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Vitamin D and Magnesium Part 2
Intro: The Nugent, the science behind health and nutrition. Welcome to this episode of The Nugent Report, a definitive source for objective information on health and nutrition featuring Dr. Steve Nugent, the renowned psychologist, author, public speaker, an expert on science, health, wellness, and nutrition. Be sure to visit our website at DrNugent.com. And follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at The Nugent Report.
Welcome to The Nugent Report, Episode Two of the series on vitamin D, and magnesium. At the conclusion of the last episode, I left you with two questions. Do you really need to supplement vitamin D? Do you really need to supplement magnesium? Well, that’s what we’re going to talk about in this episode. Remember, Parva and his research team states that “Vitamin D deficiency is becoming an epidemic in the US. The people most likely to be deficient are African Americans, and Hispanic Americans.” I’ll give you more information on why a little bit later. Regardless of race, people who are obese or who suffer from diabetes, are also at high risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Depending on the study that you consult, you’ll find anywhere between 39% and up to 42% of the US population are believed to be deficient in vitamin D. This is huge, and does present a very serious health concern. I’m using US statistics, but keep in mind that people are people. We are all biochemically the same. We’re all human beings. And you can take this data to the country that you live in, for the most part, maybe not the specific percentages, but the concepts, the ideas, the understandings you can use in any country.
In Episode One of this series, I briefly talked about changes in conditions between the 21st century and previous centuries. Almost all jobs now are indoors. Our young people have become addicted to their digital devices, and social media. Versus their grandparents, who as children did most of their activities of their youth, primarily outdoors and in the sunlight. Sun exposure is without question a factor in the increasing number of people in the 21st century, who are vitamin D deficient.
Vitamin D is after all called the sunshine vitamin, because it can be converted from sunlight through an amazing process that requires magnesium. A person who is deficient in magnesium is almost certainly still going to be deficient in vitamin D, even if they are supplementing vitamin D. Perhaps this is why so many physicians have patients on thousands of units per week chronically, and their vitamin D deficiency doesn’t seem to get solved. Are those prescribing doctors aware of the magnesium connection? The answer is most likely no.
Scientists believe that darker skin is an adaptation to protect people from ultraviolet radiation from the sun. This theory is based on the fact that at the equator, you have the highest rate of sun exposure and solar radiation. And the closer any genetic group is to the equator, the darker their skin tone. The reverse is also true. As you go north into the Arctic Circle as an example, the skin tone of genetic groups native to those areas gets lighter. There is less sunlight available as they go north. So, in order to absorb vitamin D from the sun, skin has to be lighter. Rickets, as an example, which is a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency was very common in areas such as the United Kingdom prior to vitamin D supplementation — because they’ve had limited sunlight due to weather conditions as well as their geographic location. But one of the reasons that vitamin D deficiency is more common on average, as individual skin is darker is that the darker skin is blocking absorption like a natural sunscreen.
In this series, I’ll discuss how vitamin D affects your health. And it will become obvious to African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and other individuals whose genetics are from areas such as the Indian subcontinent and other areas where skin tones are darker why they have certain health situations that occur to them more frequently than they do to Caucasians. It’s not a conspiracy, it’s just biology. What has not been discussed in any popular media that I’m aware of, is that at least 50% of Americans are deficient in magnesium.
Some researchers believe that number is as high as 70%. In order for vitamin D to be utilized by the body, it has to work through a rather complex system of enzyme activity. All of these enzymes require magnesium. So, if you’re deficient in magnesium, you will almost certainly be deficient in vitamin D no matter how much vitamin D you are supplementing, or how much vitamin D containing foods you’re eating. Does your doctor know that? The answer is probably no.
The blood test for vitamin D is very straightforward. It’s what’s called a serum analysis. Serum is just a fancy way of saying blood. Doctors are also taught in medical school that a serum analysis of magnesium is adequate to determine if you have normal magnesium levels in your body. This unfortunately, is not correct. Only approximately 1% of the total of magnesium found in anyone’s body will be moving freely in their blood. So, a serum analysis is only going to tell you about the status of a maximum of 1% of your total magnesium.
