What is magnesium?
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant. Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Dietary magnesium is absorbed in the small intestines. Magnesium is excreted through the kidneys. What foods Provide Magnesium? Green vegeta
Magnesium is a mineral that forms part of the bone matrix. Its level in the blood is regulated by the kidneys. What Does It Do? Magnesium is important to the body in a number of ways. It plays a part in the following: — bone metabolism — the transmission of nerve impulses to muscles — transporting calcium and potassium — getting energy from the carbohydrates we eat — the production of body proteins and DNA — regulating blood pressure in conjunction with calcium and potassium. Magnesium also has been correlated with bone mineral density in post-menopausal women. Where Do You Get It? Magnesium occurs widely in foods and drinking water (except soft water). The highest amounts are in nuts, legumes and whole grains. Green vegetables are also good sources of this mineral. One of the highest sources of magnesium is not a food at all; it is milk of magnesia, taken as a laxative. Just two table spoons provide 1,000 milligrams, which is more than twice as much as the Recommended Dietary Al
Magnesium is an abundant metallic chemical element which has a number of industrial applications in addition to being vital for many living organisms, including humans. The atomic number of magnesium is 12, and the element is identified with the symbol Mg on the periodic table of elements. It is classified as an alkaline earth element, along with calcium and barium, among others. One of the more distinctive uses of magnesium is a source of illumination, since it burns bright white when ignited. Sir Humphry Davy is generally credited with the discovery of magnesium, in 1808. It has been suspected that Davy actually discovered an oxide of the metal, ultimately inferring the existence of the element, but in either case magnesium was being readily extracted by the mid 1800s. One form of magnesium, epsom salts, had already been used since the 17th century, and it continues to be readily available as a bath soak. Milk of magnesia, another popular remedy, also contains magnesium. In nature, m
