Is Magnesium THE key supplement?

At APEC we are not pill pushers.. However, it is responsible to investigate what's missing in our American pallet that our athletes/fitness clinics need. Magnesium keeps coming up positively in research and I wanted to pass along some of the findings.

What’s So Special About Magnesium? Magnesium plays a number of roles in the body, being required for more than 325 enzymatic reactions, including those involved in the synthesis of fat, protein and nucleic acids, neurological activity, muscular contraction and relaxation, cardiac activity and bone metabolism. Most importantly for athletes, it has a key role in utilization of the ATP energy systems.

Benefit #1: Strength Gains

If you’re not optimizing your magnesium stores, you’re missing out on peak performance and may be leaving muscle gains on the table. Without magnesium, the enzymes that enable muscle protein synthesis are impaired, compromising recovery, hypertrophy, and strength.

Benefit #2: Better Hormone Balance

Healthy testosterone and balanced cortisol levels can make or break an athlete or anyone trying to lose body fat. Cortisol is often correlated with high stress. Magnesium helps maintain this equilibrium by helping to free up testosterone so that it can work its magic in the body. It also allows for the metabolism of cortisol after workouts by reducing nervous system activation. Testosterone research has shown that taking magnesium increases testosterone levels.

Benefit #3: Better Insulin Sensitivity & Body Composition

Magnesium is known as the mineral of insulin sensitivity. It helps your body metabolize carbs, while influencing the activity of hormones that control blood glucose levels. Magnesium can have a positive effect on thyroid function. Robust magnesium creates a metabolic environment that will help you get superior muscle development and a leaner body composition in less time.

Benefit #4: Faster Recovery

Getting enough magnesium can accelerate recovery processes and aid sleep. Magnesium fights inflammation, raises antioxidant levels, and helps replenish energy stores in the muscle. It also calms the central nervous system, lowering heart rate and enabling restful sleep.

Benefit #5: Greater Power & Vertical Jump

Magnesium is necessary for the explosive movements, making it a key nutrient for athletes who want to enhance athletic performance. For example, volleyball players who took 350 mg of magnesium for 4 weeks increased vertical jump height by an average of 3 cm.

How To Take Magnesium:

Scientists recommend a minimum of 3 mg per pound of body weight of magnesium a day, so if you weigh 165 pounds, that’s 495 mg. Some of this can be consumed from food—whole oats, raw nuts, beans, and bananas are all high in magnesium. Other magnesium rich foods include: Pumpkin seeds (roasted,)Almonds, Brazil nuts, Sesame seeds, Peanuts (roasted, salted), Walnuts, Rice (whole grain brown), Spinach, Cooked beans, Broccoli, Banana, Potato (baked), White bread, Yoghurt (plain, low fat), MilkRice (white), Cornflakes, Apple, Honey.

Is magnesium the key supplement? That entirely depends on what you are lacking and/or seeking.If you need supplementation, we have the only NSF certified magnesium supplement on the market by Fuel Nutrition.

Best.

Bobby Stroupe RSCC*D CSCS*D FAFS

apecgo.com

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