Minerals and vitamins

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

This first post will have general URLs in it, which I will add to as time goes on.

Following posts will have specific information on specific nutrients.

1) This web page (http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html) is primarily about using magnesium to treat depression, but he does a really good job in discussing a whole lot of other things so it's a good page overall. His home page has an interesting menu http://george-eby-research.com/

2) A good 101 on minerals: http://smileherb.com/article.php?id=42

3) Chart for eye/skin/hair/mouth symptoms and which minerals etc, they correlate to: http://www.testsymptomsathome.com/SYM_antioxidant.asp

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Magnesium.

this site http://www.scriptit.info/library/Magnesium.htm discusses the different forms of magnesium and their availability.

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Around 50% of the magnesium in the body is found in the bones, and magnesium deficiency world wide, is very common. Women with low bone density have a lower intake of magnesium and lower levels of magnesium in both blood and bones. A recent trial in Israel found supplementing 250 - 750 mg per day for two years stopped bone lost in post menopausal women, whereas untreated controls lost bone density. There are other interesting bone studies but I don't want to go into them all.

However, an Australian study looking and children bone mass density in relation to mothers diet, found that bone density was significantly higher in mothers who had a high intake of magnesium potassium and... fat intake... but total body BMD was most significantly associated with the magnesium intake.

There are varying recommendations for daily intake. Some say 400 mcgs for adult women a day, some 600, but I can't function on less than 1,000, because I'm a mental and metabolic pogo stick.

chemically magnesium is invilved in the activation of at least three hundred different enzymes and body chemicals. It activates the B vitamins and plays a role in protein synthesis, muscle excitability, and energy release. It functions primarily from mitochondria, the energy centres of cells.

Magnesium regulates the absorption of calcium and is crucial to the integrity of the bones and teeth. Magnesium deficiency can lead to bone abnormalities including brittle bones and osteoporosis. The parathyroid gland which also regulates blood calcium levels, also needs magnesium to function normally. It helps control cholesterol levels, and helps convert blood sugar to energy.

Magnesium is also concentrated 18 times greater in the heart muscle than the blood stream, regulates the heart's ability to beat, decreases blood coagulation and acts as a calcium channel blocker. Magnesium relaxes smooth muscles and blood vessels, and uterine contractions and cramps.

Phosphorus is necessary for white nerve cells and grey brain cells, but without magnesium it would have no signals to cunduct along the wires, no nerve messages to tell us when to switch off, as well as on.

The white nerve fibres control the tension in the muscles and determine where you can relax as well as activate.

So how does this translate into people behaviour?

Phosphorus type people who are timed out from head and nervous system overload and on-running function may be in need of magnesium so that the messages to stop with all the action is over, can be relayed to the physical body through the muscles.

Do you keep your emotions tightly under control with surreptitiously clenched hands and tight lips? Is self-control one of your "accomplishments"? Do you need to totally wind down and consciously relax every bit of you before you go to bed?

Do you wake up each morning stiff and aching, with crossed arms, kiked up knees and even eyelids clamped one against the other? Are you almost subconsciously in a state of continual partial muscle contration?

Then you need magnesium.

All athletes do as well.... circus performers, ballet dancers, piano players, people who must over-control muscles in their daily lives are huge magnesium pullers. Even lawyers, and others who also do massive head work, need high levels of magnesium.

Magnesium is also necessary for the "head" aspect of libido (as in "interest" rather than "performance") If you are too tired, and exhausted as most mothers are you can guarantee you are magnesium depleted. And magnesium pulling mothers run out of it by mid day in their breast milk, and then wonder why, by late afternoon, early evening they have crying babies, who aren't getting any magnesium in their afternoon evening milk, and only get a bit in the morning, after the mother got three shut eyes in four shifts over the night.

New mother? Magnesium deprived? Sex? What is that?

Polio victims, down's syndrome children, or children with any spasticity disorder, people who slide under the table after one glass of wine.... all need magnesium adjustment

Husbands who can't think about it, let alone get it up after a glass of beer... not only does alcohol inhibit magnesium function, if you haven't got much of it to begin with, you will cope with even, less alcohol.

supposed RDA's

children 250.

Males 11 - 14 270
15 - 18 years 300 mg
19 and older 350.

IMO, this is for couch potatoes.

Females

11 - 14 280 mg
15 - 18 300 mg
19 and older 280
Lactating women 425.

I think these are WAY too low. Except for semi moribund people.

