Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Magnesium For Weight Loss

When it comes to losing weight, there are a lot of programs and supplements that can aid you in your endeavors. Magnesium is one vitamin that has been studied in the process of losing weight, and it does contribute to dietary needs. Magnesium, although it does not play a direct role in weight loss, it does play a role.


Balance of Fluids


Magnesium is needed as part of your electrolyte system. It is required to help keep your fluids balanced properly. When your magnesium levels drop, your ability to process fluids drops as well. This means that fluids build up in your system and cause water retention, which ads pounds. However, according to Dr. Apovian, director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center, magnesium does not actually help you lose weight in a direct manner. How magnesium works is by helping to keep your metabolism working properly. It will not raise your metabolism or lower it, but if you are eating the right foods and getting plenty of exercise, magnesium supplements can help to keep your metabolism working so that you can burn more calories. If your metabolism is slow due to an unhealthy diet such as lack of magnesium, you will be more apt to gain weight rather than lose.


Magnesium Related to Diabetic Weight Loss


If you are already deficient in magnesium, as well as a diabetic, you could have even further trouble losing weight. A magnesium deficiency for you, if you are diabetic, can cause your insulin resistance to worsen. This means you will have an increase in glucose levels as well as your insulin levels. This problem can make it very difficult for diabetics to lose weight, which is very important to do for many diabetics. It can worsen further if you are not getting enough magnesium throughout the day due to being on a calorie restriction diet.


It is recommended that anyone, including diabetics, take 400 mg of magnesium a day; preferably 200 mg of magnesium in the morning and 200 mg of magnesium at bedtime. This will help to keep your insulin leveled so that you do not have glucose spikes throughout the day, which will in turn, help you to lose weight if you need to.








Get Magnesium


Other than supplements, you can find magnesium in a variety of foods. Most of them are fruits and vegetables such as raw broccoli. Raw broccoli has one of the highest contents of magnesium, but you can also get magnesium from green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. Good sources of magnesium are also from the legume family such as peanuts, lentils, kidney beans, and chick peas, as well as you will find magnesium in whole wheat breads and cereals, and different seeds such as, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, and peanuts.

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