Alternatives - Dr. David Williams

Alternatives
®
For the Health Conscious Individual
Volume 16 • N o 2 • February 201 3
I
Feeding Your Friendly Bugs
’ve talked about gut flora and
probiotics for decades…long
before they became popular.
Although it certainly wasn’t my
first discussion on the topic, in
July 1989, I devoted two issues of
Alternatives to
the importance
of normalizing
intestinal bacterial flora in the
gut. I felt it was
that crucial
to our health.
The heading
was “The Key
to Solving a
Thousand Problems.”
Years before that, when I was
seeing patients, the link between
bowel health and dozens of the
most common health complaints
Inside
Feeding Your
Friendly Bugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
News to Use from Around
the World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Alternatives Mailbox:
Magnesium Matters . . . . . . 7
You will observe with concern how
long a useful truth may be known,
and exist, before it is generally
received and practiced on.
— Benjamin Franklin
Volume 16 • N o 2 • February 201 3
seemed so blatantly obvious.
When you treat the whole person
instead of just treating a disease
or symptom, an imbalance in the
intestinal tract stands out like an
elephant in the room.
At long last, in just the past few
years, the importance of proper
intestinal flora and probiotics are
getting the attention they deserve.
Research is confirming the direct
connection between a disruption of
gut flora and everything from heart
and blood sugar issues to mental
health problems. While the public
and medical professionals are just
starting to realize the importance of
probiotics, we’ve been reaping the
benefits for decades.
Prebiotics: Food for
Friendly Bacteria
Another term you’re likely
beginning to see more and more
is “prebiotics.” Simply put, prebiotics are the food consumed by
probiotics, the beneficial bacteria already residing in your gut.
Probiotics are living microorganisms and need food to stay alive
and flourish. Prebiotics, however,
are not living organisms.
I don’t want to get into too
much detail here, but in the long
run, it will be helpful for you to
understand a few details about
prebiotics. It will enable you to
improve your health and keep you
from wasting money on unnecessary supplements.
For something to be considered
a prebiotic, it has to meet three
criteria. It must:
■
Not be broken down by stomach
acid or enzymes in the body and
absorbed into the body;
■
Be able to be fermented by the
microflora in the gut; and
■
Be a food source only for the
beneficial members of the gut microbial community and not those
that are pathogenic.
For the most part, prebiotics are
soluble fiber and non-digestible
sugars. (I should say non-digestible
by humans…the microbes in our
gut can digest them.)
As you recall, there are two
types of fiber—insoluble and
soluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in
water and insoluble fiber does not.
Neither humans nor microorganisms can digest insoluble fiber. It’s
mainly found in whole grains and
vegetables. It acts like a broom that
scrubs the digestive tract, creating
a laxative effect. It’s actually an
irritant that causes contractions
and triggers the release of natural
lubricants to move food and waste
material through the digestive tract.
Soluble fiber mixes with water
and becomes gel-like. It slows
down digestion, which gives a feeling of fullness and helps reduce
Alternatives
rapid rises in blood sugar and the
resulting insulin release. This watersoluble fiber (a form of carbohydrate) moves through the digestive tract until it reaches the good
bacteria in the colon. The bacteria
ferment and feed on the fiber.
During the fermentation process,
soluble fiber is converted to shortchain fatty acids like butyric acid.
Butyric acid stimulates more good
bacterial growth. It also improves
mineral and fat absorption, and prevents inflammation and cancer formation. Its anti-inflammatory action
can be extremely helpful in calming
conditions like ulcerative colitis and
inflammatory bowel disease.
ButyrAid by Nutricology is an
enterically coated tablet of butyric
acid that I’ve found to be very effective. Most people don’t know
that kombucha tea also contains
relatively high levels of butyric acid.
However, I look at the supplemental
use of butyric acid products as a
temporary solution. Once you get
the proper microorganism balance
in the gut and supply it with soluble
fiber, butyric acid production can be
restored to the area naturally.
