Magnesium doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It’s a critical mineral for healthy cell function and is an active participant in virtually every process of the body—especially important for the absorption of calcium and vitamin D for strong bones and teeth.
Signs of a magnesium deficiency include:
- Asthma attacks
- Depression
- Headaches/migraine
- Heart arrhythmia
- Chronic fatigue
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Lethargy
- Kidney stones
- Loss of appetite
- Memory loss and reduced cognition
- Muscle cramps and/or twitching
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Seizures
Magnesium increases the amount of albumin in the blood. Albumin is an amino acid (building block of protein) and the most abundant in blood plasma. A study published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia discusses the role of albumin deficiency in critical illness:
“Albumin has well‐established and important functions in health. Its kinetic and dynamic properties are significantly altered in the critically ill…Despite the fact that a low serum albumin concentration is an independent predictor of morbidity, there is no evidence to support the use of albumin to treat hypoalbuminaemia or hypovolaemia in critically ill patients.” (1)
Albumin is a significant antioxidant compound and is important for blood coagulation and the metabolism of fats. Magnesium binds to albumin, which is how it’s transported through the blood.
The correlation of albumin deficiency with critical illness in this study emphasizes the need for magnesium to support albumin levels to prevent disease; once an illness has reached a critical point, it’s too late to fix it in this context.
Additionally, magnesium becomes alkaline in the body. Maintaining a proper pH balance is important because abnormal cells live better in an acid environment; a slightly more alkaline level means that disease has a much more difficult time taking hold.
Adequate magnesium levels in the body protect our cells from heavy metal toxins. (2) The “master antioxidant” glutathione requires magnesium for synthesis; together they reduce internal oxidative stress and thereby prevent disease.
Sometimes it’s hard to drink enough water let alone getting enough magnesium through foods.