Magnesium - The Magic Mineral for your Hormones
Magnesium is an essential mineral for our endocrine system and it can be hard to resolve hormone issues without enough of it. Though most people don’t have outright magnesium deficiency, low magnesium is a common problem.
Why are we low in Magnesium?
1. Our diets are often not rich enough in magnesium to keep up with our body's daily needs.
2. Chronic stress can cause our bodies to burn through our magnesium stores, and in turn being magnesium depleted can increase our body’s susceptibility to stress.
3. Having digestive issues or other gut problems may mean it is harder for us to absorb magnesium from our food.
4. Vitamin D needs magnesium to make it active. Should you decide to supplement vitamin D throughout the winter, you should also make sure you take some additional magnesium to replenish you body's magnesium stores, and to ensure you get maximum benefit from your supplements.
(Be aware of supplementing high doses of vitamin D without knowing your vitamin D level first as it can lead to certain health complications – the NHS advises that you take no more than 4000IU per day unless you have been advised to do otherwise by a qualified health practitioner.)
How magnesium supports our endocrine system:
Magnesium is involved in over 300 reactions in our bodies. It is well known for supporting heart and bone health, but here are some ways magnesium also supports healthy hormones:
1. It regulates the production of cholesterol which is needed for the production of our sex hormones.
2. It is essential for the production of the active form of thyroid hormone, T3 which drives our metabolism.
3. By supporting detoxification pathways in our liver, magnesium promotes the excretion of spent oestrogen. This may reduce the risk of oestrogen-excess symptoms such as breast tenderness, fibroids and heavy periods.
4. It calms the nervous system and will reduce the stress response.
5. Taken an hour before bed, magnesium can increase melatonin levels which will improve our sleep.
6. Magnesium helps insulin to function properly, making it easier for glucose to enter cells from our blood stream.
How to restore your magnesium levels
Eat magnesium-rich foods such as leafy greens, nuts and seeds (especially almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds), wholegrains, salmon, eggs, lentils, avocados, bananas, tofu, kidney beans and (a little) dark chocolate.
Managing your stress can have a profound effect on your body's magnesium stores, meaning you will have more magnesium available for other uses such as the healthy production of sex and thyroid hormones.
Combining foods rich in vitamin B6 with magnesium-rich foods will increase the magnesium absorption rate. Choose foods such as fish, organ meats, chickpeas, beef, chicken, turkey and bananas.
Consider magnesium supplementation. In the UK, the recommended daily amount (RDA) for adults is 300mg daily for men and 270 mg for women. Some people may need a higher dose than this, but this is very personalised and more isn’t always better.
Three things to keep in mind when it comes too supplementing magnesium:
1. There are a number of different forms of magnesium, and each has a particular benefit. Get in touch to find out which form of magnesium is best for you.
2. It’s better to take smaller doses more frequently rather than one large dose to improve absorption.
3. If you have gut issues, topical forms of magnesium can be a better option to increase the absorption rate.
Should anyone avoid magnesium supplements?
If you have high blood pressure and are on medications for it, magnesium can add to the blood pressure lowering effect so check with your doctor before starting; likewise if you are on any medications for heart rhythm control. And if you have kidney disease, please check with your doctor before taking magnesium. Finally, check with your doctor before taking anything while you're pregnant.
