Do I nee to supplement magnesium if I have PCOS?

🅜🅐🅖🅝🅔🅢🅘🅤🅜 ✨ Mg is the second most abundant cation in the body and boy, is it important.

Mg involves itself with loads of stuff in the body as it acts as a catalyst for hundreds of enzyme systems. And its starring role would be in the reaction which sees the final phosphate added to energy compound ATP = the currency in the body which deals with energy production ⚡️

So, it has a leading role when it comes to the use of glucose, as it is so fundamental in ATP metabolism, which sees a link to PCOS.

We see an association between good Mg status and improved insulin resistance - which is one of the drivers behind PCOS - as Hypomagnesemia (low Mg) may worsen insulin resistance due to the role magnesium plays in glucose metabolism. And interestingly, research suggests that women with PCOS are more likely to underconsume Mg high foods.

The effects of magnesium levels in PCOS pathology needs more research, however alongside its role with glucose, Mg can also support anxiety (commonly associated with PCOS). Firstly, it’s a relaxant and it is also associated with entry of calcium into the neuron (Mg is a Ca antogonist) and this provides protection for neurons against cell death. Therefore, mg supplementation is often used in neurologic disorders including anxiety and depression-related diseases.

Anxiety does affect many women with PCOS - in fact, reviews have show that Women with PCOS were nearly three times as likely to report anxiety symptoms compared to women without PCOS. Having low levels of mg is believed to be an underlying cause of anxiety so getting levels up can be great place to start.

✨ Foods to embrace: green veg! That’s ALL green veg, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, Brazil nuts, tahini, legumes, edamame beans, tofu...

And if you’re thinking of supplementation seek the advice of a professional like me 💁🏼‍♀️

DM for study references👩🏼‍🔬