commended daily allowance of magnesium, their cholesterol goes down and they don't get arteriosclerosis.
Magnesium is a very important ingredient of the green coloring matter in plants (chlorophyll). Magnesium helps in the use of fat in the diet. In many cases of individuals suffering from irritability, the blood has shown low values for magnesium.
Normal development apparently depends on the presence of magnesium. Approximately 70 percent of the magnesium in the body is found in the skeletal system. At least half of the magnesium in the body is combined with calcium and phosphorus in the bones. The remainder is in the muscles, red blood cells and the other tissues of the body.
Magnesium ensures the strength and firmness of the bones, and it makes the teeth harder. Adequate intake of magnesium counteracts acidity, poor circulation and glandular disorders. Children with magnesium deficiency are very often mentally backward.
The absorption of magnesium from the intestines may be influenced by (1) the parathyroid hormone, (2) the condition of the intestines, (3) the rate of water absorption, and (4) the amounts of calcium, phosphate and lactose (milk sugar) in the body.
Recent studies have shown that magnesium deficiency is found in 25 percent of eating disorders, such as obesity and anorexia nervosa. Symptoms such as weakness, leg cramps, anxiety and confusion will often clear up with magnesium therapy. A magnesium deficiency in humans can occur in patients with diabetes, chronic diarrhea or vomiting.
Heart palpitations, "flutters" or racing heart, otherwise called arrhythmias, usually clear up quite dramatically on 500 milligrams of magnesium citrate (or aspartate) once or twice daily or faster if given intravenously.
The optimal daily requirement for children of 20 kilograms of body weight is 0.25 grams (a kilo is 1,000 grams, equal to 2.2046 lbs). A child of 20 kilos would weigh 44.09 lbs, and for an adult of 70 kilos the requirement is 0.35 grams. The recommended daily allowance is approximately 200 to 300 mg for men and 300 mg for women, although specific requirements depend upon body size.
A diet which is high in calcium increases the body's need for magnesium and also may increase the excretion of phosphorus and calcium; however, dietary intake of magnesium remains relatively low. The chemical reaction of magnesium is alkaline (acid binding). It regulates the acid-alkaline balance of the body.
Magnesium is one of the nutrients needed to lose weight. Undulant fever is said to clear up if above-adequate amounts of magnesium and manganese are given.
Without sufficient magnesium, one cannot control the adrenals, and this lack of control can result in diabetes, hyperexcitability, nervousness, mental confusion and difficulty coping with simple day-to-day problems. Depressed and suicidal people often display inadequate levels of magnesium.
Magnesium helps induce passage of nutrients in and out of cells and thus affects the life process. It also controls metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, resulting in more normal nutritional levels. Japanese investigators have discovered that magnesium will relieve asthmatic attacks. They give it intravenously for acute asthma and orally for prevention.
The power plant of human cell is called the "mitochondrion." The mitochondrion is what generates energy for the cell to use. What everyone refers to as "energy" is derived from the oxidative reduction of the cellular respiration. This is done through the mitochondria.
But the problem arises when the cell is low in magnesium, relative to calcium. Adenosine triphosphate, the "energy currency" of the cell, is magnesium dependent. This means it is obvious that the calcium pump at the cell membrane is also magnesium dependent.
Without enough "biologically available" magnesium, the cellular calcium pump slows down. Thus a vicious cycle is established. The low levels of available magnesium inhibit the generation of energy, and the low levels of energy inhibit the calcium pump.
The end result? The mitochondrion, the powerhouse of the c