Got Magnesium?

They’re like peas and carrots, can’t have one without the other.

Vitamin D has received a lot of attention in recent years, good and bad. No doubt you have seen articles about the “sunshine” vitamin, some say it is the vitamin we should all be taking for heart health, immunity and mental health and some studies say claims about vitamin D and bone health are insufficient or weak. With that being said, there is no nutrient that is the end all be all and no vitamin that works independently of other nutrients in the body. In fact, some vitamins go together like Jenny and Forest, like peas and carrots.

Now I’d be willing to bet dollars to donuts (gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free donuts) you’ve heard that if you want to experience great health, you need vitamin D. Vitamin D-3 to be exact. And there’s plenty of great reasons for that. Vitamin D-3 has been shown to improve heart health, increase immunity, improve brain function and much, much more.  Unfortunately, what most people don’t know, and this is a biggie, is that failing to take one simple additional nutrient with your vitamin may actually put you on a road to less than optimal health. You absolutely must get enough magnesium in your diet.

Why?

The reason is quite simple. Magnesium is required for your body to metabolize vitamin D-3. Magnesium is a major key to your body working well. In fact, for over 300 biological processes to go right, it’s essential. And roughly 80% of Americans don’t get enough magnesium.

When it comes to getting the best mileage out of your vitamin D, you’ve got to get adequate levels of magnesium in your body.

In a recent article in the Journal of American Osteopathic Association ¹ , researchers found that vitamin D cannot be metabolized with insufficient magnesium levels. As they noted, without magnesium available, vitamin D consumed cannot be converted into its active form — making it unusable.

“People are taking vitamin D supplements but don’t realize how it gets metabolized. Without magnesium, vitamin D is not really useful or safe,” says study co-author Mohammed S. Razzaque, a professor of pathology at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania.

The reason vitamin D-3 could be dangerous? It can lead to increased calcium and phosphate levels. Elevated calcium levels can lead to calcium being deposited in the soft tissues of the body, including the arteries. This is not good news for either your organs or your bones.

In the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study ² of 73,684 postmenopausal women, the baseline hip bone mineral density was 3% higher (and the whole-body bone mineral density was 2% higher) in women who consumed more than 422 mg/d of magnesium compared with women who consumed less than 206 mg/d.

Magnesium is the 4th most common element in the body and plays an essential role in over 300 different bodily functions, activating more than 600 enzymes.

The bones in your body are a living substance composed of blood vessels, nerves, and cells, requiring several essential nutrients, including magnesium.

Estimates show that 50-60% of the magnesium in your body goes to your bones. It’s that important for bone health.

You NEED Magnesium!

http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2673882

Orchard TS, Larson JC, Alghothani N, et al. Magnesium intake, bone mineral density, and fractures: results from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99(4):926-933. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.113.067488