[00:01] nutrients in the body because it's a co-actor for over 300 enzyatic reactions. In today's show, we're going to do a deeper dive into magnesium as it's related to aging and the gender specific applications for magnesium. It
[00:15] turns out that women, particularly women who are trying to get pregnant or who are actively breastfeeding and who are going through menopause, need more magnesium than at other times of their life and possibly more than men. We're
[00:30] also going to talk about the uh magnesium changes throughout aging and then also talk about different forms of magnesium and what foods contain highest look, I got a master's degree in nutrition and so I I thought that I knew
[00:45] surprised. I'm like, wow, most of the foods that I eat actually have no amount of magnesium in it. So, um, let's dive into some of the quotes from this paper. And this is a narrative review. This is not a randomized blind placeboc
[00:59] controlled study. This is just a analysis of the available peer-reviewed published academic literature. The title of this paper is magnesium matters a comprehensive review its vital role in health and disease. The paper goes on to
[01:14] talk about how magnesium is an important co-actor for as I mentioned for more than 300 enzyatic reactions facilitating the conversion of ATP uh to ADP for
[01:26] magnesium is essential for the proper functioning of ion channels, is really important for muscular contractions and in the brain. Um, influencing nerve transmission and muscle relaxation. Magnesium is
[01:41] naturally found in a wide array of foods with green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes being particularly rich sources. Additionally, supplements provide an element of magnesium blah blah blah. Now, here's
[01:53] the thing about deficiency. This deficiency of magnesium is more commonly observed in women compared to men. I think this is really important for folks dudes like, "Yeah, I take 600 milligrams of magnesium, bro." And I don't really
[02:07] hear women talk about magnesium that I mean, of course, some women do, but I think when women think about supplements that they must take, especially women of reproductive age, they might think about B12 and folate for preventing
[02:19] might think about iron, but I don't know that magnesium is really on the radar for some folks. Um, and we'll get into the different organic versus inorganic forms of magnesium and which forms are better and all the stuff in a minute.
[02:33] understand that there is a gender difference here. Uh, and this discrepancy may be partially attributed to estrogen's role for enhancing tissue magnesium utilization, suggesting that hormonal fluctuations in women may
[02:47] influence and regulate magnesium homeostasis or balance. And so suboptimal magnesium status is a concern for both women as well as men. Um, now it's important to recognize and we know this that magnesium is widely present in
[03:03] certain foods but the content of the magnesium in those foods depend upon how that food is grown such as soil quality, irrigation, fertilizers, preservation methods, food processing techniques, uh, and so forth. And there was a report, I
[03:19] think it was from UT Austin going back in the late '9s that found that and and the USDA database has actually found this that quantities of essential minerals and micronutrients in foods have been progressively declining over
[03:33] time. And so we've known this, we've seen this. Uh and so this is why dietary supplements are so popular because most people are eating, you know, processed foods, you know, not whole foods, not fermented foods, things like that. and
[03:45] the soils are not as good as they were. We're doing a lot of tilling and and all agriculture. I know it's like a kitchen table topic now, but you know, most those techniques. And so, this is where supplements come in. And I think it's
[03:59] really important. Um, now before we continue and go on about um the roles that magnesium plays in the brain and in the musculature and and its important uh want to pause. I want to thank you all for being here. appreciate your likes,
[04:13] to thank this video show sponsor, the folks over at bondcharge.com, the makers of an array of amazing tools. I love their atome infrared sauna but they make some of the best blue light filtering glasses on the market.
