This video, by Dr. Deb Ford, highlights magnesium as a crucial, yet often overlooked, nutrient essential for over 300 bodily functions, including heart health, brain function, and energy production. It explains why many people are deficient due to modern farming practices, processed foods, stress, and certain medications. Dr. Ford also discusses different types of magnesium supplements, magnesium-rich foods, and how magnesium affects various chronic health issues, along with practical steps to increase magnesium intake.
Key Takeaways
1
Magnesium is a vital mineral that acts as a cellular 'spark plug,' fueling over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, including heartbeat, muscle contraction, and mood regulation.
2
Nearly 70% of Americans don't meet the daily recommended intake of magnesium, leading to common issues like fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, muscle cramps, and headaches.
3
Magnesium deficiency is prevalent due to depleted soil from industrial farming, consumption of processed foods, filtered water, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and chronic stress, all of which flush magnesium from the body.
4
Common signs of magnesium deficiency include trouble sleeping, leg cramps, anxiety, migraines, irregular heartbeat, constipation, muscle twitching, insulin resistance, and being over 40, an athlete, or diabetic.
5
Magnesium glycinate is recommended for calming anxiety, tight muscles, and better sleep due to its high absorbability and gentleness on digestion.
6
Magnesium malate is beneficial for combating fatigue and muscle energy depletion, while magnesium L-threonate crosses the blood-brain barrier for memory, focus, and mood support.
7
Magnesium-rich foods include pumpkin seeds, almonds, dark leafy greens, black beans, avocados, wild salmon, and dark chocolate.
8
An RBC (red blood cell) magnesium test is a more accurate measure of true magnesium status compared to a standard serum magnesium test, as only 1% of the body's magnesium is in the blood.
9
Low magnesium levels are linked to blood sugar issues (insulin resistance), heart problems (high blood pressure, arrhythmias), hormone imbalances (excess estrogen, cortisol), and mood disorders (anxiety, depression, migraines).
10
A five-step plan for rebuilding magnesium stores includes eating magnesium-rich foods, taking a well-absorbed supplement, regular Epsom salt baths, managing depletters like caffeine and stress, and pairing magnesium with B6, taurine, and potassium.
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0:00
Good morning and hello my friends.
0:02
Welcome back to today's nutrition. I'm
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Dr. Deb Ford, dietician and doctor of
0:07
clinical nutrition. And here on today's
0:09
nutrition, we explore the science of
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feeling good body, mind, and spirit
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through real food, functional health,
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and just a little common sense. Okay.
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So, today we're going to shine a bright
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light on one of the most overlooked
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nutrients in modern health, magnesium.
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that mighty mineral that fuels every
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heartbeat, every muscle contraction, and
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even your mood. So, if you struggle with
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fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, muscle
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cramps, headaches, or even stubborn
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blood sugar, this episode is for you.
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The unsung hero of cellular energy is
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magnesium. It is the behindthecenes hero
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of over 300 enzyatic reactions in the
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body. Think of it as your cellular spark
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plug. Without magnesium, ATP, your
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body's energy currency can't be
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activated. That's your spark plug. So,
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every heartbeat, every nerve signal,
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every detox pathway
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relies on it. Yet, research shows that
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nearly 70% of Americans don't meet the
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daily recommended intake. And that one's
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not too high. So, why do so many people
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feel tired but wired, run on caffeine
1:34
and cortisol when their body really is
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just craving magnesium calm? That could
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be why. So you might wonder if magnesium
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is so vital, why are we all so
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deficient, running so low? Well, part of
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that answer lies beneath our feet in the
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soil. Back in the 1940s and50s,
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grandparents ate produce grown in
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mineralrich earth. By today's industrial
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farming practices, stripped away much of
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that vitality. Repeated cropping,
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chemical fertilizers, and soil erosion
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mean that modern vegetables contain 20
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to 40% less magnesium than they did 70
2:25
years ago. When we refine grains, remove
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the nutrient-dense germ and bran,
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then boil and bleach what's left, we
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filter our water, we overconume
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caffeine, alcohol, and sugar, all of
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which flush magnesium right out through
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the kidneys. And let's not forget
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stress. Every surge of adrenaline, every
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cortisol burn goes through your
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magnesium stores like wildfire. So
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between depleted stores, processed food,
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filtered water, and chronic stress, it
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is no wonder magnesium deficiency is the
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silent epidemic of our time. So it's
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important to know, are you at risk?
