It is often wrongly believed that weight loss only depends on the content of our plate … or the number of sports sessions carried out. Except that in reality, it also depends on our deficiencies. Magnesium insufficiency can thus considerably “Impact your weight loss goal”confirms Julie Boët, dietician-nutritionist.
Weight loss and magnesium: what link?
Did you know? Magnesium contributes to more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. “”It intervenes in energy production, the regulation of blood sugar, the proper functioning of the nervous and muscular system … So many essential parameters to lose weight serenely “, Confirms Julie Boët, dietician-nutritionist.
However, almost 70 % of the French population does not reach the recommended contributions. A deficit which is not without consequences, since it manifests itself by fatigue, sleep disorders, irritability, sugar desires and difficulties in managing stress. So many factors likely to ruin your efforts and goals.
A concrete example: “When you consume carbohydrates, your body secretes insulin to bring glucose into cells … and magnesium plays a central role in this action of insulin “indicates the specialist. Except that in the event of a deficiency, “The cells become less sensitive to insulin, sugar circulates longer in the blood and the pancreas must produce more. Result: your blood sugar becomes unstable, you feel fatigue … and irresistible desires of sugar to compensate”she says.
Another “power” of magnesium to know: it helps to regulate cortisol, the hormone of stress. Result : “In case of deficiency,, Stress, poorly managed, can cause sweet cravings – the body is looking for a rapid source of energy. A deficiency can therefore strengthen this vicious circle: more stress, more sugar desires and more difficulty losing weight “, warns the nutritionist.
Magnesium deficiency: on which ingredients to bet?
To optimize your intake, prefer foods naturally rich in magnesium and well assimilable, such as:
- Oilseeds (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews);
- The seeds (squash, sunflower, sesame);
- Raw cocoa without sugar;
- Legumes (lenses, chickpeas, red beans);
- Green vegetables (spinach, chard).
Supplementation can also be (sometimes) useful, specifies the expert. But beware of the choice of complement: “Avoid marine magnesium, often poorly tolerated on the digestive and little assimilated level, and favor chélaté forms, such as magnesium bisglycinate, recognized for its high bioavailability and good intestinal tolerance”, concludes Julie Boët, dietician-nutritionist.