How do I get magnesium in my body?
Magnesium fact sheet
How do I get magnesium in my body? By eating the right variety of foods, it is possible to meet your recommended daily intake for levels of magnesium. Magnesium is an important mineral, and we need a certain amount of magnesium to maintain healthy energy levels, relax muscles including the heart, regulate the nervous system which helps improve anxiety, elevate mood and improve sleep quality.
Causes of magnesium deficiency vary from lack of dietary intake, diabetes, poor absorption, chronic diarrhoea, celiac disease and hungry bone syndrome. People with alcoholism are also at an increased risk. Magnesium deficiency, or hypomagnesemia, is an overlooked health problem because deficiency is often underdiagnosed due to the obvious signs not appearing until levels become severely low.
The RDA amount of magnesium you need is 300mg a day for men (19 to 64 years) and 270mg a day for women (19 to 64 years). Source: NHS
Good sources of magnesium
Magnesium is found in a wide variety of foods; the richest sources are seeds and nuts, especially almonds and pumpkin seeds. Other relatively magnesium rich foods include spinach and other leafy green vegetables, wholemeal bread, whole grains, dark chocolate, popcorn, fortified breakfast cereals and other fortified foods, milk, yogurt and some other milk products.
Sea water is naturally rich in minerals, including magnesium, so vegetables that grow in or near the sea, such as kelp, contain generous amounts of this mighty mineral. Choose foods that are whole and unprocessed, minimise your intake of refined sugar, especially from refined foods, because it can lead to increased excretion of magnesium from the body, therefore quickly depleting the stores needed for optimal health.
Avoid alcohol because it can interfere with the body’s absorption of vitamin D and other essential nutrients, which in turn affects magnesium absorption. Fizzy drinks are associated with low magnesium levels, instead drink coconut water which is naturally rich in magnesium and other electrolytes to keep you well hydrated.
Boost your magnesium intake
How do I get magnesium in my body? You may need to supplement with extra magnesium in tablet or powder form if low magnesium levels, or feel you are not getting enough magnesium from foods. Choose Lipsomal Magnesium capsules because the powder form is purer and free from additives, fillers and chemical substances. Liposomal form supplements are absorbed up to 20x better than regular supplements, meaning you can take lower doses, because the active ingredients aren’t destroyed in the stomach and arrive intact at the site of action.
Use as a daily moisturiser with added health benefits and rich hydration such as Magnesium Skin Body Butter. It will help reduce the appearance of fine lines and leaves healthier-looking skin as well as relive aches, pains, headaches, migraines and relive stress too. If you suffer from skin conditions, try Good Health Naturally’s Ancient Magnesium Oil.
The German health care system pays for patients to travel to The Dead Sea, which is extremely high in magnesium salts, for psoriasis treatment.
Choose a high quality one-a-day Multivitamin Multimineral Capsule that contains forms of nutrients that the body can recognise and use efficiently. Obtaining vitamins and minerals from diet alone can be tricky with depleted soils and our bodies in ever-fluctuating state of stress and poor health, so a multivitamin is good to keep you fully balanced.
It is important to optimise gut health to ensure maximum benefits of digestion and nutrient absorption with a probiotic such has Superbiotics. Maintaining optimal levels of friendly bacteria can help to ensure magnesium gets absorbed and used efficiently within the body.
What are the symptoms of magnesium deficiency?
The symptoms of magnesium deficiency are usually subtle unless your levels become severely low. They include chronic and prolonged fatigue, poor sleep, poor recovery from exercise, anxiety and mood disorders, low immunity, muscle cramps, quivery tongue, mental health conditions, irregular heartbeat and osteoporosis. A lack of magnesium increases the risk of high blood pressure, celiac disease and heart disease.
If you are experiencing symptoms of magnesium deficiency, you should seek medical advice and request a blood test to confirm if you have a magnesium deficiency or any issues with your blood sugar. If you have a health condition that causes your body to lose magnesium, it is important to eat plenty of magnesium-rich foods or take magnesium supplements.
Whatever the outcome, try to regularly eat plenty of magnesium-rich whole foods, such as nuts, seeds, grains or beans, because all these foods are high in healthy nutrients, so including them in your diet not only lowers your risk of magnesium deficiency, but will also support your overall health.
Check out our full range of magnesium products which are all made with the highest grade, certified non-GMO ingredients of the purest quality and are vegan friendly: https://lemonwellmed.co.uk/health-products/product-category/magnesium/
People who do not get enough magnesium in their diets should consider taking supplements but note that taking high doses of magnesium (more than 400mg) for a short time can cause diarrhoea.