Deficiency symptoms: muscle weakness, loss of appetitie, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, nervousness and irritability.. more serious symptoms, muscle spasms and seizures. when magnesium is low, blood become saturated with calcium which is often depositted in muscles or kidneys, and can lead to kidney stones.

irregular heartbeat can often be regulated with magnesium (as I have a very sensitive heart, this is usually my first physical sign that I need magnesium. Drop beats, or ectopic beats in the evening result in an instant supplement of 400 mgs.)

From the latest national academy of science RDI the list of magnesium deficiency reads:

muscle cramps
hypocalcaemia
malabsorption of vitamin D
Muscular excitability
latent tetany
spontaneous carpal-pedal spasm
seizures,
caridiovascular and neuromuscular diseases,
diabetes mellitus
renal wasting
osteoporosis
chronic alcoholism

substances that increase the need for magnesium: Caffein, phosphorus, sugar, high sodium, phytic acid in wheat fibre etc which binds magnesium to phosphate, decreasing magnesium absorption; thaizide diuretics, and alcohol.

Magnesium supplementation can compete with calcium for uptake and therefore can make a calcium deficiency worse. Therefore, be careful how you do it.

How do I do it?

I have hugely high needs for magnesium because I've always been a physical and mental over exerter. My diet is not magnesium based, and I supplement 400 mgs of dolomite magnesium at mid-day and unless I experience drop beats, that is all. If I experience drop beats I use Magnesium citrate capsules. (This was written three years ago, and I've been able to reduce that, as my diet is now more magnesium based.)

My top food sources of Magnesium are 1 cup pawpaw 170 mg, 1 banana (starchy for me, hate ripe bananas) 55 mg, Brazil nuts are 210 mg per 1/3 cup, but I only eat three a day.. 1/3 cup almonds, 135 mg - I eat maybe 12 - 20 almonds a day...

1 cob sweetcorn 60 mgs, 2 tbsps pumpkin seeds (I grind these) 160 mgs... most other vegetables have small amounts of magnesium, as do flour, poride, and wholemeal bread, but I don't eat much of those foods. Buckwheat flour has reasonable levels of magnesium, and I do well on buckwheat crepes...brown rice, blackstrap molasses, backed potatoes avocados, beet greens, seeds walnuts all contain small amounts of magnesium.


Magnesium ideal is 50% of calcium intake.


http://www.enzymestuff.com/magnesium.htm (http://www.enzymestuff.com/magnesium.htm)

Magnesium




August 2001. copyright Kd. last updated 8.25.05

Forms of Magnesium (http://www.enzymestuff.com/magnesium.htm#1)
Magnesium in the Body (http://www.enzymestuff.com/magnesium.htm#2)
Recommended Dosing (http://www.enzymestuff.com/magnesium.htm#3)
Magnesium Deficiency (http://www.enzymestuff.com/magnesium.htm#4)
References (http://www.enzymestuff.com/magnesium.htm#5)
Forms of Magnesium

After looking into magnesium for months, what I came away with is that magnesium comes in two types:
- soluble forms/organic (aspartate, malate, glycinate, citrate and succinate etc.)
- insoluble forms/inorganic salts (chloride, carbonate, oxide).

Overall, the chelated magnesium and magnesium glycinate are often referred to as being very absorbable.
The soluble ones are pretty equally absorbed and as a group are much better absorbed than the insoluble group. Of the insoluble group, the oxide is the best absorbed. The insoluble group is far more likely to cause loose stools/diarrhea than the other group. If magnesium nutrition is what you want,
go for the soluble group. If constipation is the issue, then some insoluble forms are okay. The loose stool effect (if not wanted) can be minimized by
taking the magnesium with food. Most of the products I saw on the shelves at the store were a mixture of magnesium types. Sometimes I would see a bottle of a specific type of magnesium, such as Magnesium Citrate. But the ones marked just Magnesium were usually a mixture. And some had as many as 4-5 different types in the mixture. Although I have spent some time looking at magnesium sources, there seems to be varied opinions. Here is a reputable source from a book on nutrition:

"Magnesium chelated with amino acids is probably the most absorbable form. Less absorbable forms include magnesium bicarbonate, magnesium oxide, and magnesium carbonate. Magnesium oxide is probably somewhat better than magnesium carbonate (dolomite). The newly available salts of magnesium aspartate or citrate, both known as mineral transporters, have a better percentage of absorption."
http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=2060 (http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=2060)
What chelate form means:
"Magnesium Chelate (Amino Acid): A chemically reacted magnesium ion, bound to 1 or more amino acids, thus allowing the magnesium to enter through the intestinal wall via the amino acid pathway rather than active magnesium diffusion. A true reacted chelate differs from simply mixing the amino acids
and minerals which is often referred to as "chelated"."

http://www.nutraceuticals.com/reactedmagnesium.htm (http://www.nutraceuticals.com/reactedmagnesium.htm)
You need to balance out how absorbable a product is versus the quantity of the mineral that is in it versus the price.