The Most Common
Prebiotics
The two most-widely accepted
prebiotics are FOS (fructooligosaccharides, which includes inulin)
and GOS (galactooligosaccharides).
There are lots of other prebiotics,
Alternatives®
but there isn’t as much research as
there is with these two.
From a chemistry standpoint, prebiotics are carbohydrates or sugars.
Remember, they aren’t sugars that
we can digest, so they don’t raise
blood sugar levels or typically cause
any issues. If you read prebiotic labels, you’ll see ingredients that end
in “saccharides” and “ose,” which
means sugar or carbohydrate. And
you might see ones that end in “itol”
for the alcohol sugars. But that’s
enough chemistry.
Nature Provides Us the
Prebiotics We Need
Probably the most important
thing to remember is this: If your
diet is right, I don’t think taking a
prebiotic supplement is necessary.
Some more advanced probiotic
supplements include prebiotics to
help keep the bacteria alive and
extend the potency, which makes
sense. But in my opinion, you don’t
need to take separate prebiotic
supplement. Our environment provides us with the prebiotics that we
need. It’s been this way since birth.
Within the first four days of life,
Bifidobacterium longum begins to
colonize in the gut of newborns.
As adults, we have hundreds of
different species of bacteria in our
gut, but Bifidobacterium longum
is only found in newborns, and
is the primary form of beneficial
bacteria in the newborn’s gut. This
bacteria feeds on a component of
breast milk that is indigestible to
the baby. It is commonly found
in the feces of infants and been
shown to coat the lining of the
infant’s intestine and protect it
from pathogenic bacteria. (Comp
Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis
06;29(5–6):345–352) (Proc Natl
Acad Sci USA. 2011 Mar 15;108
Suppl 1:4653–4658) (J Nutr
12;142(11):1921–1928)
When you closely analyze breast
milk, it isn’t loaded with extremely
high levels of vitamins and minerals, yet a baby is able to survive
and actually thrive on it. Much of
this stems from the fact that their
gut has only one type of bacteria
and it feeds off what would be
waste products in the milk (sugars
that the baby can’t digest).
Once babies are switched to
formula, the type of bacterium in
their gut begins to change. The
Bifidobacterium longum gets
replaced with more adult forms of
bacteria. These new forms require
increased amounts and different
sources of prebiotics. As a result,
bowel movements change, and the
risk of nutritional deficiencies, allergies, gastrointestinal problems,
respiratory infections, and developmental problems increases.
There are a few reasons for this.
Newborns grow at an extremely
rapid rate, unlike adults. Their
nutritional needs are different than
an adult’s. Mother’s milk during this
time is the perfect diet because it
Author: Dr. David Williams; Editor: Larissa Long
ISSN# 0893-5025. Published monthly for $69.99/yr. by Mountain Home Publishing at 7811 Montrose Road, Potomac, MD 20854. Editorial
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reserved. Photocopying or reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.
The approaches described in this newsletter are not offered as cures, prescriptions, diagnoses, or a means of diagnoses to different conditions.
The author and publisher assume no responsibility in the correct or incorrect use of this information, and no attempt should be made to use any
of this information as a form of treatment without the approval and guidance of your doctor.
Dr. Williams works with Healthy Directions, LLC to develop his unique formulations that supply many of the hard-to-find nutrients he
recommends. Dr. Williams is compensated on the sales of these nutritional supplements and health products, which allows him to continue
devoting his life to worldwide research and the development of innovative, effective health solutions.
2
February 201 3
provides the correct amount of fat,
carbs, and protein to the baby. The
initial strain of Bifidobacterium
longum is designed to help transform components in breast milk
into the necessary fatty acids and
other compounds needed for neurological development, hormone
formation, and much more. (In
fact, supportive research shows
that breastfed babies may have
slightly higher IQs, likely from the
increased levels of fatty acids used
to build neurological connections.)
If a baby does not get these initial
components, there’s an increased
risk of developing the problems
mentioned earlier.