You see, magnesium is an intracellular mineral. That is to say it needs to be inside of a cell in order to function. To have the most accurate assessment of magnesium in your body, you need a test called red blood cell magnesium or RBC mag. Most insurance companies that I’m aware of don’t cover the test, and most physicians don’t know why they should do the test, because they’re told that serum analysis will give them what they need. Once again, this is not correct.
When I was in practice, I found that RBC mag, and it’s written just that way, the letters RBC for red blood cell and mag, short for magnesium, was indeed the most accurate way to assess functional magnesium levels. Routine serum analysis would almost always show normal, when in fact the patient required more magnesium. I found this routinely with patients who had cardiac issues including arrhythmia, as well as those complaining of muscle cramps, muscle spasms, facial twitching, anxiety, difficulty in sleeping and more issues. I will explain this in the series how magnesium affects those health issues and much more. in future episodes.
The healthy body should contain about 25 grams of magnesium on average. So, folks, that’s 25,000 milligrams between 50 and 60% of your body’s total magnesium will be stored in your bones because magnesium is essential to strong healthy bones. Besides the 1% found in the blood, of course, the remaining level will be in various tissues and cells. So, here’s a logical multiple choice question. Since vitamin D cannot be utilized by the body without magnesium, and at least 50% of people are getting insufficient magnesium, is the main problem for vitamin D deficiency, A, lack of sunlight, B, poor dietary choices, C, magnesium deficiency, or D, all of the above? The science indicates it’s D, all of the above.
According to recent studies, 48% of the population is getting less than adequate levels of magnesium from diet. But there are other factors that contribute to deficiencies magnesium that you may not be aware of and perhaps your doctor is not aware of. People with gastrointestinal diseases, type two diabetes, alcoholics, or those who have, let’s say chronic use of alcohol, but they are not dependent at this point. All of these people are very probably getting less than adequate amounts of magnesium to cope with their particular situations. In fact, these are the indicators that would be most likely associated with deficiencies in magnesium.
Additionally, there are various pharmaceutical drugs that can lower your magnesium including virtually all of the prescription drugs and over the counter products used to reduce heartburn for acid reflux disease. How many physicians who prescribe drugs like Nexium or Prilosec, or other proton pump inhibitors, typically listed as PPIs; how many of them also check magnesium levels and recommend magnesium supplementation? I did a straw poll of a number of people, 36 people, actually. And of course, a straw poll is not a scientific study. Okay. But I found it interesting that of the 36 people I asked who were all taking one of the prescription drugs for acid reflux, 100% of them said, no one had ever told them anything about magnesium. And as far as they knew, their doctors had never tested their magnesium levels. Well, you know what? Even if their doctors had done a serum magnesium, that may not have given them adequate information.
There are conditions where physicians have no choice but to prescribe proton pump inhibitors. I’m not telling you not to take them, that’s between you and your physician. If you need them, you need them. But be aware that magnesium has more than 600 different functions in the human body, much more than bone density, much more than utilization of vitamin D. 600 different functions, folks. Chronic use of PPIs could lead to osteoporosis because those PPIs contribute to magnesium deficiency. And calcium ions can not be transported to the bone without magnesium. That’s only one of many issues when we’re discussing the benefits of magnesium.
In the next episode of The Nugent Report, in this series of episodes, I will continue our discussion not just on the relationship between vitamin D and magnesium. But I’ll cover more aspects of how those nutrients directly relate to your daily health requirements, blood testing for vitamin D as well as sources and benefits. Thanks for listening to this episode of The Nugent Report. Until next time, stay safe. Be sensible. Stay objective.