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[05:40] description below. Your body and your future self will thank you for it. Okay, so getting back to magnesium, I think it's important for us to understand what Like we we hear about this all the time, like, oh, I take all this magnesium, I
[05:55] Like what does it really do? I mean, you know, it's one thing to know that magnesium is involved and is a co-actor for 300 enzyatic reactions, but like how you really care? Well, it turns out that it's really important for about six
[06:12] major functions in the body. The metabolic effects I think are really important. So you know I'm a metabolic health guy. So men modulates insulin sensitivity especially during hormonal fluctuations in women like during the
[06:25] ludal phase of the cycle for example women should probably take more magnesium because estrogen it turns out as we learned earlier influences the absorption and utilization of magnesium. So we know that during the ludial phase
[06:39] is a low estrogen phase for women uh who are still cycling. And so that's a time when you would want to increase your magnesium intake. Uh for women, we know that magnesium deficiency impacts PMS related symptoms and also metabolic
[06:55] stability in women. Uh but in in both men and women, magnesium supports insulin sensitivity, glucose regulation, and testosterone balance and it also affects overall metabolic uh and blood sugar efficiency and health. Now of
[07:10] course we know magnesium and muscle because the muscles uh and the form of magnesium for muscularkeeletal health that has been shown to be uh most beneficial is magnesium malate but magnesium is involved in bone
[07:23] mineralization u and deficiency in magnesium can lead to postmenopausal increases in osteoporosis risk. Okay. So, magnesium is important for the bone. Um, it's also very important for the integrity of muscle. And so, yeah, I I
[07:38] do suggest if you work out a lot that you might want to take many malate or some such thing. So, that's important. It turns out that there's research showing that many deficiency is linked with sarcopenia in men as they
[07:51] get older. So, that's important. Um, so we've talked about the metabolism, we've but what about the brain? Right? We all care about our brain. Well, it turns out that magnesium helps regulate numerous neurotransmitters that impact your mood.
[08:04] important. Uh, also neuromuscular balance. And so, folks that are kind of wobbly or unstable may want to consider as they get older uh having more magnesium. If you're worried about your, uh, aging parents or your grandparents
[08:17] falling and tripping, you know, maybe give them some magnesium. Really low affordable minerals depending upon which source you get in which form. And we'll dive into that in just a moment. Menism is also involved of this is really
[08:31] if you're susceptible to having migraines and having recurring headaches definitely want to consider taking magnesium because it's it's involved in the regulation of calcium homeostasis or calcium balance in the brain and uh that
[08:47] can manifest s from a symptom standpoint as a migraine. muscular strength and function within the you know the peripheral uh nervous system. Magnesium status uh is important. Now we've talked about the
[09:02] muscle, uh the metabolism. Well, what about body fat? Well, it turns out that there is a connection between body mass index, body fat percentage, and magnesium status in the body. There's several papers finding a correlation
[09:17] increased body weight and body mass index. So, I think that's important. So individuals with higher amounts of visceral fat have a correlation with lower magnesium levels. Now the chicken versus the egg story is not totally
[09:32] deficiency that is causing the metabolic disturbances that is causing the increased body fat uh accumulation or is it the hyper palatable foods that are obviously you know have low amounts of
[09:45] magnesium that have led to the visceral atyposity and the changes? Not really sure but there is a correlation with magnesium insufficiency and an increased body fat accumulation uh as well as increased inflammation.
[09:59] But this is interesting in men. It turns out that higher viseral fat accumulation is linked with an inverse association between magnesium intake and waist circumference. So you know one study found I can't remember if this was a
[10:13] prospective cohort study. I don't think this was an RCT where individuals took there was a placebo group but it was associated with a small and relatively
[10:25] insignificant statistically speaking amount of weight loss compared uh to to other folks but there tends to be an epidemiological association between higher menim intakes and lower amounts of visceral fat uh and waist
[10:39] aware of, something to be mindful of because again, you know, a lot of people comes to weight loss. This is very low cost, very accessible. Okay. Well, what about just for other life stages, you know, getting older or having children
[10:54] and things like that? I think it's important that um magnesium requirements lactation as well as menopause for women because the hormonal fluctuations of having a baby of breastfeeding and going through menopause causes pertubations in
