Magnesium and other deficiencies? (T Incledon)

[Guest guest]

<<<Sorry Tom seems to not know what he is talking about but that is

nothing unsual in the world of medicine or nutrition. I guess he is

not aware of the declining nutrional values of foods and how low

magnesium intake is in the general public as well as with athletes.

Athletes of course need more than a regular person.. Below is some

general information about this from my book.>>>

Tom Incledon replies:

***Let me start off with a few facts, I have personally tested

thousands of athletes over the past 20+ years. I have served as a

scientific advisor for the NCAA, NFL, NFLPA, and numerous other

sports organizations, as well as various political groups and

officials. I have served as an editor and peer-reviewer for numerous

journals. Today I have 10 companies generating millions of dollars in

revenues and serve as the CSO for several of these companies. I have

over a dozen satellite facilities around the US where I directly

measure various biochemical and biomechanical parameters in athletes

from about ages 8 to 40. In my private practice I serve as scientific

advisor for doctors from around the world handling terminally ill or

extremely challenging cases. I have several hundred clients that were

once told they would die and today they are alive as a direct result

of my understanding of the human body. For a guy that does `not know

what he is talking about' (thanks for the kind words Mark), I can't

wait to get educated so I can really help people. My comments are

from direct scientific observation inside the lab and direct patient

observation outside the lab.

I think that most people take supplements randomly and have no clue

what they really need. They would be better off investing their money

in lab testing that can determine their needs and then they should

have enough information to modify their diet and supplementation

accordingly. Some of the comments I reviewed from this list were

based on a rather naïve interpretations of the scientific literature.

Here are my comments (posted after each statement):***

<<<Micronutrient content of the average diet in industrialized

countries is declining.

Cheryl Long and Lynn Keiley writing for Mother Earth News tell us

that " American agribusiness is producing more food than ever before,

but the evidence is building that the vitamins and minerals in that

food are declining. For example, eggs from free-range hens contain up

to 30 percent more vitamin E, 50 percent more folic acid and 30

percent more vitamin B-12 than factory eggs. Most of our food now

comes from large-scale producers who rely on chemical fertilizers,

pesticides and animal drugs, and inhumane confinement animal

production. In agribusiness, the main emphasis is on getting the

highest possible yields and profits; nutrient content (and flavor)

are, at best, second thoughts. This shift in production methods is

clearly giving us less nutritious eggs and meat. Beef from cattle

raised in feedlots on growth hormones and high-grain diets has lower

levels of vitamins E, A, D and beta carotene, and twice as much fat,

as grass-fed beef. " Health writer Jo has done groundbreaking

work on this subject[ii] making us critically aware of the importance

of the conditions in which our crops, meat and dairy are raised.>>>

****I think that in general food production can be improved but their

comments are biased. They did not include the facts that

industrialized countries are also using biotechnology to increase

nutrient levels in foods. You can get Omega-3 fatty acids in eggs

with reduced cholesterol values, beta carotene loaded rice, and most

grain products are also fortified, very simple examples. Very soon,

omega-3 loaded beef will appear. American business is motivated by

sales (and profits) so as consumer demand for healthier food

increases then more and more products will appear to meet that

demand. All one has to do is look at the success of stores like Wild

Oats and Whole Foods (natural foods supermarkets). By the way there

are hormones in all foods, including plants, so if they are worried

about hormones perhaps they should not eat any food at all.

<<<<Data from: , G.C. " Dietary supplementation of vitamin E to

cattle to improve shelf life and case life of beef for domestic and

international markets. " Colorado State University, Fort ,

Colorado

We humans are not getting the minerals we need because modem

agricultural methods, including widespread use of N P K fertilizer,

over farming, loss of protective ground cover and trees, and lack of

humus have made soils vulnerable to erosion. The result is a reduced

nutrient content of crops. N P K fertilizer is highly acidic. It

disrupts the pH (acid/alkaline) balance of the soil, as does acid

rain . Acid conditions destroy soil microorganisms. It is the job of

these microorganisms to transmute soil minerals into a form that is

usable by plants. In the absence of these microbes, these minerals

become locked up, unavailable to the plant. Stimulated by the N P K

fertilizer, the plant grows, but it is deficient in vital trace

minerals. In the absence of trace minerals, plants take up heavy

metals (such as aluminum, mercury and lead) from the soil. Between

1950 and 1975, the calcium content in one cup of rice dropped 21

percent, and iron fell by 28.6 percent.

When trace minerals are scarce in plant bodies they become scarce in

human bodies.

