed that intravenous magnesium reduced mortality rates following a heart attack. Unfortunately, this was apparently perceived as a threat to the sale of calcium-blocking drugs used for the same purpose. Medical researchers, financially backed by a pharmaceutical company that produces calcium-blocker drugs, deliberately chose to use an excessive dose of intravenous magnesium to prove it was of no value during the post-heart attack period. [Townsend Letter for Doctors, October 1998]
Magnesium is not limited to treating heart disease after a heart attack.
A shortage of dietary magnesium has been repeatedly shown to be associated with an increased risk of sudden-death heart attack.
Unequivocally, a shortage of magnesium from the American diet, in particular the absence or shortage of magnesium in drinking water, is directly related to sudden-death heart attack. [Epidemiology 10: 31-36, 1999; Heart 82: 455-60, 1999;American Journal Epidemiology 143: 456-62, 1996] Out of 750,000 heart attacks in the USA annually, an estimated 340,000 deaths occur within one hour of a heart attack. [Journal Nutrition Health Aging 5: 173-78, 2001]
One study showed the relative risk of sudden-death heart attack is more than 1.5 times higher among adults who consume on average 105 milligrams of magnesium a day compared to adults who consume 233 milligrams a day. [Magnesium Trace Element Research 9: 143-51, 1990]. In an animal experiment, no rodents experienced a sudden-death heart attack when magnesium levels were adequate, whereas 4 of 11 rodents with low magnesium levels experienced a sudden lethal heart muscle spasm. [Journal American Collage Cardiology 27: 1771-76, 1996]
Recently researchers reported on the effects of slowly withdrawing magnesium from the diet of postmenopausal women. Women began to exhibit abnormal heart rhythms as circulating magnesium levels declined. [American Journal Clinical Nutrition 75: 550-54, 2002] Of the minerals removed during water softening, magnesium is the only mineral found to be deficient in the heart muscle of sudden-death heart attack victims. [Science 208: 198-200, 1980]
Magnesium and High Blood Pressure
Magnesium helps signal muscles to contract and relax. And when the muscles that line the major blood vessels contract, your blood pressure rises.
When researchers studied the diets of 40,000 nurses and 30,000 male health professionals, they found lower blood pressures in people who ate more magnesium.
Magnesium and Diabetes
Eating more magnesium-rich foods, like green leafy vegetables, may reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes, suggests a meta-analysis of observational studies.
The analysis of prospective cohort studies, by researchers at Stockholm`s Karolinska Institutet, reports that for every 100 milligram increase in magnesium intake, the risk of developing type-2 diabetes decreased by 15 per cent. Larsson and Wolk identified seven studies looking at the link between magnesium intake from food or food plus supplements and the risk of type-2 diabetes. This gave the researchers a total of 286,668 participants and 10,912 cases of type-2 diabetes. Six of the studies showed a statistically significant inverse association, with every 100 mg per day increase in magnesium intake linked to a 15 per cent decrease in type-2 diabetes risk.
"The potential protective role of magnesium intake against type-2 diabetes may be due to improvement of insulin sensitivity," said the reviewers. "Studies in animals have demonstrated an adverse effect of magnesium deficiency on glucose-induced insulin secretion and insulin-mediated glucose uptake. In contrast, magnesium supplementation was shown to prevent fructose-induced insulin resistance and reduce the development of diabetes in a rat model of spontaneous type-2 diabetes."
They concluded that while it is too early to recommend magnesium supplements for type-2 diabetes prevention, increased consumption of magnesium-rich food "seems prudent."
While refusing to label the results of their meta-analysis definitive, authors Susanna Larsson and Alicia Wolk wrote in the Journal of Internal Medicine that the evidence that increased intake of magnesium may reduce the incidence of type-2 diabetes was "compelling."
