For both competitive and recreational athletes, this mineral plays a critical role in physical performance. Magnesium plays a vital role in cellular reactions that release energy from carbohydrates and fats; it also plays a direct role in proper muscle contraction which is of particular importance during strength training and endurance activity.Read More
6 Factors That Affect Absorption of Vitamins & Minerals
Just imagine you are consuming a colorful plate of food containing vegetables, a protein source, grains or dairy –it looks good, but also forms a delicious matrix of nutrients ready to be taken in by your body. Though there is an abundance and variety of amazing food in the world, there are some factors that may impact how well our body uses the foods that we eat—specifically, there are some food factors that may improve absorption of nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, and there are some that may hinder absorption of nutrients. Read More
Mighty Muscle and Magnesium
Your body systems consist of bones, organs, tissues, trillions of cells (both yours and microbial cells) and of course muscles—you name it! Each plays a unique role in how our body functions. Our muscles work in different ways and although it seems simple to raise your legs or flex your arms, the mechanics of these bodily processes can be complex and are heavily dependent on foods as an energy or fuel source and the quality of the nutrients that foods contain! Many minerals play a key role in regulating our bodily processes, such as the act of muscle contraction and relaxation. The major minerals of muscle contraction and relaxation are sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
Magnesium is a mineral that plays a role in over 700 reactions within our body.1 Magnesium is essential from head to toe, being particularly important for energy production and for regulating the muscular, skeletal, and cardiovascular systems and immune and hormonal function.1 Our muscles are in fact very rich in magnesium—a massive 25 to 30% of total body magnesium is in the muscle (and around 50 to 60% is stored in the bone).1 With this in mind, think about the muscles in your body. There are skeletal muscles visible in your arms and legs as they are attached to bones, but there are two other muscle types—smooth muscle within internal organs, and then cardiac muscle is found within the walls of the heart.2 With over 600 muscles in the body,2 you can imagine the large role that magnesium has in our muscular system.Read More