Magnesium is a mineral essential for healthy muscles, nerves, bones, energy and many other functions in our body. However, most people are low in magnesium, according to Dr. Chauncey Crandall, world-renowned cardiologist and director of preventive medicine at the Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic in Florida.
In fact, according to a National Institutes of Health survey, 52% of all Americans consume less than the recommended intake of magnesium.
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Magnesium is found in leafy green vegetables, nuts, beans and seeds, but the soil has become depleted of important nutrients and levels aren’t as high as they once were. “What has happened in the United States is that our foods are heavily processed and manipulated, and they're very low on magnesium,” Crandall tells Newsmax’s “Newsline.”
Magnesium is vital for strong bones. “Over 50% of it is stored in the bones of our body,” explains Crandall. In addition, it is essential for nerve health, brain power and muscle strength, according to Crandall. Magnesium also helps keeps heart rhythm steady and blood sugar levels balanced.
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HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING ENOUGH MAGNESIUM?
Symptoms of low magnesium include fatigue, irritability, and headaches.
“The main warning sign that we really see for most everyone are extra heartbeats. We call them PVCs or tachycardia,” says Crandall, editor of the popular newsletter Dr. Crandall's Heart Health Report.
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According to the Mayo Clinic, premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are extra heartbeats that begin in one of the heart’s two lower pumping chambers. The extra beats can cause a fluttering or skipped heartbeat sensation in the chest.
Muscle cramping, particularly the dreaded, painful muscle cramps many people experience while sleeping at night, are a symptom of low magnesium levels in the muscles, says Crandall.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
To ensure an adequate intake of magnesium, in addition to eating foods rich in magnesium, Crandall recommends taking a magnesium supplement. “Magnesium comes in seven forms,” says Crandall. “I would go to the pharmacy or to your drugstore, get magnesium in a complex formula, they call it, get all seven forms in a magnesium tablet. Take 400mg a day of that, and that will get rid of most of the symptoms,” says Crandall.
By getting more magnesium, you will have better bone health, better muscle health, better heart health, and better brain health, says Crandall.
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