Be careful with tannins (tea), oxalates (raw spinach) and phytic acid (wholegrains) because these can bind with magnesium, making it unavailable to the body. We recommend that you herbal teas, cook spinach gently and look for organic, stone ground, sprouted or sour dough wholegrain breads for best results.
How does lipoic acid work in the body?
Lipoic acid fact sheet
How does lipoic acid work in the body? Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is an organic compound made in the body that acts as a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants fight ‘free radicals’ which cause harmful chemical reactions that can damage organs, tissues and cells, making it harder for the body to fight off infections. It is found in every cell where it serves vital functions at the cellular level, such as energy production, because it helps turn glucose into energy.
Alpha-lipoic acid is both water soluble and fat soluble, allowing it to work in every cell or tissue in the body. Most other antioxidants are either water or fat soluble, for instance, vitamin C is only water soluble, while vitamin E is only fat soluble.
Good sources of alpha lipoic acid
Your body naturally produces alpha-lipoic acid, but only in small amounts. It’s found in a variety of foods but, however according to WebMD, ‘food does not appear to produce a noticeable increase in the level of free ALA in the body’, so we would recommend an alpha lipoic acid supplementation because they can pack up to 1,000 times more alpha-lipoic acid than food sources.
Animal products like red meat and organ meats such as kidney, liver and heart are great sources, but alpha-lipoic can also be found in plant foods like green peas, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, yam, potatoes, carrots, beets, sprouts and rice bran.
Our range of dietary supplements includes Liposomal R-Alpha-Lipoic Acid, which is combined with vitamin C to support the immune system better. It helps the liver eliminate toxic substances, it’s a great source of energy and it fights free radicals and reduces oxidative stress.
Alpha R Lipoic Acid is good for blood sugar balance, supports the pancreatic function, supports peripheral nerve function as well as being an antioxidant and free radical neutraliser. There are no set dosage requirements, most evidence suggests that 300–600 mg is sufficient and safe as a daily dose. Higher doses are not recommended, as there is no evidence that they provide extra benefits
Benefits of alpha lipoic acid
Studies show that the properties of alpha-lipoic acid have been linked to many benefits including lowering blood sugar levels, lowering the incidence of blood pressure, reducing inflammation and improving nerve function. Lipoic acid also attacks waste products created when the body turns food into energy.
Research suggests using alpha acid in the treatment of weight loss, memory, heart health conditions including heart disease, skin health in particular reducing aging skin, treating HIV and diabetes gave positive results. Here we look at some of the benefits in more detail:
Diabetes – ALA has become popular as a potential aid for people with diabetic symptoms due to lowering blood sugar levels. It works by promoting processes that can remove fat that accumulates in muscle cells, which would otherwise make insulin resistant or less effective. It is proven to ease symptoms of nerve damage and lower the risk of diabetic eye damage (retinopathy) that can occur with uncontrolled diabetes, and alpha-lipoic acid may lower the risk of diabetes complications generally.
Weight loss – Research shows that ALA may affect weight loss. In a US randomized controlled trial, long-term LA supplementation resulted in slight BMI loss, greater antioxidant enzyme synthesis and less potential for inflammation in overweight adults.
Skin health – ALA benefits for skin improvements are thought to come from its high antioxidant content, because an antioxidant is a molecule that protects your cells from damage by donating electrons to potentially the dangerous free radical molecules. Research has found that topical ALA results in an almost complete reduction of fine lines around the eyes and upper lip in most of the participants.
Alpha lipoic acid side effects
Alpha-lipoic acid is generally considered safe with very few possible side effects. In some cases, people may experience mild symptoms like nausea, rashes or itching, but these would cease once the supplement is no longer taken.
Children and pregnant women should not take supplements unless advised to do so by their healthcare provider as there maybe risk factors involved. If you have diabetes and want to try alpha-lipoic acid, speak to your health care professional first, as the effect of alpha lipoic you interfere with other medications.
Check out our full range of Vitamunda liposomal supplements which are all made with the highest grade, certified non-GMO ingredients of the purest quality and are vegan friendly.
Gut Microbiome and human health
How does the gut Microbiome influence human health?
How does the gut microbiome influence health? Most people think of the gut as the stomach on its own, but the gastrointestinal tract begins from the mouth through the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, and rectum to the anal sphincter. Each of these parts has a different role in health, including transportation, digestion, absorption, and elimination of the ingested substances to provide our bodies with crucial nutrients for life.