[11:09] men's imbalance within the body. Um now for men more physically active men young athletes you know crossfit or high rocks competitors and so forth increases the magnesium needs uh for men. And so I think it's important that you know if
[11:24] you're physically active and and mo all people should be but men for sure um you you're definitely going to need more am more magnesium. And it turns out that in both men and women aging reduces the absorption efficiency and increases the
[11:39] absorption efficiency and increases the urinary loss of magnesium. So as you get older you might need more magnesium. And so you know how much should we be so you know how much should we be getting? Well it's on the low end. 320
[11:51] millig per day for for women and for men it's closer to 400 millig per day. And based upon this table right here that you're looking at, that's going to be especially if you're not eating almonds, pine nuts, cashews, or chocolate. You
[12:07] know, it turns out that, you know, most of the magnesium that we're getting in of the magnesium that we're getting in our diet is from nuts or grains. and and some leafy greens has a decent amount of magnesium but not not a whole lot and
[12:20] again it depends upon the organic nature sprayed with pesticides not soil quality all that but just look at this table and just ask yourself well do I eat any of want you should consider supplementing with magnesium and so you know this is I
[12:34] think one criticism of a carnivore style diet is you're not going to be getting diet is you're not going to be getting much uh magnesium and so um yeah I think this is really interesting In fact, you know, one of the best sources, and I'm
[12:47] of the best sources of magnesium, it turns out, is quinoa and wheat and also oats. Um, I don't generally recommend people eat a lot of oats because they're many of you know, unless they're certified glyphosate free. Um, we know
[13:01] was doing the raw vegan thing, I had quinoa all the time. Um, my friend. So, I don't know that you absorb that much quinoa. Maybe your body talked to a lot of people about quinoa. Um, and so, you know, when it comes to
[13:17] other grains that are high in magnesium, you see wheat here and also brown rice. Well, most people are not eating wheat that has been properly fermented via the sourdough fermentation process that we've discussed at length with Dr. Barl
[13:30] Schindler. And we know that most of the nutrients that are found in wheat and flour are inaccessible to the human body because they have not been properly fermented because what happens as many of you know in the wheat germ and so
[13:44] forth, there's a compound known as phytic acid and phytic acid binds up and makes these minerals inaccessible uh to human digestion unless they are properly fermented by wild yeast and wild bacteria. And this is why so many
[13:59] pancakes, sourdough bread, sourdough crackers, sourdough pizza, all this crackers, sourdough pizza, all this stuff because the fermentation process increases the bacterial breakdown of the wheat product that makes it lower
[14:14] glycemic index. Um it it makes it more digestible the phitates and the uh you know um anti-nutrients that are there but it also makes phytic acid uh enzymes
[14:27] that break down phytic acid. So phitase enzymes and thereby increasing the accessibility of the zinc of the magnesium of the iron of the manganesees of all the micronutrients that are found in wheat
[14:41] that is made more accessible by way of the fermentation process. So, just because you're like, well, I eat wheat, I eat bread. Well, has it been properly fermented via the sourdough fermentation process, you may not be
[14:54] getting the minerals that you think you should be getting from the grains. Okay, so going on down the list now, when we look at spinach and Swiss chard, they are actually quite high in their magnesium. But here's the downside, and
[15:08] I'm not trying to be anti-green leafy vegetable, guys. Um we know that spinach and Swiss chard have high amounts of oxalates which can be particularly problematic and can contribute to uh arthritic joint pain and other you know
[15:21] challenges uh and the least of which is a kidney stone. Um but you know oxalates seems that certain people are more susceptible than others and so forth. That's the challenge there is I'm going to air on the side of soaked and
[15:36] sprouted nuts, fermented whole grains, uh, over say green leafy vegetables. Uh, it turns out that fish and seafood is a decent source of magnesium. Dairy products are lower, but also a different they're a different
[15:51] source. But here's the cool part is dark chocolate. Well, if you have chocolate that is greater than 70% cocoa content, guess what? It has a solid amount of rivals almonds which I think is really cool. So yeah, the other thing that I
[16:07] magnesium and vitamin D. And for a long time I sort of you know um didn't pay a really sure about the mechanistic connection between magnesium and vitamin D. But as you can see from figure one here, this was a recently published
[16:22] study uh highlighting again part of the reason why magnesium is so popular as a dietary supplement is you know it's an enzyatic co-actor for over 350 uh enzymes within the body. um it's involved as a co-actor for the vitamin D