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Listen closely because you might be
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deficient if you have trouble sleeping
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or if you have frequent leg cramps, if
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you struggle with anxiety, irritability,
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or migraines. If you experience
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irregular heartbeat, constipation, or
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muscle twitching, if you have insulin
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resistance, or type 2 diabetes,
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or if you take diuretics,
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proton pump inhibitors that we talked
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about a couple weeks back, or certain
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antibiotics
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could be women over 40, athletes,
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diabetics, and just older adults are
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especially at risk. But truly, magnesium
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deficiency does not discriminate. So,
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let's kind of connect the dots because
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magnesium influences nearly every
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system. For instance, in the heart, it
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keeps steady rhythm. It relaxes blood
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vessels and it lowers blood pressure.
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For the brain, it supports
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neurotransmitters like GABA and
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serotonin, the calm and happy chemicals
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that we all love. For blood sugar, it
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improves insulin sensitivity, helping
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you burn fuel efficiently. For hormones,
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it helps metabolize estrogen, stabilizes
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cortisol, and supports thyroid function.
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And for sleep, it promotes melatonin
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production, and helps the nervous system
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wind down. I like to go to my heavenly
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framework. It just seems to fit in every
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place. Magnesium supports nearly every
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single letter. H to help you sleep and
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hibernate, E for exercise recovery, A
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for avoiding aggravations like stress, V
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for viewpoint and mindset balance, and
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even N for neutralizing toxins because
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magnesium is essential for glutathione
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production, your body's master
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antioxidant. Now, if you ever stood in
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the supplement aisle, I talk about the
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big wall of vitamins and stare at 10
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different bottles of magnesium. You've
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got oxide and citrate and glycinate and
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malate and which one should I take?
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Let's break them down Dr. Deb style. And
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I have a chart on my social media page.
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You can go there or in the shop. I've
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got a little chart there. So, here's a
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quick rundown. Magnesium glycinate. It's
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really my go-to for calming anxiety for
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tight muscles and better sleep. Highly
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absorbable and gentle on digestion. And
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then you've got magnesium malate. You
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know, fibromyalgia comes to mind. Great
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for fatigue and muscles that are just
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depleted in their energy. Malic acid
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feeds the mitochondria through that good
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old KB cycle. And then you've got
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magnesium 3N8. It crosses the bloodb
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brain barrier so it shines for memory
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and focus and mood. Little pricier but
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potent. Then we have magnesium torate.
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Great for the heart. Torine is the amino
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acid bound to magnesium that is good to
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regulate the rhythm and calm the nervous
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system. Then you got magnesium citrate.
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Great for occasional constipation. Too
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much can loosen the stools. Then you
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have the magnesium chloride. You can put
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it on topically. Great for muscle aches
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and tension. Absorbs great right through
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the skin. Put it on your calves, your
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feet, shoulders. Wonderful. Then you
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have magnesium oxide, the cheap one.
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Poorly absorbed. Ah, I wouldn't use it
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unless you just need a laxative. So,
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choose your form by your need. If sleep
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is an issue, go to glycinate. If energy
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is your issue, malate. If brain fog,
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three and eight. And if you're
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constipated, a touch of citrate can
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help. Just start slow. And I'm always
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about food first. Magnesium should be
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abundant in real whole foods. Pumpkin
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seeds and almonds, top two. Then you've
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got your dark leafy greens like spinach
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and Swiss chard. Or you've got black
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beans and avocados and wild salmon. And
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oh yeah, even dark chocolate. But
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remember, even organic foods today often
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contain less magnesium than decades
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past. So if you're under stress, if
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you're exercising heavily, dealing with
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chronic constipation, or if you're like
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heavy into a keto diet, supplementation
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may be necessary. A great daily target
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for most people is somewhere around 400
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to 600 of the elemental magnesium total
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from your food and your supplements
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combined. For best absorption, take
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magnesium supplements with food and take
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it apart from super high doses of zinc
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or calcium. And here's where the lab
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nerd in me gets excited. Knowing how to
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test your magnesium. What's the
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difference between serum magnesium and
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RBC, red blood cell magnesium? Most
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doctors just order a cheap little serum
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magnesium test, which is going to
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measure what's floating around in your
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bloodstream. But here's the catch. Only
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about 1% of your body's magnesium lives
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in the blood. The rest is inside your
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cells and bones. So, your serum
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magnesium can look normal while your
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tissues are starving. In fact, by the
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time serum is low, you are in trouble
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with a capital T. Then you've got the
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RBC magnesium that looks inside your red
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blood cells. A much better reflection of
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your true magnesium status, but still
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not perfect, just much better.
