<p><a href="https://bdnfprotocols.com/?utm_campaign=magnesium_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast_description"> Download the 9-Page "<strong>Cognitive Enhancement Blueprint</strong>"</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/aliquot?utm_campaign=magnesium_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast_description"> Discover my premium podcast, The Aliquot</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter?utm_campaign=magnesium_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast_description"> Join over 300,000 people and sign up for my newsletter</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/premium?utm_campaign=magnesium_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast_description"> Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A's with Rhonda and more</a></p> <p dir="ltr">In this solo episode, I'm taking an in-depth look at magnesium – a critical yet frequently underestimated mineral in our health. Magnesium stands tall among vital nutrients for its significant role in multiple aspects of human physiology. During this podcast, we'll delve into the widespread negative health effects caused by a lack of magnesium and discuss why increasing your magnesium intake might be key to achieving optimal health.</p> <p><strong>In this episode, I discuss:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>(00:00)</strong> Introduction</li> <li><strong> (04:27)</strong> <span> Why the effects of magnesium are far-reaching</span></li> <li><strong>(06:47)</strong> Why athletes need at least 10-20% more magnesium than the RDA</li> <li><strong>(10:54)</strong> Why magnesium deficiency & insufficiency are common</li> <li><strong>(12:19)</strong> How to determine if you're getting enough magnesium</li> <li><strong>(15:14)</strong> Magnesium supplements</li> <li><strong>(18:17)</strong> Is magnesium threonate better at crossing the blood-brain barrier?</li> <li><strong>(25:08)</strong> Why magnesium threonate shouldn't count toward your RDA goal</li> <li><strong>(26:04)</strong> What magnesium supplement do I take?</li> <li><strong>(26:36)</strong> The effect of stress on magnesium balance</li> <li><strong>(30:15)</strong> Why the energy demands of workouts affect magnesium balance</li> <li><strong>(32:56)</strong> Does magnesium supplementation improve sleep?</li> <li><strong>(34:04)</strong> Why trials in the field of nutrition are often misleading</li> <li><strong>(37:26)</strong> Does higher magnesium intake improve cognition?</li> <li><strong>(39:07)</strong> Does magnesium have a role in preventing Alzheimer's disease?</li> <li><strong>(42:09)</strong> The effect of creatine on the brain (and its relationship to magnesium)</li> <li><strong>(42:42)</strong> Why magnesium may prevent excitotoxicity in the brain</li> <li><strong>(43:32)</strong> Magnesium's potential for managing migraines</li> <li><strong>(46:41)</strong> The role of magnesium in aging</li> <li><strong>(47:39)</strong> Why magnesium deficiency impairs DNA repair</li> <li><strong>(49:13)</strong> Magnesium's role in cancer prevention</li> <li><strong>(51:14)</strong> Why magnesium is intertwined in genomic stability</li> <li><strong>(54:04)</strong> Why we shouldn't disregard observational data in nutrition</li> <li><strong>(54:52)</strong> How magnesium intake affects mortality risk and cancer</li> <li><strong>(57:49)</strong> Magnesium in osteoporosis prevention</li> <li><strong>(59:21)</strong> Why magnesium intake in early life affects bone accretion</li> <li><strong>(1:01:06)</strong> The effect of magnesium on vitamin D metabolism</li> <li><strong>(1:06:36)</strong> Does magnesium treat high blood pressure?</li> <li><strong>(1:10:12)</strong> Does magnesium help manage muscle cramps?</li> <li><strong>(1:12:41)</strong> Is transdermal absorption of magnesium effective?<strong><br /></strong></li> </ul> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8FhKbsGhWU">Watch this episode on YouTube</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/magnesium?utm_campaign=magnesium_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast_description"> Show notes are available by clicking here</a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Magnesium for DNA Repair
Ensure adequate magnesium intake daily to significantly enhance your body’s ability to repair DNA damage, potentially reducing cancer risk in a dose-dependent manner.
2. Optimize Vitamin D with Magnesium
Maintain adequate magnesium intake to support the body’s ability to effectively utilize vitamin D, as magnesium is a cofactor for enzymes that metabolize vitamin D.
3. Magnesium for Long-Term Bone Health
Ensure adequate magnesium intake early in life through diet and supplements. This acts as an investment in long-term bone health, preventing the body from depleting magnesium from bones and reducing the risk of osteoporosis later in life.
