One Critical Mineral For Mental Health: The Relationship between Magnesium and Depression

Posted on November 28, 2017

Photo: pexels

Magnesium is THE BOMB for depression and many food items, including chocolate, contains it.

It is involved in a range of bodily functions which include the absorption of calcium. Crucial for contractions of the heart muscle, it may be related to various heart issues such as coronary spasm and heart disease. Magnesium even has the ability to relax smooth muscles of the body, this makes it useful in blood pressure regulation and asthma reduction.

Besides all the physical benefits of magnesium rich foods, there are also a wide range of mental health processes that can be altered by the absence of this essential element.

Research shows that low magnesium levels trigger mental health issues in mice - depressive behaviors (e.g. immobility) and more indicators of anxiety responses were observed. After the mice were administered with these antidepressants, anxiety and depressive behaviors were shown to have been avoided.

In humans, magnesium deficiency were found to be related to these conditions:
Anxiety, Panic attacks, Depression, Irritability, Addiction to substances, Sleep disturbances, Confusion and Memory issues, Headaches, Manic behavior, Delirium, Hallucinations and Delusions (at more pronounced levels of deficiency)

However, the good news is that supplementation of magnesium can heal depressive symptoms in less than a week. In addition to this, the study reports that other conditions including headache, alcohol and drug abuse, suicidal thoughts, memory issues and lowered IQ improved as well.

Some magnesium rich foods are:
○ Pure, quality unprocessed dark chocolate
○ Spinach and other dark leafy greens
○ Halibut
○ Pumpkin or squash seeds
○ Sesame seeds
○ Lentils
○ Brown Rice
○ Black Beans
○ Sunflower seeds
○ Cashews
○ Almonds
○ Navy Beans
○ Tempeh (fermented soybeans)
○ Buckwheat
○ Pinto Beans
○ Quinoa
○ Bananas
○ Avocado
○ Blackstrap Molasses
○ Dried fruits (e.g. figs or prunes)

***Magnesium should be used as a supplement, not as a stand alone treatment for depression. If you are suffering from major depression, please seek the assistance of a clinician.


Category(s):Depression

Source material from Megsanity