Magnesium is one of the more well known minerals. It is required for over 3,000 different reactions in the body to occur properly including processes involved with heart health, detoxification, stress reduction, nutrient status (vitamin D, excess sodium, Ceruloplasmin, calcium), bone health, dental health, blood sugar balance and mental health. I think one of the most important things to understand when it comes to magnesium is that in order to make ATP, our body’s main energy source, we need magnesium. We also need minerals for improving how mitochondria function and preventing dysfunction (which impact our metabolism) and growing new mitochondria. Magnesium plays a huge role in this.
Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell that help convert the food we eat into smaller molecules and produce ATP or the energy currency in our body. There are over 20 vitamins and minerals that support mitochondrial enzymes and are needed for energy production, many of which are minerals.
Mineral deficiencies (especially magnesium) = poor ATP production in mitochondria = less energy and more hormonal chaos. Let’s get into three main ways magnesium impacts our hormones.
Stress and adrenal function have a big impact on how our thyroid functions. Cortisol, stress hormones, blunts the production of TSH, which means our thyroid doesn’t get the signal from our pituitary to make more thyroid hormone. Magnesium helps to reduce the stress response, which is one way it is protective toward our thyroid function. Magnesium also protects against oxidative stress and inflammation which damages the thyroid gland.
Like I mentioned in the beginning, magnesium is essential for making ATP that powers the sodium-iodide symporter to transport iodine into thyroid cells. We also need it to convert free T4 to free T3. Severely low magnesium levels are also associated with Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism. Without magnesium, many of the thyroid enzymes that make thyroid hormone simply could not function. On the other end of the spectrum, hyperthyroidism increases the body’s requirement for magnesium since the metabolism is increased. This means those that have hyperthyroidism have a higher requirement for magnesium.
Without adequate thyroid function and active thyroid hormone, our metabolism slows down along with important functions like detoxification, digestion, hormone production, etc.
In the last podcast episode, on calcium, I talked about how important calcium is for releasing insulin from the beta cells. Magnesium is also required in order for insulin to work correctly and impacts the electrical activity of our beta cells. Magnesium also plays a role in glucose disposal (meaning how glucose gets into our cells) and insulin sensitivity. A magnesium deficiency is associated with insulin resistance. Magnesium supplementation can enhance insulin receptor activity and improve how our bodies use glucose. This makes sense since magnesium is a cofactor of many of the enzymes that regulate glucose in the body, which you can see in the image below.
Image from Intracellular Magnesium and Insulin Resistance from Magnesium Research
Author: Takaya, Higashino, and Kobayashi
Source: Magnesium Research from John Libbey Eurotext
While hearing this can make you want to go out and start taking a magnesium supplement, it’s important to keep in mind that we have to balance magnesium and calcium. Calcium is required for insulin release too. If we already have low calcium, adding in more magnesium, can lead to more of a deficiency and cause blood sugar problems. Prioritizing a mix of calcium rich foods while also considering magnesium supplementation is key. If you have blood sugar concerns, you may want to consider testing your minerals and blood sugar if you haven’t already.
Magnesium impacts estrogen detox in two main ways:
1. Phase two of estrogen detox requires cofactors to work properly, magnesium being the primary one. It improves the action of the enzyme required for healthy estrogen elimination (COMT). COMT is also involved in the metabolism of dopamine, norepinephrine, and cortisol. All of the hormones that affect your mood and ability to handle stress.
2. Another way magnesium impacts estrogen is via the bowels. Magnesium has a relaxation effect on the intestinal tract allowing for the quick and efficient elimination of estrogen. If we are not having regular bowel movements, we will recycle estrogen, which can lead to estrogen dominant symptoms and extra stress on the liver
This is a VERY common question and for good reason. We read all of these amazing things about magnesium and come to recognize just how important this mineral is, then when we try to supplement with it we feel worse. Why does this happen?
Magnesium inhibits aldosterone release. Aldosterone is a hormone that helps retain sodium. When levels are low, we excrete more sodium in the urine. If we already have low sodium levels, this can lower them further and act an ad additional stressor on the body. Depleted sodium levels are common, especially in those that have dealt with chronic stress, which is why many people do not tolerate magnesium right away. If adding magnesium in causes more magnesium deficient symptoms like heart palpitations, insomnia/difficulty sleep, fatigue, exhaustion, feelings of anxiety, etc. then I would try focusing on sodium and potassium rich foods first.
If you are enjoying nerding out about magnesium, make sure you listen to the magnesium deep dive podcast episode on the Are You Menstrual? Podcast.
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