Are you at high-risk of developing diabetes, and do you fear getting struck by the dangerous condition at some point in your life? The fear is understandable, but you should know that you have natural ways of protecting yourself.

There has been a wealthy supply of information on how to ward off diabetes naturally, and more natural solutions with the backing of scientific evidence continuously emerge. Based on a recent study, sufficient to favourable amounts of magnesium intake reportedly aids in diabetes prevention. Several foods have rich concentrations of magnesium, and vitamin supplements abound; as such, diabetes prevention can be simply and effectively achieved through regulated diet.

What is magnesium?

The human body must receive large amounts of daily magnesium through diet because it takes on several roles that aid the body’s function, primarily through influencing various biological processes.

Magnesium is allegedly ranked as the fourth most plentiful mineral in human bodies, with around 50 percent of its total amounts are found in the bone, while the rest are scattered predominantly inside other body tissues and organ cells. Commonly known as a “macromineral”, the body cannot produce its own magnesium, which further explains the need for plentiful magnesium intake.

Potent capacity to prevent and reduce the risk of developing diabetes

The research team, led by Dr. Ka He from the University of North Carolina, discovered that an individual’s risk of developing diabetes can be reduced through high intake of magnesium through meals.

The study involved looking at 4,497 people’s magnesium intake and risk for diabetes, belonging to the age range from 18 up to 30 years. None of the chosen individuals were diabetic during the outset of the study. Within the follow-up period that lasted for 20 years, around 330 subjects eventually developed the disease. For those whose magnesium intake reached an average of 200 milligrams per 1,000 calories consumed, they reportedly had lesser chances of developing and acquiring diabetes by a substantial 47 percent. This is in comparison with those who had lower magnesium intake, around 100 milligrams per consumption of a thousand calories.

Furthermore, findings have shown that inflammation markers were reduced along with the rise of magnesium intake. Other risk factors of diabetes decreased, as linked to high levels of magnesium in the blood, including insulin resistance. The lead researcher calls on the need to embark on more large-scale clinical trials that will further establish the causal relationship between diabetes and magnesium intake.

According to the researchers, one of the angles that suggest the potent capacity of magnesium in reducing diabetes risk is the said mineral’s role in the functionality of enzymes, in relation to the body’s processing of glucose. Despite the need for further research and evidences, at least the recent results have provided a promising lead, and have added to people’s knowledge of magnesium’s potential health benefits.

The magic mineral: A spectrum of magnesium’s potential health benefits

Magnesium isn’t referred to as a magic mineral or a macromineral for nothing. The following list shows just some of the many health benefits that one can derive from consuming healthy amounts of magnesium.

Enhancing the health of bones

Magnesium reportedly aids in reversing osteoporosis, and in alleviating bone loss. Deficiency of the said mineral can serve as a risk factor for osteoporosis in women past their menopausal stage, which may be attributed to how magnesium deficiency affects and renders calcium metabolism less functional. There have also been studies applied to humans that have shown the potent capacity of magnesium in improving bone mineral density.

Boosting heart health

Magnesium can also potently prevent the risk of having heart attacks, which may be attributed to its significant role in preventing calcium build-up in arteries, while maintaining regular heartbeat. Furthermore, because magnesium aids in proper calcium metabolism and it helps in causing relaxation in muscles, heart attack can also be prevented because heart muscles are at lower risk of too much contraction.

Furthermore, intravenous magnesium can be used to reduce fatality risks due to heart attacks, provided that is it given shortly after the episode. A British study which involved 2000 victims of heart attack who, within 24 hours following the episode, were either given IV magnesium sulfate or saline solution. Those who took magnesium sulphate had reduced fatality incidences by 24 percent. Furthermore, those who also took magnesium reportedly experienced a decrease in cardiovascular fatality rate by 21 percent, in a period of one up to five years after.

Constipation relief

According to a 2007 issue of Bottom Line's Daily Health News, magnesium deficiency may lead to inadequate peristalsis — the involuntary contractions that take place during bowel movement, which also enables the movement of food through the stomach’s large intestine. A decrease in the peristaltic movement of the intestines would cause slower transit of food, thereby causing constipation. As such, proper peristalsis functionality can be achieved by having ample amounts of calcium and magnesium in the body.

Helping gallstone prevention

According to the May 2008 issue of Health & Healing newsletter, a research study that involved around 42,000 men yielded significant findings on the mineral’s capacity to aid in gallstone prevention. Those whose daily magnesium intake started from 453 milligrams experienced a 30 percent decrease in gallstone risk, as compared to the rest who took lower daily amounts — around 262 milligrams of the said mineral.

Hypertension and high blood pressure prevention

Magnesium aids in regulating blood pressure, a claim that received the support of several human study findings. According to Robert J. Rowen, M.D., hypertension is a condition that is largely caused by deficiencies of minerals. Also, according to Julian Whitaker, M.D., the role of regulating blood pressure can be attributed to the fact that magnesium helps relax muscles that dilate arteries.

There are other health conditions that magnesium can help treat or prevent. However, it is not unlikely that more will further be discovered through future studies and trials. The following are some conditions that may greatly benefit from magnesium consumption:

• Alcoholism
• Chronic fatigue
• Epilepsy
• Congenital heart disease
• Glaucoma
• Asthma
• Coronary artery disease
• PMS
• Peptic ulcers.

How to have a diet rich in magnesium

Because the body cannot produce the mineral therefore, abundant magnesium intake must be attained through maintaining a high-magnesium diet. Apart from direct vitamin supplementation, the following are excellent dietary sources: whole grains, spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, broccoli, blackstrap molasses, turnip greens, cucumber, green beans, peppermint, and celery.

As seen in the list, some of the most excellent magnesium sources are green leafy vegetables. This is because their chlorophyll molecule’s center portion contains magnesium. Seed varieties can also account as good magnesium sources, such as pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds.

Sources
news.yahoo.com
newsmaxhealth.com
ods.od.nih.gov
whfoods.com
alternative-medicine-digest.com