Dr. Whitaker, in his book MediSin, tells us how unfortunate it

is that the modern day farmer has been persuaded to use monoculture,

artificial fertilization, pesticides, and herbicides. " The end result

of our domestic food production has been 'quantity' rather

than 'quality'. The human body can thrive on fruits and vegetables

that are grown on vital rich soil but not on soil that is

artificially pumped up with chemicals. " Thus today hardly anyone can

eat enough fruits and vegetables to supply his or her body with the

mineral salts required for good health.>>>

****Tell to get out more often. Farmers can get a premium price

for " organically grown food " . In AZ I have seen more and more

farmers, stop using chemical pesticides and fertilizers and switch to

organic methods. His statement ignores the fact that every study I

could find showed the more fruits and vegetables people eat the

healthier they were. This includes the pesticide loaded foods. The

dose makes the poison. Many fruits and vegetables actually contain

microscopic amounts of poisonous molecules, yet people are still

healthier after eating them.***

<<<It is crucial that doctors and parents recognize that from poor

soil comes poor food, deficient in minerals and vitamins>>>

***It is also crucial to note that soil conditions change throughout

the year and that post-production processing can influence nutrient

content. In some cases cooking improves bioavailability and in other

cases it reduces it.***

<<<Dr. Nan Fuchs, author of The Nutrition Detective, says

that, " Our diets today are very different from those of our ancestors

though our bodies remain similar. Thousands of years ago, our

ancestors ate foods high in magnesium and low in calcium. Because

calcium supplies were scarce and the need for this vital mineral was

great, it was effectively stored by the body. Magnesium, on the other

hand, was abundant and readily available, in the form of nuts, seeds,

grains, and vegetables, and did not need to be stored internally. Our

bodies still retain calcium and not magnesium although we tend to eat

much more calcium (in the form of dairy products) than our ancestors.

In addition, our sugar and alcohol consumption is higher than theirs,

and both sugar and alcohol increase magnesium excretion through the

urine. Our grains, originally high in magnesium, have been refined,

which means that magnesium is lost in the refining process. The

quality of our soil has deteriorated as well, due to the use of

fertilizers that contain large amounts of potassium a magnesium

antagonist. This results in foods lower in magnesium than ever

before. " >>>

***First of all let's be crystal clear on what early man ate: He ate

whatever was available, he didn't have a choice. As he migrated, his

diet changed, as seasons changed he ate different foods. For anyone

to talk as if early man ate one type of food exclusively for a given

reason is very misleading. Let's take a few cavemen and let them

loose in a supermarket. They will most likely eat sugary, fatty foods

because in general they stimulate more taste receptors and satisfy

more cravings. The reason why we preach variety is that if you get a

variety of foods you minimize the likelihood of a nutrient

inadequacy.***

<<We need an average of 200 milligrams more magnesium than we get

from the average diet.

Dr. Mildred Seelig

President of the American College of Nutrition>>>

***So then eat better than the average diet. You might still need

supplements but it will be less than if you follow the average

American diet.***

<<<So where Tom gets his information is beyond me. Dr. Seeling is one

of the world's experts on magnesium and nutrition.>>>

***Mark, MiIdred passed away. I met Mildred S. Seelig, M.D., MPH,

MACN (1920-2005) years ago at an American College of Nutrition

meeting and was first turned onto erythrocyte magnesium testing by

her. She did very little work with athletes and was naïve to many of

the training programs athletes followed. To take her work and

extrapolate it to everyone else is premature because people require

more than just magnesium. So if someone were to blindly follow your

poorly referenced statements they could be led astray. After reaing

your posts it is amazing how anyone can still be alive. I have

multimillion dollar athletes setting training records and they do not

need magnesium. In one case 23 pull-ups at a body weight of 320

pounds - the only supplement we had him taking was sublingual vitamin

B12. If I gave him magnesium when he was actually deficient in B12,

do you really think that would have helped him? In another case we

have a guy taking over 60 pills a day and he just hit 185 x 10 for

flat DB bench presses (both NFL athletes). Our approach is to

determine what is rate limiting and address it. Your approach seems

to be to generate more interest in something you are selling.

Mark:

Please share your comparative data for transdermal magnesium chloride

vs other delivery methods. What published studies have you found on

this magnesium delivery method? I could not find any on Medline.

Regards,

Tom

Incledon, PhD©, RD, LD/N, NSCA-CPT, CSCS, RPT, CFT

President/Chief Scientific Officer

Human Performance Specialists, Inc.

4440 S Rural Road

Building F, Suite 2

Tempe, AZ 85282

office

fax

cell

www.Incledon.com

Author of Maxmium Muscle, Rodale, 2005

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Carruthers

Wakefield, UK