[16:36] binding protein uh the 25 hydroxilase enzyme which converts uh previtamin D to enzyme which converts uh previtamin D to 25 hydroxy uh vitamin D and uh it's also involved in the kidney in in different uh kidney functions uh as well. So it
[16:49] turns out that you know you should have decent magnesium status if you want to have optimal vitamin D function uh as well. So going into the cold and flu about zinc and they think about like elderberry and stuff and want to get
[17:04] should also consider increasing your magnesium intake, which is where I want to finish up and talk about different sources and forms and so forth. Well, you know, when it comes to uh magnesium forms, you have your inorganic versus
[17:17] organic forms. the inorganic forms and this doesn't have to do with organic certifications. This has to do with the structure of the compound. Um in in uh organic chemistry, you know, if it has a carbon atom, you know, it's organic. If
[17:32] you have inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry. Uh and so, a lot of companies will actually sell inorganic forms of magnesium like magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate, magnesium gluconate. Um, these are
[17:47] magnesium magnesium sulfate. These are magnesiums that have are known to not have the best absorption. Uh, and so and and this is exactly why if you're constipated, you take it's recommended that you take magnesium citrate because
[17:59] actually draw more water into your colon and increase the probability that you'll have a successful bowel movement. Um so I think that's important to recognize and understand um the different sources and forms um of of inorganic menisms
[18:14] that are not totally recommended. Now uh the the three to five forms that I generally recommend in terms of um considering when you're looking at a magnesium supplement um many biscinate chilate. So magnesium bound to two
[18:28] molecules of glycine. So what makes this special or unique? Well, glycine is a really important amino acid that play exerts a lot of beneficial physiologic functions in the body and so uh taking magnesium with glycine can be can be
[18:42] helpful uh because glycine does so many things and so this is really common. acid, it turns out, is a really important KB cycle nutrient as a co-actor. Uh, so magnesium malate is important. Um, it turns out that
[18:56] magnesium malate might be the best form of magnesium for your skeletal muscle. of magnesium for your skeletal muscle. Just remember malate muscle M and M that's important. Menesium malate. Um, we also have magnesium torate. So
[19:10] magnesium torate uh is sort of emerging newly as maybe a better form of magnesium uh compared to other forms uh and particularly magnesium acetil torate or torinate uh the ATA mag that has been shown to cross the bloodb brain barrier
[19:25] and improve symptoms related to migraines and headaches and things of the sort. So that's important to understand there. magnesium L38ate you understand there. magnesium L38ate you know um this has been long studied to uh
[19:38] and possibly improve memory concentration and focus in the brain and beyond. So many mouth 38 um has been shown to be helpful as well. So those are the forms that I suggest you consider. Again, glycinate, you have
[19:53] malate, you have toronate or acetil, torinate and thinate. Um those are the magnesium forms. There's all these other you know novel compounds that are coming on the market. I don't think you need a lipolyze magnesium uh or or any enhanced
[20:08] absorption. And I also don't think that there's other companies that are saying, You need this and that. You know, those companies are also selling magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, magnesium gluconate, you know, these inorganic
[20:20] forms of magnesium that don't really have, you know, when you're ultimately magnesium is a salt just like sodium chloride. Salts ionize in the body. And so when you're taking a salt, you want to consider the healthful mineral like
[20:33] magnesium, but also what is the when it ionizes, what is that compound going to do for you? in the context of you know citrate or um aspartate magnesium do for you where where when you think about magnesium glycinate or magnesium
[20:48] malate you think about magnesium torinate torine is good for you malic acid is a kb cycle intermediate compound uh gly glycine uh is is good for the body torine obviously great so that's where I suggest you focus now people
[21:02] magnesium you know I think twice a day is decent you know you can do 150 milligrams in the morning, 150 milligrams at night, for example. Uh if affordable, cost-effective way to take magnesium versus just capsules. Um so it
[21:17] magnesium versus just capsules. Um so it really depends um on what you like, you know. Um so hopefully you got some value from this video, this overview of magnesium, that it's a really important co-actor. It does a lot of things for
[21:30] the skeletal muscle, for the metabolism, for the brain. Um, obviously there's gender differences with estrogen and beyond. And you know, a lot of foods menium. So, you may want to consider supplementing with that. So, I
[21:45] very end. Appreciate your likes, your comments, your shares. If you have any to help you out with, let me know and I'll try to address those in the comments section below. and we'll catch you on a future video down the