Widespread Dietary Deficiency
Since the turn of last century, our depleted soils, processed foods and fast food diet lifestyles have led to a steady increase in mineral deficiencies. Nowhere is this more true than in Magnesium:
Progressive decline of dietary magnesium consumption
Magnesium intake in mg/day 1900-08 475-500 1909-13 415-435 1925-29 385-398 1935-39 360-375 1947-49 358-370 1957-59 340-360 1965-76 300-340 1978-85 225-318 1990-2002 175-225
[Magnesium Trace Elements 10: 162-28, 1997]
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Supplementation Advised
Although you can see from the above chart that a person might be able to obtain enough minimum RDA of magnesium and perhaps even optimum amounts of magnesium through a very carefully planned and managed daily diet, it would be a difficult task since much of the above list are no longer staple parts of our Western diets. When processed food is added to the diet it can safely be assumed that, while anyone should be able to increase the magnesium they get from wise diet choices, it is exceedingly difficult for the general public to consume enough magnesium through dietary sources alone.
Only supplementation is likely to make up for such a widespread deficiency in magnesium.
Foods cannot easily be fortified with magnesium because it is a bulky mineral that would alter the consistency and taste of flour and foods.
Magnesium cannot be added to tap water because it would erode piping.
Either magnesium pills or magnesium added to bottled water would make up for this mineral deficiency. Currently, only 5 major brands of bottled water provide a desirable measure of more than 75 milligrams of magnesium per liter and only one brand has a ratio of magnesium that exceeds that of calcium.
Since the same problems with soil depletion and diet causes deficiencies in many other vital minerals, it would be a good idea to supplement for magnesium and to also supplement with a wide range of minerals. The very best source of mineral supplements are plant derived minerals, because they are more readily absorbed than mined rock minerals. For maximum absorption, bromelain can be added. Bromelain is an all natural compound found in the stem of the pineapple plant and is a powerful binder that increases the absorption of many things.
Until now it was thought that the best forms of supplemental magnesium were the ones chelated to an amino acid (magnesium glycinate, magnesium taurate) or a krebs cycle intermediate (magnesium malate, magnesium citrate, magnesium fumarate). But now we have magnesium oil, a magnesium chloride, that can be applied directly to the skin, so dosage levels can be brought up safely to high levels without diarrhea and problems with absorption. Magnesium orotate is considered to be a superior form of oral magnesium supplementation. The only side effect of too much magnesium is loose stool. Reducing the dosage or dividing daily doses into smaller amounts resolves the problem.
Note: For optimum health, magnesium and calcium intake needs to be at about a 1 to 2 ratio. So, if you supplement with 500 mg of magnesium, you should supplement with 1000 mg of calcium (or less if you get plenty of dietary calcium and little dietary magnesium).
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Sources included:
Jenny Thompson, Health Sciences Institute
http://www.omeonet.info/en/articles...
Journal of Internal Medicine (Blackwell Publishing) Published on-line, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2007.01840.x "Magnesium intake and risk of type-2 diabetes: a meta-analysis" Authors: S.C. Larsson, A. Wolk
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002; 75:550-554
"The Robert Cathey Research Source" by Roger Scott Cathey http://www.navi.net/~rsc/mgcl2_txt.html Updated June 17, 2003
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Magnesium: The Lamp of Life Tuesday, November 18, 2008 by: Mark Sircus Ac., OMD http://www.NaturalNews.com/024847_magnesium_insulin_medicine.html
Inside chlorophyll is the lamp of life and that lamp is magnesium. The capture of light energy from the sun is magnesium dependent. Magnesium is bound as the central atom of the porphyrin ring of the green plant pigment chlorophyll. Magnesium is the element that causes plants to be able to convert light into energy and chlorophyll is identical to hemoglobin except the magnesium atom at the center has been taken out and iron put in. The whole basis of life and the food chain is seen in the sunlight-chlorophyll-magnesium chain. Since animals and humans obtain their food supply by eating plants, magnesium can be said to be the source of life for it is at the heart of chlorophyll and the process of photosynthesis. A huge step forward for early life was the development of chlorophyll, a molecule that captures light energy from the sun in a process called photosynthesis. Chlorophyll systems convert energy from visible light into small energy-rich molecules easy for cells to use. The harnessing of the energy of visible light led to a vast expansion of early life-forms. Fossilized