The adult strains of probiotics
that eventually inhabit everyone’s
gut are beneficial, but it all has to
do with timing. Since a baby’s immune system isn’t as developed as
an adult’s, it’s not equipped to deal
with an influx of many different
strains of new bacteria. It adds extra physiological stress at a critical
time in development.
Researchers have added prebiotics to baby formula to make it more
like breast milk, but in reality, formula could never fully recreate the
special components of breast milk.
Prebiotics in Food
The fact that our health is influenced by prebiotics from birth
illustrates just how important they
are. Fortunately, we don’t have to
look too hard to find them in our
food supply.
Most prebiotic supplements are
made from grains like oats and
corn. Obviously, most whole grains
contain soluble fiber. This includes
brown rice, whole grain breads,
whole-wheat pasta, barley, oatmeal, flax, chia, etc. In an attempt
to limit gluten, lectins, phytic acid,
and starch consumption, many of
Volume 16 • N o 2
us are trying to cut back on the
grains in our diet. As such, it’s nice
to know that prebiotics occur naturally in a wide variety of fruits and
vegetables, as well.
improve and protect nerve function, preserve memory, improve
cholesterol levels, clear arteries,
and protect you from liver damage.
Lecithin is a prebiotic.
All you have to do is eat a variety
of produce and you can forgo the
cost of a prebiotic supplement. This
includes vegetables like asparagus,
leeks, artichokes, garlic, carrots,
peas, beans, onions, chicory, jicama,
broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower,
spinach, kale, and chard. It’s interesting to note that cooking these
vegetables doesn’t negatively affect
the prebiotic fiber content materially. So you can eat them raw or
cooked. As for fruits, fresh or frozen
bananas, cherries, apples, pears,
oranges, strawberries, cranberries,
kiwi, and berries are good sources.
Nuts are also a prebiotic source.
And, the use of xylitol as a
sweetener isn’t just a safe, effective way to help control Candida
yeast infections, prevent tooth
decay, sinus, ear, and throat
infections, and avoid blood sugar
fluctuations that can lead to diabetes. Xylitol also happens to be a
prebiotic. It is naturally found in
some fruits and vegetables and it’s
also produced in small amounts
by the body. (I’m not sure if I’ve
mentioned it before, but xylitol is
toxic to dogs, but not to cats, other
animals, or humans.)
As I mentioned earlier, soluble
fiber turns gel-like when mixed
with water. Pectin, gum arabic, and
inulin are soluble fibers that are
often added to yogurts, jams, jellies, milk-based desserts, nutrition
bars, drinks, and other products to
improve texture and thickness and
enhance the satiating power.
Just like you, I take quite a few
supplements. And while I’m always
open to adding new ones to my
regimen, if I can get what I need
from my diet, I’d much rather do
that. Cost and convenience is always on my mind whenever I make
any suggestion or recommendation.
Such is the case with prebiotics.
For example, there’s a “method
to my madness” when I talk about
incorporating a morning protein
shake into your routine. A little
banana (and/or flaxseed, chia seed,
berries, etc.) in the shake doesn’t
just add flavor; it also furnishes
prebiotics and helps provide satiety
for hours. The lecithin granules
in the shake aren’t just there to
Help for a Common
Prebiotic Problem
On the subject of xylitol, some
individuals say they can’t use it
because it causes gas, bloating, and
intestinal discomfort. The same is
true for many of the fruits, vegetables, and other foods mentioned
earlier that are natural prebiotics.
If you’re one of these individuals,
there is a solution.
Understand that prebiotics will
initially cause excess gas and
intestinal problems when the pH
of the bowel is abnormal. Excess
gas formation is one of the primary
symptoms indicating the need to
reestablish the growth of beneficial
bacteria in the gut. Probiotics are
obviously needed and in most cases
will solve the problem. However, if
the pH of the colon is abnormal, it
can make the probiotics less effective and the gas and abdominal
discomfort will continue.
The ideal pH for the colon is very
slightly acidic, in the 6.7–6.9 range.
When there is an imbalance or lack
of beneficial bacteria in the colon,
3
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the pH is typically more alkaline,
around 7.5 or higher. The optimal
pH range for gas-producing organisms is slightly alkaline at 7.2–7.3.
