Why is magnesium so important?

One of the six core strategies in the Undoctored Wild, Naked, and Unwashed program for health and weight loss is restoration of magnesium. Magnesium deficiency is alarmingly common in today’s world. Why? Our reliance on filtered water that has had all of the magnesium removed, the reduced content of magnesium in modern crops, and the widespread use of proton pump inhibitors—-drugs prescribed to treat acid reflux and ulcers while reducing magnesium absorption. Remember those darned phytates in wheat and other grains that bind magnesium and other positively charged minerals in the intestinal tract, preventing absorption and causing you to pass them into the toilet? Phytates reduce magnesium absorption by 60 percent, even when consuming just a single bagel or deli sandwich. It means that for years minerals were prevented from being absorbed whenever any phytate-containing grain was in the vicinity, blocking the absorption of even mineral supplements. Advice to include grains in every meal and snack predictably caused deficiencies of positively charged minerals, especially magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc. Add it all up, and sadly magnesium deficiency is the rule, rather than the exception. Magnesium is at the top of the list of minerals that have been depleted. Have a breakfast of cereal with fruit, and nearly all the magnesium from breakfast is lost in the toilet due to phytates. Have a lunch of turkey breast on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomatoes—and, once...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Undoctored Wheat Belly Lifestyle a fib constipation Dr. Davis grain-free grains health healthcare heart rhythm hydrochlorothiazide kidney stones oxalate sudden death Source Type: blogs