An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Magnesium is an element that is necessary for healthy living.  Those who consume enough are much less likely to develop what is called metabolic syndrome – a bundle or risk factors including abdominal obesity, high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, glucose intolerance, and an internal inflammatory state.  If you don’t consume enough magnesium, you can expect at lease one of these problems..

The research
Northwestern U researchers followed 4,800 people for 15 years.  They found that those who consumed 190 mg of magnesium per 1,000 calories (close to 400 mg on a 2,000 calorie daily diet) were 31% less likely to develop metabolic syndrome than those who took half as much.

How does magnesium help the body?
The outcome is due to several factors, including magnesium’s ability to regulate blood sugar by influencing the amount of insulin you secrete.  That means it helps to control your blood sugar.

Food sources
Fortunately magnesium is found in many healthy foods.  Click here to see the USDA nutrient data base for magnesium in foods.

What about supplements?
The upper tolerated limit for supplemental magnesium is 350 mg/day. Supplements based on Amino Acid Chelates, Glycinate, Lysinate etc. are much better tolerated by the digestive system and do not have the side effects of the older compounds used. The most common symptom of excess oral magnesium intake is diarrhea. Since the kidneys of adult humans excrete excess magnesium efficiently, oral magnesium poisoning in adults with normal renal function is rare.

Other preventive behaviors

Wellness Online offers many ideas on how to prevent abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high glucose and internal inflammation.  Be sure to read them and follow the recommendations.

Popularity: 2% [?]