Which Mineral Has Been Linked to Dietary Supplements For Fat Loss and Muscle Gain?

Studies demonstrate the efficacy of Chromium Picolinate supplements in helping individuals lose weight by increasing insulin function, which assists the body in turning fat into energy. Other minerals that support weight loss include calcium, magnesium and manganese.

Iron is essential to blood health, providing oxygen-rich oxygenation to all cells within your body – including muscles. Furthermore, iron helps to decrease fatigue during diet and exercise.

Calcium

Milk builds strong bones” is an often repeated refrain, yet calcium plays a much wider range of functions than simply strengthening bones and teeth. Calcium also aids in blood circulation, contracting muscles as needed for expansion or contraction, normal heart rhythm regulation, release hormones to control levels of estrogen in your system and sending signals through your nervous system. Calcium also plays an integral part of fat burning nutrient through helping break down glucose and convert it to energy using the Krebs cycle.

As an aid for weight loss, calcium may help curb appetite and make you feel full after meals. But it shouldn’t be seen as the sole solution: for best results it should be combined with other nutrient sources to achieve weight reduction. A daily recommended dosage of 1,000 milligrams of calcium should be consumed.

Calcium has long been known for promoting bone health and strength; however, research shows it can also aid the body in burning fat. Calcium increases thermogenesis – the process by which your body raises its temperature in order to burn calories – while also suppressing calcitriol, a hormone known to promote fat storage and muscle breakdown.

Researchers recently conducted a study which demonstrated how diets high in calcium and magnesium could decrease the amount of fat absorbed from meals. Although such supplements can aid the body in burning fat more effectively, to achieve maximum effectiveness it must also include protein, vitamin D, potassium fiber fatty acids etc for maximum results.

Calcium is essential to life, yet too much calcium can be detrimental. Too much calcium intake can contribute to osteoporosis as well as hindering absorption of other essential minerals such as magnesium and zinc. Furthermore, excessive calcium consumption has been linked with kidney stones as well as hypercalcemia (high levels of calcium in blood).

Diets that emphasize whole foods can provide our bodies with an ample source of calcium. While dairy products are the primary sources, dark green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts and some starchy vegetables may also provide ample sources. When selecting calcium supplements it is essential that they have high bioavailability as different forms of the mineral vary greatly in terms of how easily their calcium can be absorbed by our bodies.

Magnesium

Magnesium plays a critical role in many enzymatic reactions that help your body work effectively, such as stabilizing DNA, protein and glucose metabolism, calcium absorption for blood pressure regulation and bone formation. Magnesium also assists with nerve impulse transmission as well as communication between brain and muscles.

Most people fail to consume enough magnesium due to a diet lacking in food sources containing this mineral, especially those who exercise regularly as sweat loss increases their magnesium needs. Pumpkin seeds, beans, nuts and whole grains are excellent food sources of magnesium.

Low magnesium levels have been linked with numerous health conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. Not only may magnesium reduce your risk for these conditions but it may also help you lose weight as it aids the body in using sugars and absorb fats more effectively.

Exercisers seeking to build muscle, as it helps their bodies utilize glucose more effectively while clearing away lactic acid produced during intense physical exertion. Studies published in “Journal of Nutrition” also show it enhances athletic performance among older adults.

Magnesium may not directly relate to weight loss, but it plays an essential role in supporting healthy metabolic processes and normal sleep patterns. One study revealed that those who consumed higher amounts of magnesium had a reduced rate of insomnia than those who didn’t; researchers believe this may be because magnesium helps to regulate neurotransmitters involved with sleep regulation.

Foroutan stresses the importance of taking high-quality magnesium supplements in order to ensure you’re getting enough magnesium in your body. She suggests choosing one with vitamin D3 and zinc, which will aid absorption as well as support immune function, like MagMD Plus containing these two highly bioavailable nutrients along with folic acid, potassium, folic acid, vitamin C for antioxidant support, as well as dosage instructions on its packaging.

Manganese

Manganese, an essential trace mineral essential for bone health and metabolism, also acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells against damage. Manganese can be found in many foods including nuts and seeds, unrefined grains (like buckwheat and bulgur wheat), legumes, pineapples, as well as pineapples themselves. Most adults can get enough manganese through diet – the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for adults 19 or over are 2.3 mg daily while 3 micrograms is the RDA for infants under 6 months and pregnant/ lactating women respectively.

One well-designed clinical study demonstrated that women experiencing PMS experienced reduced symptoms when eating a manganese-rich diet than when they consumed low manganese diets; however, more research needs to be conducted into whether manganese supplements could help mitigate PMS symptoms.

Manganese may play an integral part in maintaining healthy glucose levels by helping the body use up its supply and store glycogen stores more effectively. It does this by blocking enzymes responsible for breaking down glucose in livers and muscles; thus enabling more glucose to enter the bloodstream for energy use.

Studies have demonstrated that supplementing with manganese has helped decrease both frequency and severity of seizures among those living with epilepsy, though further investigation may be required to ascertain if this effect stems from its function as an essential mineral for brain cells or from eating manganese-rich foods that reduce risk.

As no evidence of manganese deficiency has been reported in humans consuming natural diets, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine established an Adequate Intake (AI). Adult men require 2.3 mg/day while for adult women it’s 1.8 mg/day; their Tolerable Upper Intake Level for both genders stands at 11 mg/day.

Manganese toxicity may only become an issue when excessive doses are taken over time or from drinking contaminated water sources, leading to forgetfulness, hallucinations, nerve damage, tremors and muscle issues. Furthermore, exposure to high concentrations of manganese in the lungs could result in lung embolism or bronchitis.

Chromium

Chromium has long been touted as an effective supplement to aid fat loss and muscle gain, due to its role in aiding insulin in processing carbohydrates as well as protein and fat metabolism. Furthermore, chromium helps control abnormal blood sugar levels among those living with diabetes, helping keep their levels normalized. Recent studies indicate that supplemented chromium may promote weight loss when taken in conjunction with physical exercise and a low-fat diet for those deficient in it.

Chromium can be found naturally in food sources like yeast and meats; refined foods tend to be poor sources of chromium; many adults are deficient in this essential trace mineral due to poor absorption rates of many dietary chromium compounds.

One notable exception is chromium picolinate, an organic form of the metal that is easily absorbed and utilized by the body. Studies utilizing various doses have demonstrated how chromium picolinate improves insulin function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Researchers in a recent study administered 200 micrograms per day over 6 months of 200 micrograms daily dose to 351 women diagnosed with PCOS; results included reduced insulin resistance as well as an increase in free and total testosterone production; however they noted that these results needed to be replicated using larger and controlled trials for greater confirmation.

Chromium seems to enhance the effects of exercise on lean body mass and strength. A 12-week study involving young male athletes who took either 200 micrograms of chromium picolinate or placebo showed greater strength gains as well as 44% greater lean body mass gains than control group participants.

However, more research needs to be conducted in order to ascertain whether chromium really is effective for fat loss and muscle building. Furthermore, some studies examining its effect on protein metabolism have yielded inconsistent findings.

The current Recommended Dietary Allowance for chromium is 35 micrograms daily for men and 45 micrograms for women; however, no Tolerable Upper Intake Level has been set due to no reported toxic effects at such high intake from food or supplement sources containing chromium.