When someone starts taking a
probiotic or a prebiotic supplement (or eats a prebiotic food), the
beneficial microorganisms begin
to increase in number. These good
bacteria start to ferment more soluble fiber into beneficial products
like butyric acid, acetic acid, lactic
acid, and propionic acid. These
acids provide energy, improve mineral, vitamin, and fat absorption,
and help prevent inflammation and
cancer. The extra acid also starts
to lower the pH in the colon. As
the pH passes through the gasproducing range, some individuals
start to experience the problems I
just talked about. If the pH never
drops low enough to get out of the
gas-producing range, eating that
particular food becomes an ongoing problem.
Most of the time, continuing to
take quality probiotics will eventually move the pH down to a point
where these problems are overcome.
In some individuals, however, it
requires an additional step.
For decades, I’ve used a product called Lactic Acid Yeast by
Standard Process Laboratories.
Lactic acid yeast is a modified form
of brewer’s yeast that works in
your intestines to produce significant amounts of lactic acid. The
additional acid stops the growth
of harmful bacteria while allowing beneficial bacterial to flourish.
It works rather quickly, and when
followed up with probiotics, the
results can be amazing.
I suggest chewing one lactic acid
yeast wafer with each meal. In
most cases, it will only be needed
for five to seven days. During this
time, I would also continue taking
a probiotic. It’s one of the easiest
and quickest ways to allow your
body to adapt to any of the prebiotic foods I listed.
Lactic acid yeast wafers are also
a godsend for stopping chronic
diarrhea. By making the gut’s
environment hostile to pathogenic
bacteria and helping to increase
anti-inflammatory fatty acids like
butyric acid, these wafers provide
a one-two punch against diarrhea.
(Half a ground-up wafer works wonders for kids with diarrhea, too.)
Standard Process Laboratories
typically only sells their products
to physicians, but you can still
find them online. Pure Formulas
sells a 100-count bottle of Lactic
Acid Yeast wafers for just under
$20 with free shipping. Visit
pureformulas.com/lactic-acidyeast-100-wafers-by-standardprocess.html or call 1-800-383-6008.
The Bottom Line on
Prebiotics
If you include a variety of fruits
and vegetables in your diet, you
can ignore all the hype and hoopla
about prebiotic supplements.
Invest your money in a quality
probiotic and fermented foods.
These are investments that will pay
daily dividends for a lifetime. ■
News to use from around the world
Uric Acid Linked
to Diseases
Beyond Gout
A couple of months ago, I had
a question about uric acid and
gout. Most people understand that
connection, but new research is
starting to link high uric acid levels
with a nearly 20 percent increase
in the risk of diabetes, over 40 percent higher risk of kidney disease,
and most likely heart disease.
Typically we think of uric acid
as the waste product of the oxidation of purines, compounds found
in virtually all high-protein foods.
4
For most people, uric acid doesn’t
appear to be a problem, and
excess amounts are cleared from
the body. If you have or have had
gout problems or high uric acid
levels, I would suggest treating it
as a warning sign. Just because
you aren’t experiencing gout pain
doesn’t mean you’re immune from
other uric acid–related damage.
I’ve discussed before how
metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and
obesity rates have skyrocketed
over the last 30 years, and during
this same time, high-fructose corn
syrup (HFCS) became ubiquitous
in our food supply. Researchers
have found that uric acid levels
rose significantly among those
consuming HFCS-sweetened
drinks. Even if these levels don’t
rise to the level that causes gout
symptoms, they eventually can
lead to fatty liver and then diabetes, heart disease, etc.
If you have gout, you need to
avoid HFCS like the plague. I
would avoid sugar as much as
possible, as well. Keep in mind that
fruit juice, alone or as an added
sweetener, can be problematic.
While both the fruit and the juice
contain high levels of natural fructose, only the whole fruit contains
February 201 3
News to use continued
soluble fiber, which slows its absorption into the bloodstream.