Outro: Thanks for listening to this episode of The Nugent Report. Visit our website at DrNugent.com for more objective facts about health and nutrition and email your questions and feedback to info@DrNugent.com. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at The Nugent Report. Stay informed. Get the facts with The Nugent Report.
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第5期 维生素D与镁 第2部分 Dr. Nugent报告
简介：Dr. Nugent报告，以科学方式分析健康与营养。欢迎收听本期“Dr. Nugent报告”，本节目由Dr. Steve Nugent主讲，为您提供健康和营养方面的优质客观信息。Dr. Steve Nugent是著名的心理学家、作家、公共演说家，也是科学、健康、保健和营养方面的专家。请访问我们的网站DrNugent.com，并在Facebook、Twitter和Instagram上关注@TheNugentreport。
欢迎收听Dr. Nugent报告，这是“维生素D和镁”主题节目的第二讲。在上一讲结束时，我给大家留了两个问题。大家是否真的需要补充维生素D？大家是否真的需要补充镁？好，本期节目就来回答这两个问题。请记住，Parva及其研究小组指出：“维生素D缺乏症正在美国流行开来。最有可能缺乏维生素D的人群是非洲裔美国人和西班牙裔美国人。”稍后，我会更详细地解释其中的原因。对各个种族的人群而言，肥胖人士或糖尿病患者也极易缺乏维生素D。
各种研究资料显示，39%到42%的美国人口缺乏维生素D。这个比例十分惊人，并带来了严重的健康问题。我采用的是美国统计数据，但请记住，各种族人群没有本质差别。从生物化学角度而言，我们都一样——我们都是人类。这一数据在大多数情况下也适用于你所在的国家，也许具体的百分比有所差异，但这些概念、想法、理解在所有国家都适用。
在本系列的第一讲中，我简要谈到了21世纪相对于过去几个世纪的变化。现在，几乎所有的工作都在室内进行。年轻人沉迷于数字设备和社交媒体，而他们的祖父母年轻时候主要是在户外和阳光下进行各种活动。21世纪有越来越多的人缺乏维生素D，毫无疑问，其中一个因素是阳光照射不足。
维生素D又被称为“阳光维生素”——借助镁和一个神奇的过程，阳光便可以转化为维生素D。几乎毫无例外的是，缺乏镁的人也会缺乏维生素D，即使补充维生素D也无补于事。许多病人遵照医嘱每周长期服用数千单位的维生素D，但维生素D缺乏并没有得到缓解，也许，他们的症结在于缺乏镁。开具处方的医生知道镁的关联作用吗？答案可能是否定的。
科学家们认为，皮肤变黑是一种适应行为，是为了使人免受太阳紫外线的辐射。这一理论的事实依据是：赤道具有最强的日光照射和辐射，越接近赤道的人种，肤色就越深，反之亦然。例如，越接近北极圈，当地的人种肤色就越浅。越靠北的地方得到的阳光越少。因此，为从阳光中吸收维生素D，肤色必须要更浅。例如，佝偻病是一种由维生素D缺乏引起的疾病，在补充维生素D之前，佝偻病在英国等地区非常普遍，由于天气条件和地理位置，这些地方日照有限。其实维生素D缺乏症在深肤色人群中更常见，其中一个原因是，深色皮肤如同天然防晒霜，阻挡了吸收。
在本系列中，我将探讨维生素D对健康的影响。我要向大家说明的是，为什么非裔美国人、西班牙裔美国人以及来自印度次大陆和其他深肤色地区的人群，会比白种人更容易出现某些健康问题。这不是阴谋论，只是生物学。据我所知，尚未有大众媒体报道过至少有50%的美国人缺乏镁元素。
