moodybreadcrumbs

In Cells

• Minerals distributed differently based on their functions in the body (compared to even distribution when dissolved in water)
• Ca, Mg, Na, K are the most plentiful minerals in the body and are collectively called electrolytes
• Ca, Na mostly extracellular; Mg, K mostly intracellular
  • Mg plays crucial role in maintaining specialized distribution
  • If Mg levels within cell falls below normal, Ca and Na rush inside cell while Mg and K leak out

Magnesium & Calcium

• Ca excites nerve cells while Mg calms them
• When Mg levels inside cell are low, Ca rushes in and doing so excites the cell, putting it into a hyperactive state
  • Heart and blood vessel cells especially excitable since they need to react quickly in stressful situations
  • When Ca levels get especially high inside the cell, the cell physically changes, getting stiff and hard (calcification)
• How Mg is affected
  • Salt lowers cellular Mg
  • Glucose lowers cellular Mg
  • Pregnancy lowers cellular Mg (especially if complicated by diabetes)
  • Aging lowers cellular Mg
  • Insulin temporarily raises blood but causes increased Mg loss in urine, which ultimately leads to low cellular Mg and increased cellular Ca
  • Glutathione raises cellular Mg (vitamin E raises glutathione)
  • Insulinlike growth factor (IGF) raises cellular Mg
  • Estrogen raises cellular but lowers blood Mg

Diabetes, Heart Disease

• Mg is needed for insulin to bring glucose into cells
• Type 1 diabetes: you genetically under produce insulin
• Type 2 diabetes: insulin resistance (glucose cannot enter the cell) caused by Mg deficiency that manifests as Metabolic Syndrome X
  • Sustained high blood glucose (hyperglycemia) increases excretion of Mg and glucose from kidneys (Type 1)
  • In Type 2, sustained high blood glucose causes over production of insulin, or hyperinsulinemia in addition to hyperglycemia

Magnesium’s Effect on Blood Pressure

• Mg directly relaxes and dilates blood vessels
• Mg acts as a beta blocker (blocks action of adrenaline, which raises blood pressure)
• Mg acts as a calcium-channel blocker (inhibits flow of Ca into cells) (excitatory state)
• Balanced Mg indirectly helps balance other electrolytes which are important for normal blood pressure
  • Low K can bring on high blood pressure but even adequate K intake cannot normalize high BP if  Mg too low
• Mg needed by endothelium of blood vessels to maintain structure and function
  • Endothelial cells produce prostacycline, thromboxane, endothelin that effect BP
    • Prostacycline (production is increased by Mg) dilates arteries
    • Thromboxane and endothelin synthesis constrict arteries and is inhibited by Mg
  • Blood pressure meds lower BP even in people with normal BP, nutrient therapy normalized BP
• Mg needed for K to be balanced but if Mg levels normal and K low, you can still have hypertension

Role of Potassium

• Body expends large amount of energy maintaining Na:K ratio in and out of cells
• When Mg and/or K deficient the body responds via raising blood pressure
  • When ratio is too high, body tries to get rid of excess Na through the kidneys (which are better at conserving Na)
• Bodies invest enormous amounts of energy into balancing K and Na (keeping K in cells and Na out)
  • If not enough K, ability to keep K inside cell is compromised and Na begins to replace K inside cell
  • Body then must continue to expend energy trying to increase K levels within cells, which requires constant supply of enzymes to pump Na out and K in (Na-K pump)
    • ATPase (adenosine triphosphatease) is enzyme required and depends on Mg
  • As a result of this, body tries to compensate by increasing blood pressure
    • Body tries to get rid of excess Na through kidneys but kidneys evolutionarily designed to retain Na (because Na sources harder to find in primal times given humans ate a lot of plants with sufficient amounts of K and Mg)
      • Body ends up eliminating what little K it has, as well
      • Decreased Mg and/or K –> increased Na –> increased blood pressure to eliminate excess Na
  • To help with this scenario, diuretics are prescribed to excrete excess Na but usually end up eliminating K and Mg, too (there are some medications that do not eliminate K)

Diet and Lifestyle Changes for Hypertension

• If Na and K balances but Mg is low = metabolic syndrome X or hypertension
• If Mg and Ca balances but K is low and Na is high = hypertension (not metabolic syndrome X)

Nine Steps to Healthier BP

• 5. Determining Mg status is more difficult b/c serum values do not reflect total body Mg
  • To accurately measure Mg:
    • Measure cellular free Mg (Mgi) by NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance)
    • Mg load test
    • Ion selective electrode (ISE) testing
    • Proprietary tests: IMg2 + and Exatest
• Do not take supplemental Mg or K is severe kidney disease (renal failure) – Mg supplements are not safe

The Consequence of Eating Refined Foods

• As the body tries to regulate increased BS, the kidneys help by excreting excess glucose but also end up eliminating Mg
  • So, not only is Mg depleted during the process of digesting glucose (??), it’s also depleted as the body tries to mitigate increased glucose by eliminating it through kidneys
    • Or is this solely how Mg is depleted during BSR??
  • Mg deficiency compounded by eliminating Mg through urine on top of eating Mg poor foods (high sugar, processed)
  • Mg also plays a role in cells being able to respond to insulin so if deficient, insulin assistance in cells’ ability to uptake glucose is limited –> insulin resistance