For a truly healthy body, magnesium is essential. The mineral, which is required for more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, is found naturally in myriad foods, including green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. But despite its ubiquity, 75% of Americans don't consume adequate amounts—and this missing mineral is one common culprit behind declining heart health. Given that February is Heart Health Month, now's the perfect time to up your magnesium smarts—and intake.
Here, three essential reasons to take in more magnesium:
Magnesium helps lower blood pressure. High blood pressure ups your odds of heart attack and stroke, so look to magnesium to lessen the risk. Calcium works to contract muscles, while magnesium helps those muscles relax. When you're deficient in magnesium, tension in the muscles of the body's blood vessels is a consequence, according to Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, author of The Magnesium Miracle. This tension, in turn, can trigger high blood pressure.
Magnesium promotes reduced cholesterol levels. Who needs drugs when you have an optimal magnesium intake? The answer may surprise you, especially if you're one of the millions of people taking statin medications to control your cholesterol levels. Magnesium naturally balances the body's cholesterol, and some studies show that magnesium supplementation can cause slight decreases in both total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and increases in HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
Magnesium enhances heart health. Some instances of heart disease, research now indicates, are due to enhanced calcium intake (from foods and supplements) without similar increases in magnesium. These two minerals are partners, so the body needs adequate levels of both to work properly. In order to achieve an ideal ratio of calcium and magnesium, make a conscious effort to eat plenty of magnesium-rich foods. According to Dr. Dean, "magnesium helps prevent calcium buildup in cholesterol plaque in arteries, which leads to calcification, or hardening of arteries."
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