Calcium, magnesium, and zinc are three key minerals that play vital roles in your body. A deficiency in any of them may lead to conditions that threaten your life. Supplementing for them may greatly help prevent such ordeals.
These three minerals are found naturally in many varieties of food. Studies suggest that still, people are not getting enough of them, and most are likely to be deficient of them. That call for the need to take supplements to help increase their intake. In recent years, many combined mineral supplements have risen in popularity – thanks to their abilities to help improve bone density and promote health in other aspects. This article discusses everything you need to about the supplements of calcium-magnesium-zinc.
Benefits and Uses
Remember, this is a combination of three key minerals, meaning that each one of them has a specific role to play in your body, thereby hosting a punch of health benefits. So far, evidence is lacking on the combined supplement, but several studies have shown clear and well-established health benefits on individual minerals.
May Improve and Support Bone Health
Calcium, magnesium, and zinc may help improve the health of your bones in a variety of ways. To start with, the main mineral that makes up your bones is calcium, with studies estimating that more than 99% of calcium is stored in bones. Keep in mind that your body renews your bone tissues consistently, calling for adequate consumption of this mineral daily. Zinc is also important in composing the mineral make-up of your bones. Studies suggest that zinc supports cells involved in building your bones, blocking the formation of cells that can damage your bones. Lastly, magnesium plays an active role in the conversion of vitamin D to its active form. Remember, absorption and deposition of calcium into your bones is only possible with the presence of vitamin D.
May Boost and Maintain Your Mood
Evidence indicates that magnesium and zinc are essential for impulse transfer and other vital processes in the brain. If you think your diet is not providing enough of these minerals to meet your daily recommendations, it’s high time you started supplementing with them to help boost your mood. Magnesium supplements, for example, may help people with anxiety reduce and overcome feelings of anxiety. However, the studies did not validate their measurements from any of the subjective symptoms of anxiety. Zinc, on the other hand, may help reduce the risk of depression. Research in this area is conflicting, thus calling for more research.
May Support Your Immunity
Published studies suggest that magnesium and zinc may strengthen your immune system and lower inflammation. Inflammation is a no-nuisance as it is part of the immune system response team. It helps prevent infections and speeds up the healing of injuries. However, when it occurs profoundly and chronically, it weakens your immune system and increases the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses. Researchers believe that supplementing with magnesium can help reduce the number of inflammatory markers such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). The deficiency of magnesium has been tied to chronic inflammation. On the other hand, zinc is essential to the development and proper functionality of immune cells. Taking supplements of this mineral may prevent infections and promote wound healing.
May Help Regulate Blood Sugar Levels
Magnesium and zinc are also important for the control of blood sugar levels. Constant regulation of blood sugar levels at healthy levels is always under the influence of insulin – a hormone released from the pancreas. However, in some cases, your body’s cells may become resistant to this hormone and fail to respond to its effects, as seen in diabetes. This makes insulin rise in your blood. Studies suggest that taking supplements of zinc can help reduce insulin levels, fasting blood sugar levels, post-meal blood sugar levels, and the levels of hemoglobin A1 c (HbA1c). All these are markers of long-term blood sugar control. In fact, supplementing with zinc may produce the same effects as that of metformin at reducing HbA1c. Moreover, adequate magnesium may significantly help increase insulin sensitivity – the ability of your cells to respond promptly to the effects of insulin – in people with diabetes. Additionally, supplementing with magnesium may effectively help reduce fasting blood sugars.
May Help with Sleep Problems
Magnesium and zinc may help improve sleep quality. Research shows that your body’s parasympathetic nervous system may be activated by magnesium and produce calming and relaxing effects. This helps you fall asleep easily and stay asleep for long. Supplementing with zinc and a higher zinc concentration in your blood has been associated with improved sleep quality. Published studies indicate that managing insomnia with a daily dose of zinc, magnesium, and melatonin can help one fall asleep faster and enhance sleep quality. Melatonin is a hormone responsible for the sleep and wake cycle.
Side Effects of This Supplement
So far, there are no side effects that have been reported with taking the calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement. However, taking a moderate dose to overdose in some individuals has been associated with diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, numbness and tingling sensations, constipation, diarrhea, general muscle weakness, stomach pain, and stomach cramping. It would be best to cut back on your dosage or quit in severe cases and contact your healthcare provider. It is worth mentioning that taking too much calcium may lead to the formation of kidney stones and an increased risk of heart disease. It is, therefore, necessary to stick to the recommended dosage on the packaging. Also, it would help if you kept in mind that absorption of calcium competes with that of magnesium and zinc. In case of a deficiency in any of these minerals, it would help to separate and to space the time of taking these micronutrients for optimum absorption.
Conclusion
Calcium, magnesium, and zinc are key nutrients for the optimum functioning of your body. Calcium is important for strong bones, while magnesium and zinc are essential for a strong immune system and improved sleep quality. Supplementing with these minerals may help meet your daily recommendations and promote overall good health.
In today's world, people's eating and exercise patterns have changed, and it is often lifestyle that is the cause of many diet-related illnesses. I believe that each of us is unique – what works for one does not help another. What is more, it can even be harmful. I am interested in food psychology, which studies a person's relationship with their body and food, explains our choices and desires for specific products, the difficulty of maintaining optimal body weight, as well as the influence of various internal and external factors on appetite. I'm also an avid vintage car collector, and currently, I'm working on my 1993 W124 Mercedes. You may have stumbled upon articles I have been featured in, for example, in Cosmopolitan, Elle, Grazia, Women's Health, The Guardian, and others.
- Our Big Kitchen’ (OBK) is a non-profit organization located in Sydney, Australia - April 10, 2023
- Duos CBD, a hemp product E-commerce website - April 10, 2023
- SOFA SPOONING SEX POSITION - April 7, 2023