layers, three and half billion years old, have been found with evidence of blue-green algae that lived on top of tidal rocks. Magnesium is needed by plants to form chlorophyll which is the substance that makes plants green. Without magnesium sitting inside the heart of chlorophyll, plants would not be able to take nutrition from the sun because the process of photosynthesis would not go on. When magnesium is deficient things begin to die. In reality one cannot take a breath, move a muscle, or think a thought without enough magnesium in our cells. Because magnesium is contained in chlorophyll it is considered an essential plant mineral salt. Without chlorophyll, plants are unable to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide. There is no life without magnesium. Magnesium is a necessary element for all living organisms both animal and plant. Chlorophyll is structured around a magnesium atom, while in animals, magnesium is a key component of cells, bones, tissues and just about every physiological process you can think of. Magnesium is primarily an intracellular cation; roughly 1% of whole-body magnesium is found extracellularly, and the free intracellular fraction is the portion regulating enzyme pathways inside the cells. Life packs the magnesium jealously into the cells, every drop of it is precious. Insulin and Magnesium Magnesium is necessary for both the action of insulin and the manufacture of insulin. Magnesium is a basic building block to life and is present in ionic form throughout the full landscape of human physiology. Without insulin though, magnesium doesn't get transported from our blood into our cells where it is most needed. When Dr. Jerry Nadler of the Gonda Diabetes Center at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, California, and his colleagues placed 16 healthy people on magnesium-deficient diets, their insulin became less effective at getting sugar from their blood into their cells, where it's burned or stored as fuel. In other words, they became less insulin sensitive or what is called insulin resistant. And that's the first step on the road to both diabetes and heart disease. Insulin is a common denominator, a central figure in life as is magnesium. The task of insulin is to store excess nutritional resources. This system is an evolutionary development used to save energy and other nutritional necessities in times (or hours) of abundance in order to survive in times of hunger. Little do we appreciate that insulin is not just responsible for regulating sugar entry into the cells but also magnesium, one of the most important substances for life. It is interesting to note here that the kidneys are working at the opposite end physiologically dumping from the blood excess nutrients that the body does not need or cannot process in the moment. Controlling the level of blood sugars is only one of the many functions of insulin. Insulin plays a central role in storing magnesium but if our cells become resistant to insulin, or if we do not produce enough insulin, then we have a difficult time storing magnesium in the cells where it belongs. When insulin processing becomes problematic magnesium gets excreted through our urine instead and this is the basis of what is called magnesium wasting disease. There is a strong relationship between magnesium and insulin action. Magnesium is important for the effectiveness of insulin. A reduction of magnesium in the cells strengthens insulin resistance. Low serum and intracellular magnesium concentrations are associated with insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, and decreased insulin secretion. Magnesium improves insulin sensitivity thus lowering insulin resistance. Magnesium and insulin need each other. Without magnesium, our pancreas won't secrete enough insulin--or the insulin it secretes won't be efficient enough--to control our blood sugar. Magnesium in our cells helps the muscles to relax but if we can't store magnesium because the cells are resistant then we lose magnesium which makes the blood vessels constrict, affects our energy levels, and causes an increase in blood pressure. We begin to understand the intimate connection between diabetes and heart disease when we look at the closed loop between declining magnesium levels and declining insulin efficiency. Though it would be a long stretch of the longest giraffe's neck to compare insulin with chlorophyll we are walking a trail at the very nuclear core of life. It's the magnesium trail and we find to our surprise that it takes us into intimate contact with the very structure and foundation of life. The dedication of this chapter is to the beauty of magnesium, to its meaning in life, in health and in medicine. We were talking about chlorophyll and now insulin and putting magnesium in-between. Walking further along is the DHEA magnesium story and the DNA magnesium story. And then there is the cholesterol magnesium story. Every part of life is in love with magnesium except allopathic medicine which just cannot accept it in all its light, flame and beauty. Thousands