Magnesium in the Body


Recommended Dosing
Always double check dosing with a proper health care practitioner for your personal situation.
Recommended Daily Allowances:
350 mg/day for adult males over age 18
280 mg for females over age 18
320 mg for adult females - pregnant
355 mg for females lactating 0-6 months
340 mg for females lactating 6 months+
400 mg for males ages 15-18
300 mg for females ages 15-18
270 mg for males ages 11-14
280 mg for females ages 11-14
170 mg for children ages 7-10
120 mg for children ages 4-6
80 mg for children ages 1-3
60 mg for infants ages 0.5-1.0
40 mg for infants ages 0-0.5
These amounts are for healthy people. A person in an unwell or deficient state would need more. Most places recommend a 2:1 calcium:magnesium ratio for regular function, not including a deficient state. When I was researching this, I looked up the amounts in a reference book in the HFS. The average recommended amount was generally 1000 mg/day for ADHD, anxiety disorder, migraines, sleep disorders, autism and some of the autoimmune disorders. These are probably for an adult and so a child should have 1/2 or 1/3. This puts it around 300-500 mg/day. I haven't found an upper limit to magnesium, and have read several places there is no known toxicity. Also, we saw again and again that there was not a toxicity problem because the
body does not store magnesium as it does calcium. The body excretes what is not used. Your upper limit will be when you notice continuous loose stools.

NOTE: Excessive magnesium inhibits calcium and excessive calcium inhibits magnesium - although I didn't seen any amount as given as "excessive" for
magnesium. Calcium had the number of 2500 mg/day most likely for an adult - from the Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements at the HFS.
It is a balancing act.

Here's a simple way of working out magnesium calcium balance:
http://www.rehabilitatenz.co.nz/pages/cal-mag1.html

Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency
Magnesium deficiency is associated with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, migraines, and a bunch of other ailments. Supplementing with magnesium has
helped many of these conditions in clinical studies. The symptoms of magnesium deficiency are irritability, tantrums, seizures, insomnia, muscle cramps/twitching, hyperactivity and poor digestion among others. Magnesium is needed for proper electrolyte function, over 300 enzyme
functions, and calcium absorption.

I also found it very interested to read that one of the primary sources of dietary magnesium is whole grains and cereals. If one goes 100% gluten free,
you may be losing a main source of magnesium, and could go deficient especially if you are also supplementing with extra calcium to make up for the
casein free part. Higher amount of magnesium may cause a laxative effect (milk of magnesium, epsom salts (http://www.enzymestuff.com/epsomsalts.htm)).




Clinical indications of magnesium deficiency were associated with the following:

ADD/ADHD
Alzheimer's disease
Anxiety
Asthma
Attention deficit disorder
Autism
Auto immune disorders- all types
Cerebral Palsy- in children from magnesium deficient mothers
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic pain
Congestive heart failure
Constipation
Crohn's disease
Depression
Diabetes mellitus
Endometriosis
Fibromyalgia
Gut disorders- including peptic ulcer, Crohn's disease, colitis
Food allergy
Headaches
Hyperactivity
Hypertension
Hypoglycemia
Insomnia
Irritable bowel syndrome
Menopause
Migraines
Multiple sclerosis
Muscle cramps
Muscle weakness, fatigue
Osteoarthritis
Osteoporosis
Parkinson's disease
PMS
Psoriasis
Schizophrenia
Stress
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
Tension
Ulcerative colitis
Reference showing how magnesium helps with good sleep.

Magnesium Research 2002 March 15(1-2):49-66
Biorhythms and possible central regulation of magnesium status, phototherapy, darkness therapy and chronopathological forms of magnesium depletion.
Durlach J, Pages N, Bac P, Bara M, Guiet-Bara A.

Biological clock and magnesium status are linked. Central magnesium regulation may be hypothetized. Balanced magnesium status is requested to obtain efficiency of suprachiasmatic nuclei and of pineal gland. Conventional bright light therapy appears as a speedy and efficient antidepressant medication useful for the treatment of various types of depression, and of non migrainous headaches also. Although decrease in melatonin production seems accessory, increases of serotonergy and perhaps of Reactive Oxygen Species constitute the main mechanisms of action. Chromatotherapy emphazizes the effects of short exposure to specific colors. Although the increased production of melatonin constitutes the best marker of darkness, it is only an accessory mechanism of its action.