The gut microbiome consists of various microorganisms living in a mutually beneficial relationship with the human body. On good days! They call this a symbiotic relationship with the host. It is important to mention that gut microbiome and gut microbiota are used interchangeably, although they mean different things. Microbiome refers to the microorganisms and their genes, whereas microbiota refers to the microbes themselves.
We are unique…
Our nutritional demands and the make-up of our gut microbiome are as unique as our appearances. No two individuals share the same microbiome, just like our fingerprints. Therefore, understanding the correct amount of nutrients we need is the first, and possibly, the most critical step towards feeling vibrant and energetic. This article aims to examine how the gut microbiome affects human health and diseases.
What we currently know
According to more recent research, the human-bacterial ratio stands at 1:1, which means we have about the same number of bacteria in our bodies as human cells. Older theories claimed that bacteria outnumber human cells.
As new-borns, we are sterile, so the diversity of microorganisms depends on the environment at the time of delivery and feeding, the mother microbiome pre and postnatal, and antibiotics use. The adult gut flora is developed by the age of 3 years. Some stay with us till the end of our lives; others undergo rapid transitions. As a result, the microbial strains we house differ between environments and populations. For example, digesting seaweed by Europeans is more challenging than by Asian people.
What is the hype about these tiny creatures?
Beneficial bacteria metabolise nutrients and drugs for us, protect us against pathogens, modulate and train the immune system, produce short-chain fatty acids from fibre, produce vitamins, and support the structural integrity of the gut mucosal barrier. When something goes wrong with the microbes, something goes wrong with us too! Westernisation, urbanisation, and the increased consumption of processed foods and exposure to antimicrobial drugs result in the development of dysbiosis.
Dysbiosis, an imbalance of microorganisms in the intestines, has been associated with many debilitating diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diabetes, and allergic conditions. Obesity is also very relevant. In the dysbiotic gut flora, the harmful microbes overtake the beneficial ones and manifest in various digestive complaints such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhoea, and constipation. Additionally, harmful bacteria release endotoxins which compromise the integrity of the intestines leading to permeability. The long term consequences of dysbiosis lead to more systemic issues in other parts of the body, such as the nervous, endocrine, and immune system.
Over 70% of the gut microbiota lives in the large intestine.
The predominant species are Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. The Firmicutes: Bacteroidetes ratio gives us an indication of the risks of obesity and IBD. Sometimes bacteria dislocate in larger quantities into the small intestine, resulting in small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
An old and common way to prepare food is by fermentation, a natural process of the microorganisms converting sugar and starch into alcohol and acids in the absence of oxygen. For example, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced by bacterial fermentation from non-digestible dietary fibre. Fibre increases the diversity of the gut microbiome and increases intestinal motility, reducing the number of gas-forming bacterial species. The microbes also use prebiotics, plant material and proteins that are non-digestible or can’t be broken down by us due to the lack of enzyme or issues with absorption to produce metabolites.
The three major SCFAs are butyrate, acetate, and propionate. The number of carbohydrates, intestinal gasses, and the pH of the colon are the main factors that influence their production.
Why are SCFAs so important?
Because they are heavily involved in energy metabolism, appetite regulation, gut motility, and neurotransmitter production, which affect our mood and relaxation. Depression, social behaviour, and cognitive function are also affected. Evidence suggests that there is bi-directional communication between the gut and the brain via the vagus nerve. Healthy individuals with a healthy gut mostly feel happy, energised, and looking forward to the day.
Feeding with fermentation
Our gut loves fermented foods such as yoghurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and tofu. They contain probiotics which are the beneficial bacteria themselves. Prebiotics are plant fibre that are feeding the good guys. The intake of both of these offers health benefits to the host only if consumed in adequate amounts. Carefully evaluating the appropriate strains and mixture is crucial for a compromised gut. For example, individuals with histamine dysregulation issues may worsen their condition by ingesting certain bacterial species as they further stimulate histamine production.
So, how does the gut microbiome influence health? While we know that the composition of the gut microbiota has a significant role in how we feel, research in this area and the immune system presents more open questions than any other aspects of human health. It is undeniable that dietary pattern has a pivotal role in the gut microbiota composition. Unhealthy food choices in the long term create an environment for and invite harmful microbes to thrive.
Check out our multi-strain Superbiotics with ten billion live bacteria and our prebiotics supplements.
Author: Anita Andor, nutritional therapist
References
1, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7117800/pdf/nihms-1561925.pdf
2, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7117800/pdf/nihms-1561925.pdf
3, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32211860/
4, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6682904/
5, https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-020-00875-0
6, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33139627/
7, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4528021/