of years ago the Chinese named it the beautiful metal and they were seeing something pharmaceutical medicine does not want to see for there is little money to be made from something so common. Magnesium and DNA Magnesium ions play critical roles in many aspects of cellular metabolism. Magnesium stabilizes structures of proteins, nucleic acids, and cell membranes by binding to the macromolecule's surface and promote specific structural or catalytic activities of proteins, enzymes, or ribozymes. Magnesium has a critical role in cell division. It has been suggested that magnesium is necessary for the maintenance of an adequate supply of nucleotides for the synthesis of RNA and DNA. Magnesium plays a critical role in vital DNA repair proteins. Magnesium ions synergetic effects on the active site geometry may affect the polymerase closing/opening trends. Single-stranded RNA are stabilized by magnesium ions. Distinct structural features of DNA, such as the curvature of dA tracts, are important in the recognition, packaging, and regulation of DNA are magnesium dependent. Physiologically relevant concentrations of magnesium have been found to enhance the curvature of dA tract DNAs. The chemistry of water activated by a magnesium ion is central to the function of the DNA repair proteins, apurinic/apyrimidic endonuclease 1 (Ape1) and polymerase A (Pol A). These proteins are key constituents of the base excision repair (BER) pathway, a process that plays a critical role in preventing the cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of most spontaneous, alkylation, and oxidative DNA damage. Magnesium ions help guide polymerase selection for the correct nucleotide extends descriptions of polymerase pathways. Dr. Paul Ellis informs us that, "Magnesium ions are central to the function of the DNA repair proteins, apurinic/apyrimidic endonuclease 1 (Ape1) and polymerase A (Pol A). These proteins are key constituents of the base excision repair (BER) pathway, a process that plays a critical role in preventing the cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of most spontaneous, alkylation, and oxidative DNA damage." DNA polymerase is considered to be a holoenzyme since it requires a magnesium ion as a co-factor to function properly. DNA-Polymerase initiates DNA replication by binding to a piece of single-stranded DNA. This process corrects mistakes in newly-synthesized DNA. DHEA – Magnesium - Cholesterol Low levels of DHEA are associated with loss of "pathology preventing" signaling between immune system cells. Dr. James Michael Howard says, "Cancer and infections are both increasing and one of the basic reasons is reduced availability of DHEA, which stems from magnesium deficiency." Also known as "mother of all steroid hormones" DHEA is converted in the body into several different hormones, including estrogen and testosterone. DHEA appears to restore immune balance and stimulate monocyte production (the cells that attack tumors), B-cell activity (the cells that fight disease-causing organisms), T-cell mobilization (infection fighting T-cells have DHEA binding sites), and protection of the thymus gland (which produces T-cells). The data suggest that DHEA has a role in the neuro-endocrine regulation of the antibacterial immune resistance. All steroid hormones are created from cholesterol in a hormonal cascade. Cholesterol, that most maligned compound, is actually crucial for health and is the mother of hormones from the adrenal cortex, including cortisone, hydrocortisone, aldosterone, and DHEA. Cholesterol cannot be synthesized without magnesium and cholesterol is a vital component of many hormones. These hormones are interrelated, each performing a unique biological function with them all depending on magnesium for their function. Aldosterone interestingly needs magnesium to be produced and it also regulates magnesium's balance. Dr. Mildred S. Seelig wrote, "Mg2+-ATP is the controlling factor for the rate-limiting enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthesis sequence that is targeted by the statin pharmaceutical drugs, comparison of the effects of Mg2+ on lipoproteins with those of the statin drugs is warranted. Formation of cholesterol in blood, as well as of cholesterol required in hormone synthesis, and membrane maintenance, is achieved in a series of enzymatic reactions that convert HMG-CoA to cholesterol. The rate-limiting reaction of this pathway is the enzymatic conversion of HMG CoA to mevalonate via HMG CoA. The statins and Mg inhibit that enzyme. Mg has effects that parallel those of statins. For example, the enzyme that deactivates HMG-CoA Reductase requires Mg, making Mg a Reductase controller rather than inhibitor. Mg is also necessary for the activity of lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT), which lowers LDL-C and triglyceride levels and raises HDL-C levels." Desaturase is another Mg-dependent enzyme involved in lipid metabolism which statins do not directly affect. DHEA is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland and ovaries and converted