If you can’t control your uric
acid levels strictly by avoiding
sugars, then by all means stay on a
tart cherry supplement to keep it
under control.
Again, we’re seeing more and
more proof that our addiction to
sugar and all that’s sweet is slowly
killing us.
Oil Blend Lowers
Blood Pressure
and Cholesterol
An interesting study out of New
Delhi, India was just released describing the blood pressure-lowering
effects of a specific oil mixture
consisting of 80 percent refined high
oryzanol rice bran oil and 20 percent
unrefined sesame oil.
The two-month study involved
160 men and 140 women, average
age 57, all of whom had high blood
pressure. They were divided into
three groups: one group took a
calcium channel blocker medication; the second group consumed
roughly 1.25 ounces daily of the oil
blend, either in cooking or on salads; and the third group consumed
both the oil and took the blood
pressure medication.
When researchers began to analyze the results of the study, it was
pretty amazing.
When they checked blood pressure readings, both the top number
(systolic pressure) and the bottom
number (diastolic pressure) changed
significantly.
Systolic readings fell 14 points
among those taking the drug alone,
16 points among those consuming
just the oil blend, and 36 points in
those who did both.
Diastolic readings fell 11 points
among those taking the drug alone,
12 points among those consuming
Volume 16 • N o 2
just the oil blend, and 24 points in
those who did both.
Cholesterol readings changed,
too. Taking just the oil blend alone
or when used in combination with
the drug resulted in a 26 to 27
percent drop in LDL cholesterol and
a 9.5 to 10.9 increase in beneficial
HDL cholesterol. (American Heart
Association High Blood Pressure
Research 2012 Scientific Sessions,
12 Sept 2012)
The results were so remarkable
that studies are currently underway
to test the use of the oil with other
forms of blood pressure medication
like beta blockers and ACE inhibitors.
You can look at this study a couple of ways. One, adding these oils
to your diet can help potentiate your
calcium channel blocker medication. Two, by adding the oil blend to
your diet, you can achieve the same
amount of blood pressure reduction
as you would by taking medication,
plus experience significant positive
changes in cholesterol readings.
Should You Try This Blend?
Both of the oils in this mixture are
readily available, and it would be
easy to blend the two and start using
them. I have no problem with unrefined sesame oil (its composition is
fairly close to that of peanut oil). It’s
fairly stable, and although I wouldn’t
recommend it for heavy frying, occasional stir-frying, pan-frying, or
sautéing should be fine.
On the other hand, rice bran oil
is highly refined and, unlike sesame
oil, it isn’t found naturally in nature.
It worked well in this study for reducing blood pressure and changing
cholesterol values, but I’m not sure
what the long-term effects on one’s
overall health would be. It would
probably vary from individual to
individual depending on other factors in the diet. I say this because
both of these oils are fairly high
in omega-6 fatty acids, and we are
already getting an overabundance of
these in the diet.
However, having said that, the combination of these two oils appears to
have a synergistic effect that could be
very helpful for a lot of people.
Other Heart-Healthy Oils
When it comes to fats and oils,
one of the experts I trust and follow
is Mary Enig. Her research and writings validate and support a lot of
what I’ve learned in this area. Years
ago, she recommended an oil blend
that might provide similar benefits
without any of the possible downsides. As far as I know, however, it
hasn’t been tested in this way.
She recommended an oil blend
with equal parts coconut oil, extra
virgin olive oil, and cold-pressed,
untoasted sesame oil. I use these
oils and feel it’s a good combination.
I don’t use it exclusively, primarily
because I find the residue coconut
flavor in most dishes a little too
sweet for my taste. But I do take
coconut oil daily, by itself or as a
spread like butter, and I love it.
In combination, the three oils
can be used for cooking or in salad
dressings. If extra virgin olive oil is
too strong for you, the coconut oil
seems to calm that.
I highly recommend you find
the combination of these oils that
you like and incorporate them into
your diet. The benefits of olive and
sesame oils are well known, and
coconut oil is fantastic at boosting
the immune system and increasing
metabolism to help lose body fat.
