Supplements—and the supplement industry in general regularly get a bad rep. Chiefly because it’s an unregulated industry, which means that there are tons of companies making wild claims about their products, and there is no legal means to stop them since they are unregulated. But, if there’s any supplement that has proven highly effective for various health benefits, its magnesium.
Magnesium is necessary for all sorts of things health related. It’s part of more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body: It’s needed for proper nerve, brain and muscular function, for good heart function, for memory, and for temperature regulation. It also helps in the formation of healthy bones and plays a role in improving insulin sensitivity. Read this article on why insulin sensitivity might replace the term fat loss real soon. Take a second to re-read that last sentence, you can improve your bodies ability to burn fat by taking magnesium!
And, one it’s biggest claims to fame is it helps with getting a good night’s rest! In fact, one of the consequences of magnesium deficiency is insomnia. Put two and two together, and if you’re not getting enough magnesium, your body will be in trouble in a hurry.
Some of the more serious signs and symptoms of magnesium deficiency include: muscle twitches and cramps, osteoporosis, fatigue and muscle weakness, high blood pressure, asthma and an irregular heartbeat. Read more about magnesium deficiency, both mild and severe, here:
So we know magnesium is essential for good health and is one of the supplements I would recommend you take (even if you’re not deficient); however, it’s important to note that not all magnesium supplements are created equal.
There are two types of magnesium supplements—Salts and chelates. The salt form is very cheap to manufacture—and relatively cheap to purchase—where as chelates are bonded to amino acids, and are considerably more pricey.
Surprise surprise, you get what you pay for. As expected, you want to avoid the salt forms. They’re cheap, but they might do more damage than good as they’re difficult for the body to absorb and digest, meanwhile your body recognizes chelates as amino acids, so they’re much easier to both absorb and digest.
As a sidenote, you need to take much more of the salt form as the chelate form to get the same effect, so you would end up having to spend a lot more money anyway, and who wants to swallow more pills than they need to? so don’t penny pinch on your magnesium: Go for the chelate form. According to Strength Sensei Charles Poliquin, here are two good magnesium supplement brands:
• Quadramag—this product has four types of highly-absorbable magnesium chelates, as well as an active form of Vitamin B.
• SynerMag
Read more from Poliquin on magnesium and other supplements here.
Thanks for reading and we’ll see you in health!
