Magnesium is one of the most abundant elements on the planet Earth and also in the known universe. It's equally as abundant and important in the human body. Over 300 enzymes in the human body depend upon Magnesium and even ATP is naturally bound to magnesium in cells. Magnesium is critical to the proper metabolization of Vitamin D.

As a testament to magnesium's ubiquity, the water in the picture to the right is blue due to high magnesium levels. The water is in a cave in Brazil.

Deficiency

Despite being an incredibly common element with a large variety of dietary sources some 68% of Americans are deficient. Some symptoms of magnesium deficiency are: muscle soreness, irritability, headaches, carbohydrate cravings, odd muscle spasms, photophobia, and many, many more. Chronic deficiency can lead to serious diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome, asthma, allergies, and cardiovascular diseases.

Benefits

Despite being absolutely vital to proper bodily function magnesium has been shown to promote some interesting benefits. A recent study linked magnesium supplementation with higher cognitive functioning. Magnesium helped to promote synaptic plasticity which is what allows your brain to learn and form memories. Although this was demonstrated with just brain cells in a lab the results are hypothesized to carry over to subjects who take magnesium supplements outside of their normal dietary intake.