And to be honest, if I had high
blood pressure that could be controlled with the rice bran and sesame
oil combination instead of drugs, I
would consider it a viable option.
These oils are available online
and at your local health food store.
If you have difficulty finding them
5
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in your area, I suggest contacting
Azure Standard (azurestandard.com,
1-541-467-2230 or 1-541-223-5640).
They specialize in bulk orders, but
the minimum is rather small.
The Redemption of
the Egg
Slowly, it seems the public is
beginning to understand the value of
including whole eggs in the diet.
On this topic, I sometimes think
the public is more informed than
most doctors. It has taken decades
to reverse the erroneous idea
that eggs are nothing more than
artery-clogging, cholesterol-loaded
grenades. However, even the more
open-minded cardiologists still
recommend eating yolk-free egg
substitutes rather than whole eggs.
And, you’ll find egg white and yolk
substitutes instead of whole eggs
under the “heart healthy” sections of
most restaurant menus.
One large egg contains about
180 mg of cholesterol—all in the
yolk. But there have never been any
studies showing that eating eggs or
egg yolks increase harmful levels
of cholesterol or your risk of heart
disease. In fact, studies show just
the opposite.
One recent 12-week study
involved 37 men and women ages
30–70. While following a moderately
carbohydrate-restricted diet (limited
to 25 percent carbs), individuals in
one group ate three whole eggs per
day, while those in the other group
ate the equivalent amount of yolkfree egg substitute (about ½ cup).
Each daily serving of whole eggs
contained 534 mg of cholesterol, 0
grams of carbs, 16 grams of protein,
and 12 grams of fat, for a total of
186 calories. The daily serving of
egg substitute contained 0 mg of
cholesterol, 2 grams of carbs, 14
grams of proteins, and 0 grams of
fat, for a total of 60 calories.
6
At the end of the study, both
groups lost a little weight. The LDL
(“bad”) cholesterol didn’t change
in either group. The HDL (“good”)
cholesterol increased 10 percent in
the group eating yolk-free egg substitutes, and 16 percent in the group
eating whole eggs.
Triglycerides dropped 20 percent
and insulin levels dropped 15 percent in the yolk-free egg substitute
group, but in the whole egg group,
triglycerides dropped 30 percent and
insulin levels dropped 20 percent.
In every case, eating the whole
eggs proved to be a better way
to go. (Metabolism Clinical and
Experimental online 28 Sept 2012,
doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2012.08.014)
Other Healthy Components
of Eggs
Researchers are now acknowledging that the lecithin in egg yolks
helps move cholesterol to the liver
instead of letting it build up in the
arteries.
Decades ago, I had the opportunity of communicating on numerous
occasions with the chemist Jacobus
Rinse. Dr. Rinse developed what he
called “The Dr. Rinse Breakfast,”
and one of the major components
was lecithin granules. Dr. Rinse felt
that the “melting point” of cholesterol could be reduced to less than
body temperature when lecithin is
consumed with the essential fatty
acids linoleic and linolenic.
I’ve talked about both of these
beneficial fatty acids many times in
the past. The two groups of people
with the lowest incidence of heart
disease in the world are the Cretans
from the Eastern Mediterranean
island of Crete, and the Japanese
from Kohama Island. Both have a
high dietary intake of these fatty
acids. The Cretans get theirs from
walnuts and purslane, and the
Japanese primarily from soybean
products. (Other food sources
include eggs, green leafy vegetables,
and many seeds and nuts and their
oils, including flax, hemp, pumpkin,
sunflower, sesame, olives, black
current, primrose, grape seed, pine
nuts, pistachios, cashews, Brazil
nuts, and almonds.)
Lecithin itself is found naturally
in beef liver and eggs, both of which
have fallen out of favor because of
the anti-cholesterol, anti-fat craze.
It’s one of the reasons I’ve always
added lecithin granules to my
morning protein shakes. (Hopefully
you’re doing that, as well.)
