Minerals & Metabolic Health

janlindquist
6 days ago
4 min read

Minerals play a central role in regulating our metabolism. The trouble is that most of us don’t meet our mineral needs from diet alone.

Recent CDC data found that 97% of American adults have at least one mineral deficiency. Low minerals have wide-reaching effects, including our metabolism.

Maintaining good mineral balance through eating a whole, real foods diet can go a long way in supporting blood sugar balance, blood pressure, and even weight loss.

Minerals and Blood Sugar Control

Most blood sugar control issues are caused by insulin resistance, which is when your body loses sensitivity to insulin. After a meal, your blood sugar spikes, then drops rapidly, causing unstable energy, sudden fatigue, and food cravings.

You can improve your insulin sensitivity with lifestyle changes, like focusing on protein, fat, and fiber at every meal.

Minerals to Improve Insulin Sensitivity and Blood Sugar Control

Chromium.

A 2004 review found that chromium helps increase the effectiveness of insulin, reducing insulin resistance and restoring stable blood sugar.

Zinc.

A 2023 review found that zinc supplements stabilize blood sugar and lower fasting blood glucose in overweight people and eating foods rich in zinc improved overall blood sugar control. Also, low-dose zinc improved people’s blood sugar control, reduced insulin resistance, and lowered cardiovascular disease risk.

Magnesium.

A 2021 review found that magnesium supplements increased glucose tolerance and reduced fasting blood sugar levels, magnesium also increased sensitivity to insulin.

If you struggle with your blood sugar, or you get tired and foggy after meals, a good mineral supplement can help.

Minerals and Blood Pressure

High blood pressure [hypertension] puts a strain on the heart and blood vessels, increasing our risk of cardiovascular problems.

Common Causes of High Blood Pressure:

Eating highly processed foods which are also high in salt.
Lack of exercise.
Stress.
Overweight/obesity.
Smoking.

Minerals like magnesium, potassium, and calcium can help with blood pressure support.

Here are several recent studies:

A 2023 meta-analysis found that daily low-dose magnesium, potassium, and calcium supplements all lowered blood pressure within weeks.
A 2011 review found that potassium helps balance out high sodium levels, lowering blood pressure without the need to reduce your salt intake because more than 90% of American adults are deficient in potassium.
A 2016 study found that 30 days of magnesium supplementation significantly lowered people’s blood pressure.

Including a magnesium supplement can alleviate the repeated stress response, because magnesium both promotes relaxation and increases our tolerance to future stress.

A 2022 review found that low-dose calcium supplements also lower blood pressure, in both healthy and hypertensive adults. Caution should be exercised when supplementing with calcium only. Including Vitamin D3+K2 will assist with calcium supporting bone health without the concern of calcium depositing in our vessels.

Minerals and Fat Loss

Excess body fat has a major effect on our metabolic health. The most dangerous type is visceral fat—the hard, compact abdominal fat that forms around your organs and belly.

Replenishing your mineral stores can help you burn fat, and research shows it can specifically reduce visceral fat.

A 2011 study had adults take either a calcium supplement or placebo for 16 weeks. The calcium group lost significantly more visceral fat.
A 2023 study found that people with higher magnesium intake had less visceral fat and lower risk of metabolic syndrome.
A 2019 review found that low zinc contributes to both visceral fat and insulin resistance, especially if you’re chronically stressed.

Minerals can help support both visceral fat loss and normal fat loss. They can also reduce cravings, hunger, and energy swings.

That makes it easier to start lifestyle changes that burn visceral fat, like exercise and healthy eating.

Hair Mineral Testing.

Why should I test my hair to see my mineral levels?

Minerals are incredibly important to our health as they literally are the body’s spark plugs. That said, we can also have high [toxic] levels of minerals that can contribute to some of our troubling symptoms.

Reveal - HTMA [hair, tissue, mineral analysis] reveals both mineral levels and heavy metal toxicity along with a blueprint to follow that can increase your energy, reduce brain fog, diminish fatigue and increase energy.

When we begin with testing first, we have something concrete to work towards.

Discovering where we have imbalances can give us the blueprint toward improving our health.

What You Can Learn From HTMA

Thyroid Function - A ratio of calcium/potassium indicates either slower or faster use of thyroid hormone.
Digestion Markers - Sodium, Phosohorus and Cobalt are indicators of soor stomach acid.
Stress Response - Sodium/Magnesium ratio indicates adrenal function, Sodium/Potassium ratio indicates stage of stress for the past 3 months.
Blood Sugar Markers - Magnesium is necessary for insulin use, Potassium assists glucose delivery inside cells, Sodium levels can indicate insulin sensitivity, Calcium levels indicate insulin production and Boron helps keep calcium in the cell to support insuliin.

Mineral Levels.

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis gives a nutrient score insicating what is being used up due to stress and other processes. This information of mineral activity shows what's been happening for the past 3 months.