Do you suffer from muscle cramps, PMS, insomnia or nervousness? Then you could be low in magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral needed by every cell of your body. It is essential for athletes, people under regular stress, pregnant women & those suffering from diabetes, diarrhoea, malabsorption, vomiting and alcoholism.

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What is magnesium?

Magnesium is an essential mineral that is involved in many important metabolic functions in the body. It is a vital catalyst in enzyme activity, especially the activity of those enzymes involved in the production of energy. A deficiency of magnesium interferes with the transmission of nerve and muscular impulses, causing irritability and nervousness.

A magnesium supplement can help prevent depression, dizziness, muscular weakness, cramp, twitching and PMS. Magnesium aids in maintaining the body's proper pH levels, reducing an acid state.

Magnesium is essential to help prevent the calcification of soft tissues in the body. This often overlooked mineral protects the arterial linings from stress, caused by sudden blood pressure changes, plays a role in the formation of bone, as well as carbohydrate and mineral metabolism.

Magnesium is a mineral needed by every cell of your body. About half of your body's magnesium stores are found inside cells of body tissues and organs. The other half is combined with calcium and phosphorus in the bone. Only 1% of the magnesium in your body is found in the blood.

Your body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant. Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps the heart rhythm steady and the bones strong. It is also involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.

Which foods contain magnesium?

Green vegetables, such as spinach, provide magnesium because the centre of the chlorophyll molecule contains this mineral.

Nuts, seeds and some whole grains are also good sources of magnesium.
Although magnesium is present in many foods, it usually occurs in only small amounts. As with most nutrients, daily needs for magnesium cannot be met from a single food.

The magnesium content of refined foods is usually low. Whole-wheat bread, for example, has twice as much magnesium as white bread because the magnesium-rich germ and bran are removed when white flour is processed. Over 80% of magnesium in grains is lost in the refining of wholefoods.

What is the Recommended Dietary Allowance for magnesium?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98 %) individuals in each life-stage and gender group.

The 1999 RDAs for magnesium for adults, in milligrams (mg) are:

Life-Stage	Men	Women	Pregnancy	Lactation
Ages 14 - 18	410 mg	360 mg	400 mg	360 mg
Ages 19 - 30	400 mg	310 mg	350 mg	310 mg
Ages 31 +	420 mg	320 mg	360 mg	320 mg

With the progressing degradation of our food, daily magnesium intakes have progressively declined in many countries, including N.Z.

When can a magnesium deficiency occur?

Dietary surveys suggest that many of us do not consume enough magnesium for our daily requirements. When a magnesium deficiency does occur, it is usually due to:

(1) Excessive loss of magnesium in the urine
(2) Gastrointestinal system disorders that cause a loss of magnesium or limit magnesium absorption or
(3) A chronically low intake of magnesium

Treatment with diuretics, some antibiotics and some medicine used to treat cancer, can increase the loss of magnesium in urine. Diabetes increases the loss of magnesium in the urine, causing a depletion of magnesium stores.

A high alcohol intake has been associated with magnesium deficiencies, due to alcohol increasing the excretion of magnesium in the urine.

Gastrointestinal problems, such as malabsorption disorders, can cause magnesium depletion of this mineral, by preventing the body from being able to use the magnesium in food. Chronic or excessive vomiting and diarrhoea may also result in magnesium depletion. As can a high dietary intake of calcium, which can cause an imbalance of this essential mineral.

Who may need extra magnesium?

Healthy adults, who eat a varied diet, do not generally need to take a magnesium supplement. Magnesium supplementation is usually indicated when a specific health problem or condition is indicative of low magnesium status.

Extra magnesium may be required by individuals with conditions that cause:

Excessive urinary loss of magnesium
Chronic malabsorption
Severe diarrhoea and steatorrhea
Chronic or severe vomiting

Increasing evidence reveals that a magnesium deficiency is the likely culprit in sudden death from a heart attack. Magnesium works with calcium in the contraction and relaxation of muscles, including the heart muscle.

Magnesium is essential for athletes, people under regular stress, pregnant women and those suffering with alcoholism and diabetes.

Symptoms of low magnesium levels

Muscular weakness
Muscle twitching & cramps
Muscle twitches around the eyes
Spasms in the muscles of the arms or legs
Tremors
Insomnia
PMS
Problems relating to the heart such as an irregular heart rhythm
Gastrointestinal disorders
Bone and teeth problems
An inability to unwind properly
Depression
Dizziness
Nervousness, apprehensiveness and irritability
Lack of coordination
Disorientation and confusion
Personality changes

A deficiency interferes with nerve and muscle impulses.

Some interesting information about magnesium

Magnesium and blood pressure

Evidence suggests that magnesium may play an important role in regulating blood pressure. Diets that provide plenty of fruits and vegetables, which are good sources of potassium and magnesium, are consistently associated with a lower blood pressure.

The DASH study (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) suggested that high blood pressure could be significantly lowered by a diet high in magnesium, potassium and calcium and low in sodium and fat.

Magnesium and heart disease

Magnesium deficiency can cause metabolic changes that may contribute to heart attacks and strokes. There is also evidence that low body stores of magnesium increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, which may increase the risk of complications associated with a heart attack. Population surveys have associated higher blood levels of magnesium with lower risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, dietary surveys have suggested that a higher magnesium intake is associated with a lower risk of stroke.

Magnesium and osteoporosis

Magnesium deficiency may be a risk factor for postmenopausal osteoporosis. This may be because a magnesium deficiency alters calcium metabolism, as well as the hormone that regulates calcium levels. Several studies have suggested that magnesium supplementation improves bone mineral density. In fact, it is one of the major factors in bone metabolism.

Magnesium and diabetes

Magnesium is important to carbohydrate metabolism. It may influence the release and activity of insulin, the hormone that helps control blood glucose levels. Elevated blood glucose levels increase the loss of magnesium in the urine, which in turn lowers blood levels of magnesium. This explains why low blood levels of magnesium (hypomagnesemia) are seen in poorly controlled Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

At Ideal Health, we stock a number of different supplements containing magnesium. These include:

Magnesium Complex from Radiance
Magnesium Complex from Migrogenics
Fibroplex Plus - Practitioner only product specifically for magnesium restoration.