Everyone also seems to overlook
the fact that eggs are an excellent
source of the carotenoids beta carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Higher
levels of these carotenoids have
been shown to reduce inflammation
and lower the risk of cardiovascular
disease, some cancers, and type 2
diabetes. These same researchers
found that eating three whole eggs
a day very significantly increased
blood levels of all three of these
carotenoids, while only beta carotene was increased in those eating
yolk-free egg substitute. (Food Funct
2012 Nov 5. [Epub ahead of print])
Forget the yolk-free egg substitutes. You’re wasting your money
and jeopardizing your health. Stick
with whole eggs. The yolk is good
for you!
If you’re avoiding whole eggs
because you want to prevent
heart disease, you’re doing just
the opposite of what you should
be doing. Eat eggs and enjoy
them!
And if you have access to freerange eggs, then by all means eat
those. When it comes to taste and
quality, there’s no comparison. ■
February 201 3
UESTIO
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YO U R
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MAILBOX
MAILBOX
Magnesium Matters
Question: I’m very fidgety after I go to bed and
have a hard time sleeping. When I do get to sleep, I
often wake up with cramps and restless legs. Do you
have any other ideas that might help me?
—Clare H., Northfield, IL
Answer: It’s possible that you might be low on
magnesium. Along with an extremely long list of
other benefits, magnesium can work as a natural
muscle relaxer. Insomnia, muscle spasms, twitches,
restlessness, and hyperactivity are all well-known
signs of magnesium deficiency.
In this day and age, we rarely hear about nutritional
deficiencies. Most doctors and patients alike seem to
think we’re civilized enough that deficiencies are rare
in our society. When it comes to magnesium, however,
that’s definitely not the case.
Our intake in this country has dropped to less than
half of what it was at the turn of last century. In 1900,
it was roughly 500 mg a day, and today the average
is 175–225 mg a day. The government recommended
amount per day is 320–420 mg. Even worse, when you
look at most of the research, adults should probably be
getting somewhere between 500–750 mg a day.
The problem comes from changes in our water
and food supplies over the last 100 or so years.
Fewer people get their drinking water from hard
water sources that haven’t been treated or refined
to remove calcium and magnesium. Wheat used to
be a good source of magnesium, but when refined
into white flour, over 90 percent of the magnesium is
lost. (Environ Health Perspect 06;114(5):730–734)
Tea, coffee, alcohol, and other diuretics wash
magnesium out through the kidneys. Diets high in
refined carbohydrates (like sugar) also deplete magnesium. Magnesium is required to metabolize sugar.
Increased sugar consumption depletes existing magnesium reserves and interferes with one’s ability to
control blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes has been
linked to lower levels of magnesium. Not surprisingly,
Volume 16 • N o 2
a craving for sweets, chocolate, and/or caffeine is
typical when you’re deficient in magnesium.
There’s been a lot of research directly linking a
dramatic increase in heart attacks, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and arrhythmias to
lower levels of magnesium. At one time, Finland was
number one in the world when it came to deaths
from heart attacks. The government started a nationwide program to increase magnesium levels using
magnesium salt substitutes. They quickly fell from
number one in the world to number 10.
I’m afraid that many of the more common health
problems we’re starting to see are exacerbated or
even a result of lower magnesium levels in our population. Only about 1 percent of the magnesium found
in the body is in the bloodstream at any one time. So
accurate testing for the mineral is difficult. Magnesium
is also involved in so many different functions throughout the body that it’s often hard to pinpoint it as the
definitive causative factor. As such, there are probably
only a handful of doctors in the county that would
even consider low magnesium as a problem. But since
it’s natural and safe, increasing magnesium intake
should be on the short list of therapies before resorting to more drastic measures like medications.
Beyond the Heart and Muscles
Depression has reached epidemic proportions
in this country. Teen depression is on the rise and
attempted teen suicides have increased from 6.3
percent in 2009 to 7.8 percent in 2011. Yet practically everyone with chronic depression and suicidal
thoughts has low magnesium. Withdrawal, apathy,
irritability, decreased attention span, mental confusion, uncooperativeness, paranoia, and nervousness
are all symptoms of a magnesium deficiency.
