FROM coast to coast, Canadian adults are not meeting requirements for magnesium intake. According to Health Canada, rates of deficiency cluster around 50% across provinces, spiking as high as 65% in Newfoundland and Labrador. Deficiency climbs as we age, too; a solid majority of seniors are coming up short.

What does such widespread deficiency mean for Canadians? It means we lodge more health complaints of the common kind: poor sleep, no energy, anxiety. It inflates our demand for medical care, and evidence suggests, low magnesium is directly associated with premature deaths from cardiovascular disease.

This simple mineral is a vital cofactor in metabolic functions across systems; it maintains healthy blood pressure, heart rhythm, blood sugar, energy, hormones, and more. Magnesium can prevent and treat migraines, muscle tension and facilitate deep, sustained sleep. The importance of this ubiquitous mineral cannot be overstated.

“There’s a really strong body of evidence to support magnesium’s efficacy,” says Sitara Hewitt, brand ambassador for TOP Nutritionals’ Natural Calm magnesium.

“When you read the work of Dr. Carolyn Dean, for example, you understand how critical magnesium is for total health,” Sitara explains, referring to the MD, Naturopathic Doctor and author of The Magnesium Miracle. “Simply put, our bodies would cease to function without it, and many of us just aren’t getting enough magnesium to maintain basic health.”

Sitara, best known from CBC’s award-winning Little Mosque on the Prairie, played Dr. Rayyan, a town MD firmly rooted in modern medicine. In real life, this mother and healthy living advocate believes in prevention as the best medicine, and says magnesium is one of the key preventative tools in her arsenal.

“Before I discovered magnesium, I suffered from back and neck pain, insomnia and anxiety – largely due to deficiency. I was always on the go, travelling, burning up what magnesium I did get through diet,” Sitara explains. “The trouble is, even a healthy diet can be low in magnesium. Just to meet the minimum, you need substantial quantities of legumes, greens, nuts and seeds – and for many of us, particularly when we’re stressed, the recommended minimum may be too low.”

“I use Natural Calm because it’s a highly absorbable form of magnesium. When I’m anxious, or can’t sleep, I notice it working right away,” says Sitara. “It’s North America’s best selling magnesium powder for a reason.”

Sitara accepted the role as brand ambassador because she loves the product and loves what they’re doing to promote health in Canada and abroad. “TOP Nutritionals donates all proceeds after business expenses to their charity, Organics 4 Orphans. They have a great story of starting up the company to fund these grassroots farming projects in Africa. When I heard what they do, I knew I had to be a part.”

Canadians will see Sitara in a Natural Calm commercial slated to air this fall. She’ll also be speaking and writing on behalf of the brand, sharing her personal experience moving from magnesium deficiency, to balanced living.

TOP Nutritionals is the parent company of Natural Calm Canada – a national success story, and an international force for good. Since 2005, Natural Calm has quickly become one of the leading supplement brands in Canada. TOP Nutritionals channels all profits after business expenses to its not-for-profit partner,Organics 4 Orphans (O4O). O4O makes it easy for orphanages and poor communities to flourish, physically and economically – it all centres on intensive organic gardening.  Learn moreat www.organics4orphans.org