一些研究人员认为，这个数字高达70%。为使维生素D被身体利用，镁元素必须经历相当复杂的酶活动。所有这些酶都需要镁元素。因此，缺乏镁几乎意味着缺乏维生素D，无论补充多少维生素D，吃多少含有维生素D的食物，都无补于事。你的医生知道这些吗？答案可能是否定的。
血液维生素D检测十分简单，称为“血清分析”。血清只是血液的一种花式称谓。医生们在医学院里学到，血清中的镁分析足以确定体内镁水平是否正常。可惜这一知识并不正确。人体内的镁总量，只有大约1%会在血液中自由流动。因此，血清分析最多只能表明镁总量1%的状况。
要知道，镁是一种细胞内矿物。这就是说，它只有在细胞内才能发挥作用。要对体内的镁进行最准确的评估，需要进行红血球镁检测。据我所知，大多数保险公司不涵盖这项检测，且大多数医生不知为何应当做这项检测，因为他们以为血清分析已经足够。再说一次，这并不正确。
我在执业期间发现，红血球镁检测确实是评估功能性镁水平的最准确方法。常规血清分析几乎总是显示正常，但事实上病人需要摄入更多镁元素。我发现，有心律失常等心脏问题以及肌肉痉挛、肌肉抽搐、面部抽搐、焦虑、入睡困难等问题的病人，经常是这种情况。我将通过这个系列节目，在未来几期解释镁元素对这些健康问题产生的影响。
健康的身体平均应含有约25克的镁。这等于25000毫克，而50％至60％的镁储存在骨骼中，因为镁是保证骨骼强健的关键。当然，除了血液中的1%，其余的镁都储存在各种组织和细胞中。下面我出一个考验逻辑思维的选择题。没有镁，维生素D就不能被身体利用；至少50%的人镁含量不足；那么，维生素D缺乏的主要原因是：A：缺乏阳光；B：膳食不当；C：缺乏镁；D：以上全部？科学的回答是D。
根据最近的研究，48%的人口从饮食中获得的镁元素不足。但是，还存在其他你或者你的医生都忽视的镁缺乏原因。胃肠道疾病患者，二型糖尿病患者，酗酒者，或者长期饮酒但现已不再有依赖症状的人群，这些人可能无法获取足量的镁元素来满足自身的特殊状况。事实上，这些是最有可能与镁缺乏有关的指标。
此外，各种药物会降低体内镁含量，包括几乎所有处方药以及用于减少胃灼热的反酸疾病非处方药产品。多少医生会开出耐信、奥美拉唑或其他质子泵抑制剂，又有多少医生同时检查镁元素水平并建议补充镁元素？我对36人进行了民间调查。当然，民间调查并非科学研究。但我发现一个有趣的现象，我访问的这36个人都在服用一种治疗反酸的处方药，所有人都说，从未有人跟他们提及过镁。此外，据他们所知，医生们从未检测过他们的镁含量。但你知道吗？即使医生为他们做了血清镁检测，可能依然无法提供充分的信息。
在一些情况下，医生必须要开质子泵抑制剂。我不是说不能服用质子泵抑制剂，这是患者和医生之间的事。真的需要就是真的需要。但一定要认知到的是镁在人体中具有多达600多种不同的功能，而不单单是确保骨密度和进维生素D吸收。长期使用质子泵抑制剂可能导致骨质疏松症，因为这些质子泵抑制剂导致了镁元素缺乏。而没有镁，钙离子无法被输送到骨骼中。当我们讨论镁的功能时，这只是其中一个方面。
关于这个系列，在下一集Dr. Nugent报告中，我的讨论将延伸到维生素D和镁元素的关系之外。但我将涵盖更多的方面，包括这些营养物质如何直接影响日常健康需求，维生素D血液检测，以及来源和益处。
感谢收听本期Dr. Nugent报告。下期见，大家多保重。保持理性。保持客观。
结语：感谢收听本期Dr. Nugent报告。访问DrNugent.com，获取更多有关健康与营养的事实性信息。如有问题或反馈意见，可发送邮件至info@drnugent.com。请在Facebook、Twitter和Instagram上关注Dr. Nugent报告。获取事实性信息，资讯先人一步。