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5 Reasons Seniors Should Eat a Magnesium-Rich Diet

Home Care Philadelphia

Magnesium used by the cells increase the energy levels, build hormones, keep the cellular system and bones strong. It reduces symptoms from various illnesses, aging, or stress to include chronic pain, tiredness, and insomnia.

Magnesium is one of the most essential enzymes in the human body because of its importance in cellular reproduction. Magnesium does not remain in the body very long, it is filtered out throughout the kidneys and decreases with aging.

1. Magnesium Enriched Diet

Helping a senior eat a daily supply of fresh, natural, organic foods containing an abundance of magnesium helps to boost their lives:

  • Beans and peas
  • Brown rice and oats
  • Dark chocolate
  • Green leafy veggies
  • Natural fruits
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Seafood
  • Tofu, etc.

Benefits of a daily diet for seniors helps to:

  • Reduces blood pressure/blood sugar
  • Increases energy levels
  • Relieves body inflammations
  • Prevents migraines
  • Depression is waned
  • Decreases sleep apnea
If seniors wish to live a happy and healthy life without any worries, consider hiring a live-in caregiver for tailored senior care. Philadelphia families can reach out to a trusted agency to hire live-in caregivers.

2. Increases Muscle Mass

Many U.S. nutritional organizations state that older adults only consume around 166 mg or 225 mg of magnesium daily when the average RDA consumption should be about 320 for men and 230 for women. As men and women age, muscle mass and body strength is lost, this is called “sarcopenia.”

Additional research shows magnesium increases muscle mass in the elderly. When magnesium becomes depleted in older adults, it causes protein damage, oxygenated stress, and functional damage of the muscle cells throughout the body.

The lack of magnesium for muscle cells causes arthritis, bursitis, and other bodily aches and pains that contributes to frailty in older adults.

3. Delays Cardiovascular Disease

The American Heart Association reports older male adults have their first heart attack around 64.7 years of age and women around 72.2 years.

Magnesium was not included as a helping risk factor in the study of heart disease until recently. Research has indicated a diet of magnesium rich foods for seniors helps in staving off cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and Type II diabetes.
When magnesium is reintroduced into the body from foods, a reversal of the symptoms of diabetes and metabolic syndromes takes place.

Seniors who start a regular magnesium diet today can receive help in lengthening their lives and to reduce the onset of many older adult maladies.

4. Decreases Diabetes

Many older adults with diabetes have been shown to be low in magnesium. Despite the facts, physicians are very slow in recommending magnesium as being helpful. Water pills containing potassium is more likely to be required than magnesium.

Magnesium helps to control blood sugar levels in older diabetics and if they don’t have diabetes, magnesium enriched foods can prevent it.
 

Eating a daily diet of magnesium enriched foods helps seniors in the following manner:

  • Allows muscle cells to get more sugar thus reducing blood sugar insulin
  • Prevents calcium deposits to prevent hardening of the arteries
  • Increases energy from diabetic fatigue
  • Increases antioxidants which slows down aging
  • Prevents damage to nerves to prevent numbness or those pins and needles symptoms called diabetic neuropathy
Prevents damage to nerves to prevent numbness or those pins and needles symptoms called diabetic neuropathy

5. Depression is Abated

Nearly 11% of adults older who are homebound have depression. Understanding transformable risk factors for depression in the older population is vital.

Magnesium plays a role in much of depression’s pathology. Depression is the result of systemic inflammation. Increased magnesium enhances its functions.
Magnesium rich food diets have decreased symptoms of depression for the elderly. Through scientific studies, the introduction of magnesium has produced quick results by improving depression episodes, anxiety, and sleep within a week.

Some aging adults who require help with regular diet to lead a healthy life at home can consider hiring a Philadelphia home care provider.