Magnificent Magnesium - A PCOS Mineral

Why is magnesium important? Magnesium is an essential mineral found in all of our tissues, but mainly in our bones, muscles, and brain. It is a critical factor in over 300 body processes including muscle building, maintaining nerve function, keeping a healthy heartbeat, sustaining optimal immune system function and facilitating sleep. Magnesium is a natural anti-inflammatory, making it particularly critical for women with PCOS.

• Magnesium help manage insulin secretion. We must have magnesium for our cells to make energy.  Magnesium enhances insulin secretion which facilitates sugar metabolism. Without magnesium, glucose is not able to transfer into cells. In a recent study, people with diabetes who took magnesium supplements had improved insulin and glucose levels.

• Magnesium is necessary for maintaining a healthy heart.  This important mineral aids in the proper transport of potassium, calcium, and other nutrient ions across cell membranes. These nutrients help promote healthy nerve impulses, muscle contraction, and a normal heart rhythm.

• Magnesium helps keep anxiety and depression at bay and relaxes our muscles.

• Adequate levels of magnesium help promote sleep.

How do we become magnesium deficient?

• When we are stressed, our bodies become depleted of magnesium.  Magnesium regulates cortisol (stress hormone) as it calms our nervous system and prevents excessive cortisol. We burn through magnesium because it helps support our adrenal glands, which get exhausted when making cortisol. When we are under loads of stress, it means we are also losing magnesium.

• The amount of magnesium most of us are getting has plummeted by over 50% during the last century.  It is estimated that 80% of us are deficient in magnesium. Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of Magnesium Miracle explains, “Magnesium is farmed out of the soil…A hundred years ago, we would get maybe 500 milligrams of magnesium in an ordinary diet. Now we’re lucky to get 200 milligrams. People do need to supplement with magnesium.” Even organic soils are depleted of minerals, and non-organic farming is severely depleted in minerals.

• Women with PCOS are 19 times more likely than the average person to have low magnesium.(2)  Many women with PCOS are on the birth control pill, which depletes magnesium. Adding to the problem, many women with PCOS have sugar and simple carb cravings. To process excessive sugar in our diets requires a great deal of magnesium, and a refined diet that is based mostly on white flour, meat, and dairy (all of which have no magnesium) adds insult to injury. High glucose levels make the body flush magnesium from its system.  If it isn’t added back in by eating magnesium rich foods and taking supplements, you will become deficient.

Magnesium deficiency has even has been linked to inflammation in the body and higher C Reactive Protein levels.

How do I know if I am deficient? | Read More on PCOS Diva