4. Monitor Blood Pressure Early
Monitor and manage blood pressure from a young age (18-39 years old) to mitigate the risk of cardiovascular diseases and dementia later in life, as sustained high blood pressure causes damage.
5. Meet Daily Magnesium RDAs
Aim for the recommended daily magnesium intake: 310-320mg for adult women (360mg during pregnancy) and 400-420mg for adult men.
6. Increase Magnesium for Active Lifestyles
Athletes, highly physically active individuals, and regular sauna users should aim for an additional 10-20% above the recommended dietary allowance for magnesium due to greater losses through urine and sweat.
7. Eat Magnesium-Rich Foods
Incorporate dark leafy greens, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, brown rice, and fish like mackerel into your diet, as these are excellent sources of magnesium.
8. Boost Plant Magnesium Absorption
Increase magnesium bioavailability from plant sources by heating oats, cooking leafy greens or legumes, or germinating/sprouting grains and seeds. These methods activate phytase enzymes to break down phytate, which otherwise binds to magnesium.
9. Track Dietary Magnesium
Track and calculate the magnesium content in your diet, using resources like the USDA’s Food Data Central. This is the most practical approach to ensure adequate magnesium intake, as blood tests are not reliable indicators of overall magnesium status.
10. Limit Alcohol Intake
Limit alcohol consumption because it acts as a diuretic, increasing the rate at which the body excretes magnesium and making deficiency more likely.
11. Replenish Magnesium During Stress
Replenish magnesium during periods of mental and physical stress. Stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol) and physical exertion deplete magnesium stores through increased excretion and utilization.
12. Magnesium for Migraine Management
For migraine prevention and management, consider supplementing with approximately 600mg of magnesium per day, divided into smaller doses (e.g., 200mg three times daily) to minimize gastrointestinal discomfort.
13. Choose Organic Magnesium Salts
Select organic magnesium salts (e.g., magnesium citrate, glycinate, malate, taurate) for supplementation. These forms are generally more bioavailable and effectively raise plasma magnesium levels than inorganic forms.
14. Space Out Magnesium Doses
Take daily magnesium supplements in divided, smaller amounts throughout the day. This approach enhances bioavailability, allows for more efficient absorption, and minimizes potential gastrointestinal discomfort.
15. Adhere to Magnesium Upper Limit
Do not exceed the upper safe limit of 350 milligrams per day for supplemental magnesium intake to avoid gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea.
16. Magnesium Threonate RDA Caution
If considering magnesium threonate for potential brain health benefits (which are not established), do not count its elemental magnesium content towards your daily RDA, as it contains a very low amount.
17. Supplement with Glycinate for RDA
To ensure you’re getting enough magnesium, consider supplementing with other organic magnesium forms like magnesium glycinate, which has a higher amount of elemental magnesium content.
Consider taking a magnesium supplement that combines many different forms of magnesium salts. This approach hedges bets on absorption and utilization of various forms.
19. Avoid Excessive Supplemental Zinc
Avoid supplemental zinc doses higher than 124mg/day. High zinc intake can inhibit magnesium absorption and the absorption of other trace elements like copper.
20. High-Dose Zinc for Illness
During illness or its onset, consider short-term, higher-dose zinc supplementation (e.g., 80mg/day for a couple of days). It may lessen respiratory illness symptoms and decrease illness duration.
21. Test for Severe Magnesium Deficiency
Get a plasma or red blood cell magnesium test to rule out severe magnesium deficiency. Do not use it as a guide for optimal or sufficient magnesium levels.
22. Integrate Magnesium for Blood Pressure
Incorporate magnesium-rich foods into your diet, such as those found in a DASH diet. Magnesium helps control blood pressure by boosting prostacyclin and nitric oxide, which relax blood vessels.
23. Epsom Baths for Relaxation
If you find relaxation and a sense of well-being from taking an Epsom salt bath, continue to do so. While scientific validation for improving muscle cramps is lacking, personal relaxation and well-being are important.
24. Download Cognitive Enhancement Guide
Download the free ‘Cognitive Enhancement Blueprint’ from bdnfprotocols.com. It offers lifestyle practices, nutritional insights, and supplement strategies to amplify brain capabilities and strengthen resilience.
25. Explore Rhonda’s Protocols
Explore the ‘Rhonda’s Protocols’ section within the Cognitive Enhancement Blueprint. It provides personal and practical strategies grounded in scientific evidence for enhancing cognitive health and neural protection.