Children with hyperactivity, another common sign
of magnesium deficiency, are routinely given psychotropic medication like it’s candy. When is the
last time you heard of doctors trying magnesium
first? One study involving 116 children with ADHD
found that 95 percent had magnesium deficiencies.
(Magnes Res 97 Jun;10(2):143–148) (Magnes Res 97
Jun;10(2):149–156)
Increase Your Magnesium
When you look at what foods contain high levels
of magnesium, it’s easy to see why most people
aren’t getting enough of this mineral in their diet.
They include bran from rice, wheat, and oats; seeds
of pumpkin, flax, sesame, and sunflower; Brazil nuts,
7
Alternatives
pine nuts, almonds, cashews,
and peanuts; molasses; dry
roasted soybeans; bananas;
figs; raisins; kidney and black
beans; spinach and other leafy
vegetables; and halibut.
aches, pains, and cramps. The
magnesium sulfate is absorbed
through the skin. It’s an inexpensive yet effective way of boosting magnesium levels that has
fallen out of favor.
Below, I’ve listed the typically
recommended daily requirements. But keep in mind,
these would be minimum daily
amounts, and magnesium from
food doesn’t have to be limited
at all. Adults deficient in magnesium, and especially those experiencing problems like those
mentioned previously, need
higher levels before tapering off
to a maintenance dose.
If you like to take baths,
Epsom salts are available at
every drug store. For Epsom
salts and really any kind of salt
you can imagine, check out
SaltWorks at saltworks.us. They
have one of the largest selections of all types of salt, and they
sell at wholesale prices.
At the higher dosages, it’s possible to experience diarrhea, but
that can be avoided by spreading
the total dosage out and taking
the magnesium three or four
times throughout the day (preferably with meals).
Children
1–3 years: 80 mg
4–8 years: 130 mg
9–13 years: 240 mg
14–18 years (boys): 410 mg
14–18 years (girls): 360 mg
Adult Females
In general: 310 mg
During pregnancy: 360–400 mg
Breastfeeding: 320–360 mg
Adult Males
In general: 400 mg
The most common form of
magnesium supplement is magnesium oxide. The aspartate and
ascorbate forms tend to be more
easily absorbed, but they all have
been shown to be effective.
It wasn’t that long ago that
Epsom salts were commonly
found and used in most households. Epsom salt is magnesium
sulfate. Adding it to bath water
actually does soothe muscle
8
As for supplements, magnesium
is included in virtually all multivitamins, although you still may need
to take an additional magnesium
supplement to get the minimum
daily requirement or to reach a
more therapeutic level necessary
to treat a particular condition.
Fortunately, magnesium supplements are very inexpensive and
can be found in pretty much every
drug store or online.
On the topic of multivitamins,
I wanted to let you know that I
recently decided to formulate
a second multi. I know many
of you take Daily Advantage
packets like I do every day, and
that’s still my top recommendation without a doubt. But apparently a lot of people still don’t
take any multi at all, or take a
generic one-a-day type vitamin,
and that concerns me.
I created Daily Basics Plus as
a “basic” option for those who
for whatever reason can’t take
a full-spectrum multi like Daily
Advantage. If you currently take
Daily Advantage, I encourage
you to stick with it. If you don’t,
you may want to give Daily
Basics a try.
Until next month,
This Month Online
Visit Dr. Williams’
website at
drdavidwilliams.com,
where you’ll find information
and recommendations for
many of your top health
concerns, including:
■B
one and joint health
■D
igestive health
■M
emory and brain health
■ Immune health, including
cold and flu prevention
Stay in touch with Dr. Williams
between newsletter issues!
Sign up for his Health
Dispatch E-News alerts by
visiting drdavidwilliams.
com and submitting your
email address. You can also
follow his blog, which you
can find under the Connect
with Dr. Williams tab on his
website. Here are just some
of the posts you can read
there:
■C
ut Blood Sugar Spikes
with Green Tea
■O
ral Health and Cancer—
Is There a Connection?
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February 201 3