to testosterone and estrogen. After being secreted by the adrenal glands, it circulates in the bloodstream as DHEA-sulfate (DHEAS) and is converted as needed into other hormones. Magnesium chloride, when applied transdermally, is reported by Dr. Norman Shealy to increase DHEA. Dr. Shealy has determined that when the body is presented with adequate levels of magnesium at the cellular level, the body will begin to naturally produce DHEA and also DHEA-S. Transdermal is the ultimate way to replenish cellular magnesium levels. Every cell in the body bathes and feeds in it and even DHEA levels are increased naturally, according to Dr. Norman Shealy This effect is not seen in oral or intravenous magnesium administration and Dr. Shealy has a patent pending in this area. It is thought that transdermal application interacts in some way with the fatty tissues of the skin to create the affect. Studies link low levels of DHEA to chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, Type-II diabetic complications, greater risk for certain cancers, heart disease and osteoporosis. Magnesium and Glutathione Without sufficient magnesium, the body accumulates toxins and acid residues, degenerates rapidly, and ages prematurely. According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, low magnesium is associated with dramatic increases in free radical generation as well as glutathione depletion and this is vital since glutathione is one of the few antioxidant molecules known to neutralize mercury. Glutathione requires magnesium for its synthesis. Glutathione synthetase requires γ-glutamyl cysteine, glycine, ATP, and magnesium ions to form glutathione. In magnesium deficiency, the enzyme y-glutamyl transpeptidase is lowered. Data demonstrates a direct action of glutathione both in vivo and in vitro to enhance intracellular magnesium and a clinical linkage between cellular magnesium, GSH/GSSG ratios, and tissue glucose metabolism. Magnesium deficiency causes glutathione loss, which is not affordable because glutathione helps to defend the body against damage from cigarette smoking, exposure to radiation, cancer chemotherapy, and toxins such as alcohol and just about everything else. Scientific Miracles in Medicine The 21st century is seeing the plagues of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and neurological diseases explode with the entire western medical establishment confused about even the most basic health issues. The three trillion dollar medical machine in the United States is impotent against chronic diseases and is responsible itself for much of the horror that is happening. Medical basics, we have to get back to them returning to the understanding of the simplest things like water. What do you give a person coming out of a week long walk in the desert without water? A coke? Do we have to do a thousand double blind studies to realize there is only one answer? Are we that dumb that medicine cannot see the forest from the trees? When someone is in cardiac arrest or are having a stroke, having panic attacks with heart palpitations what is the first thing, the very first thing we would reach for like one would reach for a six shooter? Our biological engine is seizing up what do we do? For the next million years there is going to be only one answer and that answer is magnesium preferably in the chloride form. It will never change either for that person coming out of the desert; water will always be the answer to the need. We are talking so close to the source of life when talking about water or magnesium. But unfortunately there will always be those who think giving a coke to a very thirsty person is just fine and doctors who think they can forget about nature and try to substitute something to stand in magnesium's place. The bedrock of medical truth sits upon the metal magnesium for it is at the exact center of biological life like air and water is. All of life collapses around its loss, but with only the smallest amount of caring and intelligence we can replete what has been lost inside of a person's cells. The realization that magnesium is at the center of life in chlorophyll should help us place magnesium in the temple it deserves. It is the ultimate love drug when used as a medicine. It's the first thing you give a person if you want to give something necessary and helpful. It will take this entire book to present all the reasons that magnesium qualifies as a love drug; there are reasons that take us out of the physical body and into emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. Psychologists and psychiatrists also have to discover magnesium for it offers them a tool they have not found anywhere else. Magnesium is the Lamp of Life; it operates at the core of physiology offering us what can only be called scientific miracles in medicine. Though other substances like Vitamin C or even iodine are powerful competitors they cannot compare in sheer healing horsepower to magnesium. . Magnesium Medicine It is no exaggeration for me to say that magnesium saved my life. But is ironic that I am the one