Magnesium is one of my favorite minerals and is also one of our most important. Magnesium is involved in almost as many if not as many cellular processes as vitamin D3. It is important for bone strength for one, and since so many people, especially as they age, are osteoporotic, it is important to take enough to assure the strongest bones. I’ll address Boron for skeletal bone strength in a later post. Whether you are rebuilding or even if just maintaining your skeletal bones you want them as strong as possible. The last thing you want to do, if given the choice, is to skimp on rebuilding them. As I told patients if they must fall, please bounce, don’t break.
Believe it or not, due to the way our fruits and vegetables are grown, we receive less magnesium than our ancestors did. I am not here to criticize. The problem is through depleted soils on mega farms. There is no incentive to replenish the soil if it doesn’t add to profitability. These soils do not spontaneously regenerate important minerals, so if not supplemented, the foods end up with less. Also, picking some fruits and vegetables early, before they are ripe to have a longer travel and shelf life, contributes to this. This results in fruits and vegetables having lower mineral contents in many cases. Regardless, we end up with less of the important minerals, even if we eat so-called “healthy.”
You can argue, “my doctor checked my magnesium level and it was normal.” Yea, but wrong. You see, magnesium shifts in and out of cells to stabilize them. So, despite having normal blood levels, your cells could be depleted or vice versa, and you could have low blood levels but plenty in the cells. If your kidneys work well this is not an issue, for if you take in more than you need, you will urinate it out. But having too much I believe is rarely a problem, as the opposite is more often the case. Especially at the optimal dose of vitamin D3, with your cells working at full speed, you use a lot more magnesium and typically have normal blood levels but are intracellularly depleted.
Therefore, I recommend magnesium malate which comes in 1,250 mg tablets. For me and those who have taken it, it is easier on the intestines. There are different forms of magnesium and some are thought to be better for different functions, like the brain. Perhaps that is true, but the important thing is to take it. Experiment with different types but please understand that you want to stay away from magnesium oxalate. Regardless the type, if taken in too large a quantity all at once it can cause diarrhea and this is the reason it is in many laxatives. I recommend you titrate it up in divided doses. One in morning for three days, then twice a day and so on until you have soft stools. My recommendation is to let your body decide how much it needs, as you will always have more than you need in your intestines if you titrate up to this point and your body will absorb what it needs. Also, you don’t have to worry about constipation.
*The information posted above is for educational purposes only. Always check with your doctor before initiating any changes in your medical treatment. If you do not, then The Two-Minute Health Fact, Dr. Judson Somerville, nor The Optimal Dose is responsible!
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