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Functional medicine labs aim for
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somewhere around 6 to 6.5 milligram to
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decaler and that's optimal. But there
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they're intracellular tests like
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Spectracell micronutrient panel. Love
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that. And it uses the RBC magnesium.
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Great place to start. So if your serum
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reads normal but you're still fatigued
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and twitchy and anxious and crampy, just
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listen to your body. It probably knows
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way before the lab does. So now let's
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connect magnesium to a few common
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chronic medical issues. Number one,
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blood sugar and weight. Low magnesium
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makes insulin less effective, which can
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lead to cravings and metabolic slowdown.
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Studies show supplementing magnesium can
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reduce fasting glucose and improve
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hemoglobin A1C in pre-diabetics.
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Number two, heart health. Lowers blood
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pressure, reduces arhythmias, and even
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helps cholesterol balance by improving
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lipid metabolism. One study found that
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for every 100 milligram of magnesium
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intake, it reduced heart disease risk by
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about 8%.
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Then you've got hormone balance.
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Magnesium aids in the phase 2 liver
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detox that helps the body clear excess
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estrogen, cortisol, and other hormones.
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No wonder I call it mother nature's
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anti-PMS mineral. And the fourth thing
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for your brain and your mood, it calms
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the HPA
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axis, hypothalamus, pituitary and
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adrenal axis. So that is supporting
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neurotransmitters like dopamine and
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serotonin. Magnesium deficiency is
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linked to anxiety, ADHD, depression and
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migraines. So whether you are working on
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metabolism,
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mood, memory, menopause, all the M's,
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magnesium can play a starring role. So
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let's look at how you could practically
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rebuild your magnesium stores. So you
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I've got a five-step magnesium repletion
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plan. Number one, food. Eat magnesium
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richch foods every day. seeds, greens,
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avocados, dark chocolate, and legumes.
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Number two, start adding a well-absorbed
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supplement. Maybe 200 mg at night if you
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can build a little higher, but if your
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stools get loose, cut back. Number
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three, couple times a week, Epsom salt
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bath. Oh, relaxes muscle and aids detox
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pathways. I know a lot of practitioners
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when they have to travel, they will take
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Epsom salts with them and take an Epsom
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salts bath as soon as they get there to
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help just detox from flying and being
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around a lot of people and hotels.
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Number four, manage depletters.
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Limit caffeine, alcohol, and refined
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sugar and address chronic stress. Number
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five, pair magnesium with other
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nutrients. Make sure you've got plenty
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of B6 and torine and potassium. That's
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all going to enhance the uptake. And
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don't forget hydration. Magnesium loves
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company with other electrolytes.
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Magnesium even changes by life stage.
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Teens and young adults need it for mood
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and for focus. Midlife women great for
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PMS, permenopausal, insomnia, and hot
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flashes. men testosterone, heart rhythm
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and stress resilience and older adults
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helps maintain bone density and prevents
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insulin resistance.
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So about everybody benefits, but the
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form and dose can vary with life stage
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and stress level. So now the bigger
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picture, magnesium and the soil, we
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circle back to the earth itself. Healthy
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soil teams with microbes that enhance
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nutrient exchange with plant roots. When
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we replace natural compost with
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synthetic fertilizers,
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those microbial conversations go silent.
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The result, plants may grow fast but
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shallow. Pretty on the outside but poor
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in minerals on the inside. That's why
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choosing organic, regeneratively farmed
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produce matters. It's not just about
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avoiding pesticides. It's about
13:51
restoring the mineral handshake between
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the soil and the plant.
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Glyphosate honestly is a mineral thief.
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It's the active ingredient in Roundup.
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And boy are their stocks plummeting. You
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know, it was Monsanto and then Bearer
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bought it and they're wishing they
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hadn't because Roundup is tanking
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because everybody's figuring it out.
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First, Roundup glyphosate was patented
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as a chilator, meaning it binds minerals
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like magnesium and calcium and zinc and
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iron so tightly plants can't use them.