saying it, because during my diverse medical career in general medicine, my greatest expertise has always been prescription drugs, not natural supplements. Dr. Jay S. Cohen The Magnesium Solution for High Blood Pressure Magnesium serves hundreds of important functions in the body and for that reason it has virtually no side effects. Researchers all over the world have confirmed its vital role yet, despite the intensive scientific brainpower that has been directed toward magnesium most doctors know hardly anything about it and never consider magnesium for treating patients. Magnesium comes to us with scientific evidence that dwarfs the evidence presented by pharmaceutical companies for any of their prescription drugs but its use is still contained. (See chapter on why doctors do not use more magnesium) Magnesium chloride treatments address systemic nutritional deficiencies, act to improve the function of our cells and immune system, and help protect cells from oxidative damage. Its a systemic medicine as well as a local one bringing new life and energy to the cells wherever it is applied topically. When used with oral administration, transdermal magnesium therapy offers us the opportunity to get dosages up to the powerful therapeutic range without compromising intestinal comfort through oral use alone. What we have found is that magnesium chloride, applied transdermally, is the ideal magnesium delivery system - with health benefits unequalled in the entire world of medicine. Magnesium chloride solutions offer a medical miracle to humanity, one that many have sought but have not found. In fact Dr. Carolyn Dean, titled her book The Magnesium Miracle and she could not have been more correct. Nothing short of a miracle is to be expected with increases in the cellular levels of magnesium if those levels have been depleted. There is no wonder drug that can claim, in the clear, what magnesium chloride can do. Most people will show dramatic improvements in the state of their health when they replete their magnesium levels and the very best way to do that is with magnesium chloride applied transdermally (baths and body spraying), orally, vaporized into the lungs, diluted for use with ones eyes, intravenously, and even in douches and enemas. Constant magnesium massages are what kings and queens should be dreaming of. With such "brine solutions" the concentrate can simply be applied to the skin or poured into bath water, and in an instant we have a medical treatment without equal in the world of medicine. Intensive transdermal and oral magnesium therapy can be safely applied every day for constantly strengthened health. Hidden in each cubic mile of ocean water is enough healing power to put the pharmaceutical companies out of business. And there are medical reasons why we love the beach and ocean. Intensive magnesium baths, aerosolized iodine, vitamin D natural style and grounding to the earth through the sand. Medical science and the pharmaceutical companies will eventually have to deal with the fact that the most powerful and universal medicine on earth is a basic nutrient from the sea and can be purchased by anyone at low cost. Magnesium is nothing short of a miracle to a person deficient in this mineral. So clear and observable are the effects that there is no mistake, no mysticism, no false claim made. Emergency room personnel know of this and use either magnesium sulfate or chloride to save peoples lives during heart attacks or to diminish the damage from strokes. And new research suggests that MgSO4 infusions may have a role in cerebral vasospasm prophylaxis if therapy is initiated within 48 hours of aneurysm rupture. Medicine today is more and more frequently described in terms of science. With the origin and development of drugs and surgical techniques, modern medicine has thought itself to be evermore exact and evermore resembling the hard sciences of chemistry and physics. In the case of magnesium, medicine has fallen from the grace of the pure sciences, which insists that they are ignoring the best medicine available anywhere.
Magnesium is clearly evidence-based medicine but the quality of the evidence used pharmaceutical medicine is highly suspect. There is no such cloud of doubt hanging over the scientific evidence that makes it clear why magnesium would be both potent and safe. When it comes to cardiac disease we create our primary protocol around magnesium, selenium and iodine. These three core minerals, when backed up with a strong naturopathic protocol, which includes natural mercury detoxification of the heart tissues, will transform cardiology into a field of medicine that does not have its patients dying like flies.
About the author Mark A. Sircus Ac., OMD, is director of the International Medical Veritas Association (IMVA) http://www.imva.info/. Dr. Sircus was trained in acupuncture and oriental medicine at the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Sante Fe, N.M., and in the School of Traditional Medicine of New England in Boston. | ||
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