Why is Magnesium so Important to a Woman’s Health?

On this episode of DivaTalkRadio, Kelli will be talking with Dr. Carolyn Dean about the importance magnesium has on a woman’s health. After talking with Dr. Dean and reading her book The Magnesium Miracle, Kelli was empowered to take a closer look at her magnesium intake.

About 43 percent of the US population (almost 70 percent of older women) use dietary supplements containing calcium; but Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, warns that, without balancing their calcium with magnesium, they may be at risk.

Dr. Dean, magnesium expert and Medical Director of the nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association, says most people, including the majority of medical doctors, do not understand key facts about calcium and its sister mineral, magnesium:

• Typically, less than half of calcium intake is absorbed in the gut,the rest either being excreted or potentially forming kidney stones or being transported to soft tissues where it can harden (calcify).

• Adequate levels of magnesium are essential for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and vitamin D.

Magnesium converts vitamin D into its active form so that it can aid calcium absorption. Magnesium also stimulates the hormone calcitonin, which helps to preserve bone structure and draws calcium out of the blood and soft tissues back into the bones, lowering the likelihood of osteoporosis, some forms of arthritis, heart attack and kidney stones.

• There is a growing amount of scientific evidence pointing to high calcium–low magnesium intake leading to calcification, or hardening, of arteries (atherosclerosis—the number one cause of death in the US), osteoporosis and osteoporotic bone fractures.

Find out more about magnesium and how it relates to depression, fibromyalgia, ADHD, diabetes, and more with Kelli and Dr. Carolyn Dean.