Why is MAGNESIUM So Important for the HUMAN BODY?

It’s a bit hard to believe a metal like
magnesium could be just as vital to the humanbody as fats, sugars, and proteins, but this
macronutrient is so important there are around24 grams–around a handful–of this metal
within the average human body, most of itstored within bone. A mineral macronutrient required in high abundance,
magnesium is the eighth most-abundant elementwithin the crust of the Earth and is present
in even higher quantity in rivers and oceans. It’s therefore no surprise the human body,
along with many other life-forms, evolvedwith utilizing this common metal for many
applications. One such role of magnesium is its important
function as an electrolyte, where it floatsaround fluids in the body in a similar way
sodium chloride–table salt–does. (Click here to see why dissolved salts and
metals conduct electricity so well. )This quality makes magnesium essential for
what enters and leaves cells, charge balance,and electrical signaling done along the nervous
system, including thought, touch, and musclemovement. The human body even uses magnesium for structural
support in cells, bones, and molecules andas an enzyme co-factor for over 300 different
enzymes, where magnesium is needed to activatethese enzymes. Enzymes have a vital role in the body, performing
specific functions and speeding up reactions. In the case of magnesium-cofactor-dependent
enzymes, the activated enzymes are involvedin many pathways, such as in insulin functioning,
carbohydrate metabolism, nerve signaling,and protein synthesis. An important enzyme activated with a magnesium
co-factor is DNA Polymerase, which makes copiesof DNA and is necessary for repair, growth,
and the formation of sperm and egg cells. In fact, the importance of magnesium is so
profound in the human body, countless problemsmay surface without the daily-recommended
420 mg of magnesium for men and 320 mg forwomen, including heart problems, neurological
problems, lung issues, bone and ligament problems,digestive problems and diabetes. It is even very difficult to have too much
magnesium, and rare cases where this has anegative effect on health is when issues are
involved with kidneys, through which magnesiumand many other substances are filtered and
regulated. Other than the kidneys, though, which filter
out excess magnesium through urine, smallamounts of magnesium are excreted along with
sweat. Because of its tremendously useful properties,
magnesium is essential for plants as well,where it is a part of chlorophyll, the molecule
which gives plants green color and is involvedin photosynthesis. Rich sources of magnesium are therefore green
vegetables, along with nuts, seeds, and unprocessedcereals, but water, fruits, meats, and dairy
products also contain some of this metal. This being said, the drastically-increased
production of food has caused deficienciesin crop magnesium levels, and this, in combination
with the increased consumption of processedfood and demineralized water has necessitated
supplementation of this essential nutrientin order to maintain the recommended daily
intake.