Our body is a fabulous machine whose nutritional needs are precisely studied by our internal organization. In fact, our cells are mainly fed by minerals and trace elements provided almost exclusively by food. Of course, we have already met some impressive people who live only on meditations and divine connections, but that is another topic of discussion that we will not address in this article.
Let's go back to a more physical character of our evolution and let's focus on the causes of the increase of our micro-nutritional needs and more precisely, stress. This one, very present for the majority of the people who have an active life, can cause deficiencies as well as endocrine imbalances.
It is not uncommon to meet people who suffer daily from small aches and pains and who allow themselves to be invaded by malaise without really understanding the origin of these pains. Daily life then becomes unbearable because of sufferings that can be calmed or eradicated simply by providing the body with the minerals and trace elements it needs.
Stress can be responsible for tremors, tetany attacks, panic attacks, insomnia, behavioral problems, migraines, gastric pain that can lead to ulcers, etc. This non-exhaustive list can become very long because many diseases can be caused by stress.
Magnesium consumers are becoming more and more numerous and this is really explained by the consequences that stress can have on the body. Indeed, this dreaded stress causes a loss of intracellular magnesium through the urine. In concrete terms, when we are stressed, magnesium is lost through our urine.
What is the role of magnesium in the body?
Magnesium is a key player in our physiology because it acts at the heart of the cell. In fact, it allows to regulate the balances that must occur between sodium, calcium and potassium. Without a sufficient amount of magnesium, the cell's mineral balance would be totally disturbed. For example, calcium channels could be clogged by excessive calcium entry into the cell caused by magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium is a mineral that is more than essential to the body because it regulates nearly 300 enzymatic functions and is also involved in the functioning of neurons, more specifically in the neuromuscular transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction.
The list of its benefits is numerous but you will have understood, I suppose, that magnesium is essential to regulate the body and adapt to stress. Nevertheless, it should be noted that stress is not the only cause of magnesium deficiency. In fact, a deficiency in intake is quite possible in a diet low in magnesium-rich foods. For example, seaweed, almonds, avocados, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, dates, figs, tofu, etc.
A lack of absorption can also be responsible for this imbalance, for example, in the case of diarrhea or when taking the contraceptive pill, smoking or excessive consumption of alcohol, because these negative factors reduce the assimilation of a large number of nutrients essential to our health.
Magnesium acts as a team
Absorbed in the small intestine, magnesium will only be absorbed at 40% and only if this absorption is facilitated by a vitamin D. Moreover, the cell will only be able to retain magnesium if it is associated with taurine. From then on, we will understand more easily the assimilation often made thanks to an adapted food supplement.
Did you know that magnesium and potassium make a great team? In fact, one cannot go without the other, because if there is a lack of one, there is bound to be a lack of the other.
Finally, calcium and magnesium must constantly remain in a 2/1 ratio in the body. Also, any calcium deficiency can only be corrected with calcium and magnesium supplementation.