I’ve been a fan of magnesium since I read about a study about magnesium helping something like eighty percent of migraine sufferers find some relief. But this mineral does other good things for your body!
Of all the minerals in your body, magnesium is the fourth most abundant. About half the magnesium in the human body is found in the bones; the other half is mostly found inside tissues and organs. About one percent of the magnesium in the body is found in the blood.
So what does all that magnesium do?
- Helps the body maintain normal nerve and muscle function
- Helps keep a steady heartbeat
- Supports the immune system
- Keeps bones strong and healthy
- Helps regulate blood sugar levels
- Promotes normal blood pressure
- Is involved in energy metabolism and protein creation
Recent studies have also noted that magnesium may help prevent and manage chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
Children between the ages of one and three years old should get 80 milligrams of magnesium per day. Between the ages of four and eight years old, children should get around 130 milligrams of magnesium daily. Children between the ages of nine and thirteen should get 240 milligrams of magnesium per day.
After the age of thirteen, recommended daily allowances for magnesium split by gender. Males between fourteen and eighteen should get 410 milligrams per day; females of the same age should get 360 milligrams per day. Between the ages of nineteen and thirty, males should try to get 400 milligrams of magnesium daily; females 310 milligrams. For the rest of adulthood, males should aim for 420 milligrams per day and females should aim for 320 milligrams per day. Pregnant women of any age should try to get an extra forty milligrams of magnesium per day, but nursing mothers don’t really need any extra magnesium in their diets.