Importance of Magnesium as a Supplement
To do X, your body may need substance Y. Substance Y may only be derived from substance Z. But to turn substance Z into substance Y, you will need certain vitamins and minerals. For example, say you need a certain amount of Magnesium. If you don’t have enough in your body to make the required conversion, you’ll end up with too much substance Z and not enough substance Y. Which means your body can’t do X.
This is the case with any function in the human body – they all need certain vitamins and minerals to be able to carry out their tasks. If you end up with imbalances of anything, whether it’s hormones, neurotransmitters or the like, there is generally a vitamin and/or mineral that can aid in the rebalance. It therefore makes sense to stay nourished in the vitamins and minerals we know our bodies need.
Factors That Deplete Minerals
There are a lot of factors that deplete our vitamin and mineral stores, and therefore a lot of factors that increase the demand for them. Unfortunately, the modern lifestyle is riddled with these factors – stress, pharmaceutical drugs, recreational drugs, birth control, alcohol, sugar, soil depletion (depletion of essential minerals in our soil leads to less minerals in our produce) and vegetarian/vegan diets, to name a few. We don’t eat how we used to, which means we don’t eat how we NEED to. Even if we did stick to a nutrient rich diet, the nutrient levels in our food are nowhere near what they used to be – magnesium levels included.
What Do Experts Say?
Experts say that many people in Canada aren’t eating enough food with Magnesium. The reason it’s required as a supplement on its own on top of what you get from your diet, is because Magnesium is a mineral that is crucial to the body’s function. Magnesium ions regulate over 350 bio-mechanical reactions in the body. That is a lot of processes to be affected if you’re deficient!
The Modern Diet Doesn’t Hold Up
Not only does the modern diet consist of foods depleted of Magnesium, it also consists of Magnesium depleting foods. Take sugar for example. For every molecule of sugar we consume, our bodies use approximately 56 molecules of Magnesium to metabolize it. That’s 56 molecules that could instead be used towards 350+ bio-mechanical reactions we need.
Low Magnesium = Poor Insulin Health
There is also an undeniable correlation between suboptimal Magnesium levels and insulin resistance. With diabetes on the rise, it is important to be more conscious of, and more active in, managing insulin sensitivity. A good way to work towards this is by ensuring that your levels are optimal, together with exercise and a healthy balanced diet.
Keep in mind however that there are many different types of magnesium on the market. To ensure you get the most effective one for your needs, a member of the OBF team will be happy to guide you in the right direction.