Anthony Colpo - The Most Important Supplement You Will Ever Take?

I'm going to introduce you to what could quite possibly be the most important nutritional supplement you ever take: Magnesium.

This powerhouse mineral is as essential as they come. Without it, you can't produce adenosine tri-phosphate, the substance that every cell in your body ultimately uses for energy.

Due to its critical role in cellular energy production, magnesium has a huge impact on healthy heart function. Deficiencies of magnesium have been implicated in hypertension, atherosclerosis, cardiac arrhythmia and acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). Low intakes of this all-important mineral have also been linked to diabetes, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, cramping, and exaggerated harmful responses to stress.

Clearly, magnesium is one nutrient you definitely do not want to skimp on!

But that's exactly what most people do. A recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control found that most American adults have a woefully inadequate magnesium intake. The average daily intake of magnesium among Caucasian men is only 352 milligrams, and a mere 278 milligrams among African American men. Caucasian women consume an average of 256 milligrams per day, while African American women take in only 202 milligrams daily. As the researchers pointed out in their Journal of Nutrition paper, these amounts are well below the minimal RDAs of 420 mg for men and 320 mg for women.

The lower amounts of magnesium ingested by African Americans have been posited as a possible contributor to their increased susceptibility of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Getting sufficient magnesium from your diet can be an extremely difficult undertaking. An important dietary source of magnesium is mineral-rich drinking water, but the modern-day proliferation of water softening treatments has eliminated this as a meaningful source of magnesium for many people.

Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, halibut, tomato paste, spinach, artichokes, molasses, cashews, and almonds are some of the foods that are high in magnesium. Most of these foods, however, are not a common feature of the typical Western diet.

The best way to ensure optimal intake of magnesium is with supplements. Avoid the oxide form of magnesium, as it has poor absorption. Instead, use magnesium citrate, aspartate, chloride, or malate. My personal favorite is nigari, a Japanese seawater extract that is rich in magnesium chloride. Mix the nigari with your drinking water and consume throughout the day.

How do you determine how much magnesium you should take? Try the titration method, as outlined by magnesium researchers Mildred Seelig and Andrea Rosanoff. This involves gradually increasing your daily dose of magnesium until you notice a loosening of your stools. When this occurs, decrease the dosage slightly and maintain.

References

Ford ES. Serum magnesium and ischaemic heart disease: findings from a national sample of US adults. International Journal of Epidemiology, 1999; 28: 645-651.

Ford ES, Mokdad, AH. Dietary Magnesium Intake in a National Sample of U.S. Adults. Journal of Nutrition, 2003; 133: 2879-2882.

Fox CH, et al. Magnesium deficiency in African-Americans: does it contribute to increased cardiovascular risk factors? Journal of the National Medical Association, 2003 Apr; 95 (4): 257-62.

Fox C, et al. Magnesium: its proven and potential clinical significance. Southern Medical Journal, Dec, 2001; 94 (12): 1195-1201.

Shechter M, et al. Effects of oral magnesium therapy on exercise tolerance, exercise-induced chest pain, and quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease. American Journal of Cardiology, Mar 1, 2003; 91 (5): 517-521.

Shechter M, et al. Beneficial antithrombotic effects of the association of pharmacological oral magnesium therapy with aspirin in coronary heart disease patients. Magnesium Research, Dec, 2000; 13 (4): 275-284.

Shechter M, et al. Oral magnesium therapy improves endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease. Circulation, Nov 7, 2000; 102 (19): 2353-2358.

Guerrero-Romero F, et al. Oral magnesium supplementation improves insulin sensitivity in non-diabetic subjects with insulin resistance. A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial. Diabetes & Metabolism, Jun, 2004; 30 (3): 253-258.

Rodriguez-Moran M, Guerrero-Romero F. Oral magnesium supplementation improves insulin sensitivity and metabolic control in type 2 diabetic subjects: a randomized double-blind controlled trial. Diabetes Care, Apr, 2003; 26 (4): 1147-1152.