Feeling tired all the time? GP reveals the supplement that can boost your energy levels
Do you feel tired? There’s one supplement that doctors say can give you the energy boost you need.
Said to be vital for healthy bones, overcoming depression and getting a good night’s sleep, magnesium is the hero supplement of the moment.
And thanks to the messages of support from celebrities such as Kourtney Kardashian and Taylor Swift, the mineral is becoming increasingly popular.
Dr. Ahmed Abd Elbary, a British GP, told his 291,000 TikTok followers that this is the one mineral that will benefit most people.
He explained that you may still have low magnesium even if your blood test comes back normal.
That’s because there is only one percent magnesium in your blood, he explained.
The vast majority of it is intracellular – in your cells – so even if your blood magnesium levels are within the normal range, you could still be deficient in it,” he said.
‘The only way to accurately measure your magnesium levels is to collect urine 24 hours a day and due to the cumbersome nature of this this is very rarely done.’
Magnesium is an essential electrolyte needed to convert food into energy.
It also helps keep bones and muscles healthy by allowing the body to use calcium and vitamin D, which are essential for strong bones, and it helps the immune system fight infections.
Insufficient magnesium results in fatigue because it plays an important role in more than 300 chemical enzyme systems in the body, Dr. Ahmed said.
‘It plays a role in protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood pressure regulation and glucose management, so if you are deficient you will feel tired,’ said Dr Ahmed.
According to Metabolic Support UK, an estimated 2.5 to 15 percent of the population is deficient in magnesium.
People with diabetes, heart failure and alcoholism are more likely to develop a severe magnesium deficiency, which will require medical intervention, the charity added.
Muscle cramps, depression, extreme dizziness and seizures are all symptoms of a magnesium deficiency. But in severe cases it can lead to death.
Dr. Ahmed explains that there are a large number of people around the world who are deficient in magnesium due to disease, over-farming and medications.
A Study from 2018 published in the journal Open Heart, suggested that many people are at risk of magnesium deficiency due to chronic diseases, medications, declines in magnesium in food crops and the popularity of refined and processed foods that contain certain nutrients.
“I think in people who are tired all the time and have tried everything and all the blood is back to normal… trying a magnesium supplement will be a good option,” Dr. Ahmed told his followers.
The NHS recommends that women aged 19 to 64 consume around 270mg of magnesium per day. It also suggests that men of the same age get about 300 mg.
According to the NHS, you should be able to get all the magnesium your body needs by eating a balanced diet.
Foods high in magnesium include nuts, seeds, fish like mackerel, leafy greens, fruit and even dark chocolate.
The NHS warns that all types of magnesium, in very large doses, can have a laxative effect.
According to health care guidelines, taking more than 400 mg of magnesium – the equivalent of about four mackerel fillets or eight avocados – can cause diarrhea.