dissolved in seawater, after sodium and chlorine.
Naturally, Mg occurs only in combination with other elements, where it almost always has a +2 oxidation state. When produced in nature, it is highly reactive and burns with its characteristic brilliant-white light. But when in the atmosphere, it forms a thin oxide film that partially inhibits its reactivity. As above, so is below. The human body is a miniature Universe.
Magnesium in plants
The vital interaction between phosphate and magnesium ions makes Mg essential to the nucleic acid chemistry of every cell of all known living organisms. Plants require magnesium to synthesize chlorophyll, which is vital for photosynthesis. Mg, at the center of the porphyrin ring in chlorophyll, functions like iron in the center of the porphyrin ring in heme. Mg deficiency in plants causes late-season yellowing between leaf veins, especially in older leaves. It can be eliminated by applying either Epsom salts or crushed dolomitic limestone to the soil.
Magnesium in the Body
To fully understand and appreciate the workings of magnesium in the body, it helps to learn some chemistry and a bit of history.
An ion is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. A cation is a positively charged ion with more protons than electrons that moves downward. An anion is a negatively charged ion with more electrons than protons that moves upward. Oppositely charged particles are pulled towards one another by electrostatic force. Thus, cations and anions attract each other and readily form ionic compounds.
In 1834, English polymath William Whewell and English physicist and chemist Michael Faraday devised the terms anode and cathode, along with anion and cation, to describe ions attracted to the respective electrodes.
The Mg cation is the second-most-abundant cation in seawater and sea salt. Mg is highly reactive and reacts with water at room temperature. In the human body, it is the eleventh most abundant element by mass.
Every cell in the body contains Mg. 60% of the body’s Mg is in the bones, with the rest in muscles, soft tissues, and fluids, including blood.
Mg is essential to all cells. Over 300 enzyme reactions require magnesium ions for their catalytic action, including all enzymes that use or synthesize ATP and those that use other nucleotides to synthesize DNA and RNA. The ATP molecule is chelated with a magnesium ion.
BENEFITS of MAGNESIUM
Mg is involved in hundreds of reactions in the body, such as:
• Energy Creation, converting food into energy.
• Coronary and Heart Function and Regulation to help balance blood pressure.
• Gene Maintenance to help create and repair DNA and RNA.
• Muscle Movements, aiding in muscle contraction and relaxation.
• Nervous System Regulation of neurotransmitters to send messages throughout your brain and nervous system.
• Protein Formation: the process of creating new proteins from amino acids.
Magnesium:
• Alleviates morning sickness in pregnancy (Pregnancy hormones inhibit the body’s ability to absorb magnesium, which causes a vicious cycle. A Mg deficiency produces excess cortisol, which causes nausea that leads to more stress, requiring a higher amount of Mg);
• Alleviates pain and is anti-inflammatory;
• Assists in bone formation and joint and skeletal health;
• Assists in the absorption of vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin K2;
• Assists in the vitamin D pathways (Vitamin D deficiency is present in immune dysfunction and many diseases, including various cancers, arthritis, osteoporosis, and mental illness);
• Assists in the production of GABA, which controls the production of hormones like serotonin that produce calmness and well-being;
• Assists the mitochondria in ATP (adenosine triphosphate) production for energy;
• Assists with heart rhythm and calcium to normalize blood pressure;
• Dilates the blood vessels to allow blood flow to the extremities, benefiting people with Raynaud’s syndrome;
• Enhances sports performance;
• Enhances the effectiveness of nutrition, medical treatments, surgery, acupuncture, and chiropractic care;
• Helps to overcome insomnia and asthma;
• Helps to overcome constipation and headaches;
• Helps to overcome depression, defensiveness, and aggressive behavior;
• Helps to overcome muscle spasms, aches, and pains;
• Helps to protect the body against environmental stresses, especially in children and the elderly;
• Participates as a co-factor for many other nutrients and hundreds of enzyme activities;
• Participates as a natural and effective muscle relaxant, anti-inflammatory, and calcium-channel blocker;
• Promotes coronary and heart health;
• Reduces the harmful effects of stress and ADHD in children;
• Supports healthy blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity;
• Works to prevent heart palpitations and heart attacks/cardiac arrests. (The highest amounts of magnesium are in the heart, specifically within the heart’s left ventricle);
• Works with potassium to prevent painful leg or foot muscle cramps.