I met up with a friend of mine last night whose son - just turned six - has asthma. I told her that I remembered reading that magnesium could help with alleviating asthma symptoms and promised her I would look stuff up for her.

Seeing as asthma is so common and really not much fun, I thought I would share this finding here, too. Yet another reason to take magnesium!!! Although I wonder if Mg glycinate might not produce even better results???

I just found this which is pretty new (from March 24, 2011):



I found the original article here:

http://nccam.nih.gov/research/resul...ight/021110.htm

Pass this on to anyone you know with asthma!!!

amanda

I'm not lecturing Amanda here because I'm sure she is aware that absorption of magnesium from water/diet is increased (in a similar way that calcium uptake increases) when vitamin D deficiency is corrected.

So correcting vitamin D deficiency improves lung function partly by improving magnesium status.

But because most modern diets (because of changes in plant breeding and farming techniques) lack the magnesium resources, so although the ability to absorb magnesium may be increased by correcting vitamin D deficience, if it's lacking in the soil grains/veggies are grown in, it will inevitably also be lacking in the foods produced.
The average dietary Mg intake in women is 68% of the RDA, indicating that a large proportion of our population has substantial dietary Mg deficits.
Most informed observers would probably agree privately the current RDA for magnesium (and indeed vitamin d) is far too low for safety.

there is an equally large amount of information suggesting that vitamin d deficiency causes asthma I agree it does but that is because vitamin D deficiency also means you are deficient in magnesium absorption.
Correcting vitamin D efficiency MAY improve your ability to absorb magnesium BUT if you haven't sufficient sources of magnesium (because your flour comes from modern dwarf wheat varieties) then correcting vitamin D deficiency without also correcting magnesium insufficiency, won't have the desired effect.
Neither will increasing magnesium intake without at the same time increasing vitamin d status. No point in increasing magnesium availability if you don't also increase the means of uptake (increasing vitamin d status)
I sometimes use the analogy of inflating car tyres to makers specifications but you see in this situation how inappropriate that analogy is because with cars if you inflate one tyre it doesn't affect the ability of other tyres to absorb the correct air pressure. But with vitamin D, calcium, magnesium these are so interrelated the each has an impact on the absorption of the others. Mess one up and you mess up the others.
Shortage of vitamin D = insufficient calcium insufficient magnesium absorption, it also means the calcium isn't properly controlled so excess calcium uncontrolled leads to calcification and stone formation.
Magnesium deficiency = increased iron uptake, more oxidation, accelerated ageing, more inflammation.

Hutchinson, thanks for posting all this. Fascinating, how the deficiencies are related. I so appreciate your taking the time write such helpful things and links. Thank you very much.

Hi Ted,

Actually, when I spoke to my friend, vitamin D didn't go through my mind for one minute!!! I mentioned probiotics (her son has allergies, too) and magnesium, but I didn't think of vitamin D at all!!! So, actually, I am really glad that you mentioned this.

What's more, I have some left-over Vitamin D3 kids' lozenges which my youngest daughter doesn't like and which I could give to her!!!

Her son has that white blond hair and I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if she doesn't slather him with sunscreen when the sun pops out for a millisecond. She will be doing this, no doubt, thinking that this is the best possible thing for him, so I won't criticize her for it, but I shall most definitely pass on this information to her as well.

She wants to have his lung function tested during an overnight stay in a children's hospital. I shall recommend to her that she considers having a D3 test done, too. If not, she should just start supplementing. Drawing blood from kids is a long-drawn-out process, as I have witnessed myself, and isn't very pleasant.

Thanks soooo much, Ted, for reminding me about the D3 side of the magnesium equation!!!

amanda

I find it amazing that when yoou hunker down and really do some serious research, then supplement according to the research, supplements actually work.

Ted, I am wondering if my vitamin D supplementation revealed my low magnesium level through pre-diabetes.