Have you heard of the “invisible deficiency”? Sounds ominous, but if you suffer from muscle cramps, PMS, memory problems, and a host of other pretty unsavoury symptoms, you could very well be deficient in magnesium. In the UAE, we are particularly prone to magnesium shortages — as are most countries with Western diets — because our high sugar intake and busy lifestyles inhibit magnesium absorption in the body.
Even healthy aspects of our lifestyle are contributing factors: Our recent enthusiasm for all things active — whether it’s working that little bit harder at the gym to look better in our new Ivy Park yoga pants, or training for this year’s Dubai Holding Women’s Run — makes it imperative for us to be conscious of restocking our much-needed magnesium levels, which become exhausted by intense exercise. This elusive mineral is vital to muscle and nerve tone and function, so topping up after a workout helps to minimise inflammation and speed up recovery; meaning better results and a reduced risk of not being able to rise from your chair in under 60 seconds the following day.
Outside of the gym, the role of this unassuming mineral is vastly underestimated, too, and wellness experts are really starting to shout about its benefits. According to Dr. Frank Lipman, founder and director of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City, “Magnesium is a mineral that is responsible for the correct metabolic function of over 350 enzymes in the body.” It is particularly vital to the correct functioning of our heart, muscles and kidneys. Delving a little deeper into the wonders of this miracle mineral reveals that a shortage can affect our mental health, too, by intensifying feelings of anxiety; something many of us can relate to. If you’d like the science part: A lack of magnesium will hinder the conversion of the amnio acid ‘tryptophan’, which in turn affects the production of mood-boosting and relaxing neuro-transmitters (brain messengers) serotonin (for happiness) and melatonin (for sleep). So, low magnesium levels leave us pretty vulnerable to depression and insomnia.
Luckily, upping our magnesium levels is easy thanks to a range supplements, topical sprays and body oils, or with a super-charged soak in a bath of Epsom Salts. Excellent dietary sources include avocados, sesame seeds, nuts, dark leafy greens, raw cacao and pumpkin seeds.
‘Remineralising’ has infiltrated the wellness lexicon, and health-conscious celebrities have started Instagramming their post-workout magnesium flake-filled baths (Millie Mackintosh) and in-flight calming magnesium and calcium sachets (Gwyneth Paltrow). Meanwhile, A-listers like Victoria Beckham are indulging in spa treatments that promise a turbo- boost of this buzzy mineral.
