Northwestern Medical School On Magnesium
This site is a great resource for information on nutrition and wellness. It includes ‘fact sheets’ on topics, providing basic information on things like minerals. For example, the magnesium fact sheet includes symptoms of deficiency, levels of toxicity, sources, recommended daily allowance and its physiological functions.
“Magnesium has roles in energy metabolism, muscle contraction, and nerve impulse transmission, and bone mineralization. It is a required cofactor for an estimated 300 enzymes. Among the reactions catalyzed by these enzymes are fatty acid synthesis, protein synthesis, and glucose metabolism. Magnesium status is important for regulation of calcium balance through parathyroid hormone-mediated reactions. Secretion of parathyroid hormone and end-organ responsiveness to the hormone are dependent on availability of the mineral.
As a positively charged divalent cation, magnesium acts as a calcium antagonist at the cell membrane level which is necessary to maintain normal electrical potentials and to coordinate muscle contraction-relaxation responses. In muscle, increased intracellular calcium concentration triggers contraction while increased intracellular magnesium concentration counteracts this effect resulting in relaxation. Magnesium is also involved in metabolism of ATP which enables release of energy stored in the high-energy phosphate ester bond. It is also a potent vasodilator. Magnesium and calcium coordinate the constriction/relaxation of capillary blood vessels which contributes to regulation of blood pressure.”
Nutrition Fact Sheet: Magnesium, Nutrition, Feinberg School of Medicine.
Related posts:
- Featured Product:Magnesium Malate Magnesium is an essential mineral, playing a key role in...
- Magnesium For Athletes: Things To Note If you're an athlete, you may already be considering how...
- Magnesium, Calcium & More To Keep Ahead of Osteoporosis Most people associate calcium, and sometimes magnesium with preventing osteoporosis....
- Featured: Calcium Magnesium Supplements From Kalyx Calcium magnesium supplements promote healthy strong bones and your body's...
- Learn Why We Need Magnesium Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body...
Tags: calcium and magnesium supplements, calcium magnesium supplements, magnesium deficiency, magnesium facts, northwestern nutrition, nutrition facts
