Health Wanted: Cruises

The Episode

The smell of salty air, the sun on your skin, the wind in your hair, the…gastrointestinal distress and lax criminal justice system. No, we’re not talking about a pirate’s life. This week on Health Wanted, we’re cruising for a bruising by laying out the potential hazards of one of America's favorite recreational activities: cruises.

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The Listener Questions

Are magnesium supplements worth the hype?

Magnesium is an essential mineral your body needs to function. More than 300 chemical reactions in the body rely, at least in part, on magnesium. 

Pure magnesium is an unstable and highly reactive metal. So the reason there are so many kinds of magnesium supplements (like magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, or magnesium oxide) is because those are the names of the salts that are formed when magnesium is combined with partner substances so that it can be absorbed by the body. They are all still magnesium, it’s just the delivery tools and impact on the body that differ.

For example, magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide have a laxative effect. If you aren't looking to get things moving, magnesium glycinate and magnesium malate might be a better option for regular supplementation.

Keep in mind, you probably don't need magnesium supplements if you aren't deficient in magnesium.

Magnesium is one of those things you can only get through diet; your body does not produce it on its own. Magnesium is found naturally in foods like beans, nuts, whole grains, leafy greens, and dairy products. Magnesium is also added to some fortified foods, and it’s available in the form of supplements. 

A lot of people in the U.S. are not eating the best diet, and it’s estimated that roughly half of the U.S. population consumes less magnesium than the average daily recommended amounts. And, when your body isn’t getting enough magnesium over a long period of time, you may start experiencing magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency is associated with increased risks of various chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and migraines. 

There’s really limited evidence that someone who already gets enough magnesium is going to benefit from a supplement, but as long as you don’t take too much (adults should not take more than 350 mg a day) there is no harm in trying. Just check to make sure magnesium supplements won’t interact or interfere with other medicines you might be taking, like antibiotics, thyroid, and HIV medications.

And don’t be duped my magnesium creams. Your skin is a barrier made to keep things out, and there’s no evidence you can absorb levels of magnesium through the skin that would increase blood levels in any meaningful way.

How much iron do I get from cooking food in a cast iron pan? 

There is a lot of lore surrounding cast iron, whether it’s about using soap, cooking with acidic foods like tomatoes, or what seasoning a skillet actually means. So, can cast iron actually be a source of iron, or is it just another myth? 

The idea that food cooked using cast iron has more iron can be attributed to a lab study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics back in 1986, which found that foods cooked in iron utensils had significantly more iron than those cooked in non-iron utensils. But just because there is more iron in the food itself doesn't necessarily mean that you are actually consuming more iron. 

While many people are told to avoid cooking acidic foods in cast iron, the acidity of the food being cooked is actually essential for making the most of iron leaching and enhancing the amount of iron your body actually absorbs.

I have looked at a bunch of different studies on the effect of cooking with cast iron on hemoglobin levels, which your body needs iron to make, and the data is a bit less promising. Pretty much all of them conclude that iron cookware could serve as a way to increase the iron content in foods and reduce the incidence of iron deficiency. But so much of the effect of using cast iron depends on variables like the type of food being cooked, the cook time, the frequency you use cast iron, and even the cookware itself. 

So, look for some additional sources of iron in your diet like meat and seafood, legumes, spinach, nuts, and food fortified with iron. 

Catch all the listener questions and Laurel’s answers on the full episode of Health Wanted by:

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