The psycholeptic sedative effects of darkness, like those of magnesium, rely on direct membraneous and oxidant actions, neural mediated effects (i.e. stimulation of inhibitory neuromodulators such as GABA and taurine), and on antagonism of neuroactive gases (CO and NO). Darkness therapyper se, partial substitutive therapy with melatonin and with their mimicking agents (Mg, L-Tryptophan,Taurine) apply to all the chronopathological forms of magnesium depletion with decreased production of melatonin: sleep disorders, migraine, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, some forms of asthma and of sudden infant death syndrome. Further research should assess the importance of the chronopathological forms of magnesium depletion in the physiopathology of these disorders.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Lack of magnesium in diet linked to disease

www.news-medical.net/?id=7888 (http://www.news-medical.net/?id=7888)

Read this article, copy and paste it and send it to yourself, and file.

Food sources:

2 cups milk, 50 mg
1 cup papaw 170 mg
1 medium banana 55 mg
1/3rd cup brazil nuts 210 mgs
1/3rd cup almonds 135 mg
1/2 cup wholemean flour 60 mg
1 plate porridge with milk 60 mg
4 slices wholemeal bread 55 mg
1/2 cup brown rice 45 mg
100g fish 35 mg
2 cobs sweetcorn 120 mg
3/4 cup baked beans 65 mg
2 med potatoes 35 mg
1 tsp dolomite powder 1,500
1 tbsp molasses 50 mg
2 tbs pumpkin seeds 160 mg.

See further down on this page:


http://www.health.gov/DIETARYGUIDELINES/dga2005/document/html/AppendixB.htm

Magnesium ranked foods:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR15/wtrank/sr15w304.pdf (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR15/wtrank/sr15w304.pdf)


another paper on magnesium http://www.krispin.com/magnes.html



Relationship of magnesium deficiency with violence: http://www.mgwater.com/violence.shtml

magnesium chloride in acute and chronic disease: http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2005/09/15/magnesium_chloride_in_acute_and_chronic_diseases.h tm

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

it's no surprise then, that people who are supposedly requiring statins, actually need magnesium, and that magnesium works like a statin, is as effective, without side effects.

http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/23/5/501S

Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 23, No. 5, 501S-505S (2004)
Published by the American College of Nutrition (http://www.jacn.org/misc/terms.shtml)

Comparison of Mechanism and Functional Effects of Magnesium and Statin Pharmaceuticals

Andrea Rosanoff, PhD and Mildred S. Seelig, MD

Since Mg2+-ATP is the controlling factor for the rate-limiting enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthesis sequence that is targeted by the statin pharmaceutical drugs, comparison of the effects of Mg2+ on lipoproteins with those of the statin drugs is warranted. Formation of cholesterol in blood, as well as of cholesterol required in hormone synthesis, and membrane maintenance, is achieved in a series of enzymatic reactions that convert HMG-CoA to cholesterol. The rate-limiting reaction of this pathway is the enzymatic conversion of HMG CoA to mevalonate via HMG CoA. The statins and Mg inhibit that enzyme. Large trials have consistently shown that statins, taken by subjects with high LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) values, lower its blood levels 35 to 65%. They also reduce the incidence of heart attacks, angina and other nonfatal cardiac events, as well as cardiac, stroke, and total mortality. These effects of statins derive less from their lowering of LDL-C than from their reduction of mevalonate formation which improves endothelial function, inhibits proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages, promotes plaque stabilization and regression, and reduces inflammation, Mg has effects that parallel those of statins. For example, the enzyme that deactivates HMG-CoA Reductase requires Mg, making Mg a Reductase controller rather than inhibitor. Mg is also necessary for the activity of lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT), which lowers LDL-C and triglyceride levels and raises HDL-C levels. Desaturase is another Mg-dependent enzyme involved in lipid metabolism which statins do not directly affect. Desaturase catalyzes the first step in conversion of essential fatty acids (omega-3 linoleic acid and omega-6 linolenic acid) into prostaglandins, important in cardiovascular and overall health. Mg at optimal cellular concentration is well accepted as a natural calcium channel blocker. More recent work shows that Mg also acts as a statin.

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So why don't doctors tell people that FIRST, they should take magnesium, and see what happens?

[deesalie]

So why don't doctors tell people that FIRST, they should take magnesium, and see what happens?

Because they just don't know!