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Basically, it starves the weeds. Over
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time though, this binding action
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depletes the minerals in the soil,
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leading to crops that may look healthy,
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but their mineral poor inside. And it
14:44
doesn't stop there. Glyphosate also
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disrupts the soil microbiome, the
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beneficial bacteria that helps plants
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absorb nutrients. It damages the gut
14:57
microbes that assist with mineral
14:59
uptake. It doesn't affect us because we
15:02
don't have the shika mate pathway, but
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plants do. And in plants, it lowers
15:09
chlorophyll production. And chlorophyll
15:12
depends on magnesium. Chlorophyll is a
15:14
lot like hemoglobin, except chlorophyll
15:17
has magnesium at the core, not iron. So
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the result, food grown with glyphosate
15:23
has less magnesium, and our bodies
15:26
absorb less of what remains.
15:30
Studies from Environmental Science
15:32
Europe and toxicology reports show
15:35
measurable declines in magnesium levels
15:37
in glyphosate treated soils and animals.
15:41
This double deficiency effect raises
15:44
oxidative stress and increases our
15:47
magnesium needs even more. So, choose
15:51
organic or optimally regeneratively
15:54
farmed produce to help reverse this
15:57
cycle. restoring soil microbes, plant
15:59
vitality, and minerals your cells depend
16:02
on. I also like to remind my listeners,
16:05
you're not going to fix a cellular
16:08
deficiency if the soil is deficient
16:11
first. And this is wonderful news based
16:14
on the maha movement. There has been a
16:17
huge shift towards regenerative farming.
16:21
Heck, even McDonald's has invested
16:23
billions of dollars into it. So we are
16:26
making progress friends. So magnesium
16:29
really is the mineral messenger of
16:31
vitality in the plants, in the soil, and
16:34
in you. So signs you may need more
16:37
magnesium. If we want to do a just a
16:39
quick little check, you know, if you
16:42
crave chocolate often, if you wake up at
16:45
3:00 a.m. or if you grind your teeth at
16:47
night, if your eyelids twitch, if you
16:49
have muscle cramps or restless legs, if
16:52
you feel anxious or can't relax easily,
16:55
if you're constipated or if you have
16:57
sluggish digestion. Honestly, I think
17:00
about anything tense, twitchy, or tight.
17:04
So, don't panic. you're in good company
17:06
and it's fixable. There are some
17:08
cautions. Few reminders. Start slow and
17:12
increase gradually. Too much all at once
17:14
can kind of give your digestion a little
17:16
upset. And people with kidney disease
17:18
should definitely contact their
17:20
practitioner before supplementing. Or if
17:23
you're on certain medications like
17:26
bisphosphinates, thyroid meds,
17:28
antibiotics,
17:30
and you also need to space magnesium a
17:33
couple hours apart. So work with your
17:35
healthcare practitioner. Magnesium is to
17:38
the cell what oxygen is to the lungs. It
17:41
is the very breath of your biochemistry.
17:45
Steady, grounding, and essential. So
17:47
tonight, maybe trade that cup of coffee
17:51
for a magnesiumrich smoothie, almond
17:53
milk, and spinach and avocado, cacao,
17:56
and a handful of pumpkin seeds. Whoa.
18:00
Light a candle, soak in an Epson salts
18:01
bath, and your body gets the mineral hug
18:04
it's been missing. Because true health
18:07
isn't about quick fixes. It's about
18:10
steady nourishment of what your body was
18:12
designed to thrive on. So remember, it's
18:16
not just about avoiding disease. It's
18:19
about vibrant living and longevity, a
18:24
health span that you can almost count
18:26
on. So I'm Dr. Deb Ford, helping to make
18:29
you healthy again through the power of
18:32
functional nutrition and faith in how
18:35
wonderfully you're made. So until next
18:37
time, take care of your body. It's the
18:39
only place you have to
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Magnificent Magnesium- The Body's Sparkplug
Deb Ford DCN RDN
47 views
Nov 9, 2025
18:41
Today, we’re shining a bright light on one of the most overlooked nutrients in modern health — magnesium — the mighty mineral that fuels every heartbeat, every muscle contraction, and even your mood. If you struggle with fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety, muscle cramps, headaches, or stubborn blood sugar… this episode is for you. The Unsung Hero of Cellular Energy is magnesium It is a behind-the-scenes hero in more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. Think of it as your cellular spark plug. Without magnesium, ATP — your body’s energy currency — simply can’t be activated.